But I must tell you that CHOOZE shoes came out of nowhere and it is very exciting.

Chooze is the brainchild, and passion, of Sharon Blumberg of Dallas.  Sharon has created, not only a unique line of shoes- but she has a vision to make a difference.  She calls her company a “for Profit” company with a “Non-Profit Heart”.  100% of the profit from CHOOZE shoes goes to providing “Zero” interest loans to women in need.  These loans go to help start individual businesses for these women so they can lift themselves and their children out of poverty.

I know there is another famous brand giving shoes away, but to Sharon’s credit she is adhering to the old adage- “Give a man a fish he eats for a day; Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime”.  Very cool and very effective!

On the product side, these shoes are fun and have hit the market running…full blast!  Anti-microbial, vegan materials, and creativity provoking style.  No 2 shoes are the same and they can be mixed and matched…kids are encouraged to CHOOZE and be creative.

Stop by soon and see the entire collection. You will find yourselves caught up in the creative whirlwind and want to CHOOZE some for yourselves. (They do make mommy sizes and if the interest is there, we will carry them too!)

What that means is consumers are able to save the 81/4% sales tax charged here in Austin.  This year we are doing something we have never done before- we are having a pretty significant sale.

Those of you who are on our e-mail list have been made aware of our back-to-school sale on athletic shoes.  This weekend we are extending that sale and taking further discounts.  If you decide to fight the crowds, you will be rewarded with savings of up to 45% on athletic shoes from Stride Rite, Skechers, Asics, and alot more.  Prices from $29.99 to $39.99 abound!

Our advice is to shop EARLY, things get crazier as the day progresses and we will be opening at 9:00 a.m. both Friday and Saturday, and at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.Featured is the Asics 1150.  Regular price is $59.99- Sale Price is just $39.99!!  Lots more savings like this for boys and girls.

We had Kiwi the Clown painting faces and making the coolest balloon animals.  Kiwi is GREAT!  We gladly recommend her for any of your party needs (www.kiwisparty.com).

We also benefitted from our newest neighbor Yogurtland giving away FREE frozen yogurt to any and everyone who made a purchase at Sandy’s that day.  Mike, the owner of Yogurtland is a great guy and they will be celebrating their Grand Opening on June 11th and I am sure you won’t want to miss it.

33 years serving the families of Austin and Central Texas has been an honor, and boy how time has flown by.  We have seen so many changes to the city and to the industry but one thing has never changed, and that is the smiling faces of children and how much we really do love them.  Thanks to all of you parents who have and continue to trust us with the foot health of your children.  We are proud to provide over 100 years of combined shoe fitting experience as well as the best brands available.

This shoe offers more support than most kids athletic shoes, yet is so versatile.  It can be submerged in creeks, lakes, and oceans all the while holding up to toe dragging youngsters on skateboards, bikes, and scooters.

Did you know that Sandy’s is the #1 seller of KEEN for kids in the entire southwest?  No other independent retailer of any sort sells more KEEN than your very own local shoe store.  We also carry more colors of this great style than anyone else.

We have the KEEN H2 in the following colors; Navy, Dark Brown, Red, Nectarine, Purple, Pink,  Carribean Blue, and combinations for every taste- black/stone, mid blue/aqua, black/green, green camo, pink camo, orange multi, pink multi.  15 colors in all!

These are priced right, from $39.99 to $49.99.  We have these from a little toddlers size 4 (which fits a 12 month old) all the way up to fitting a size 6 (which for boys is just before mens and for girls to fit a womens size 7 1/2).

So check out our great selection of KEEN adventure shoes…the Perfect Fit at the Perfect Price!

After Christmas, we let our toy selection go down so we would have less to move during the remodeling and new layout.  But in the last 10 days we have received over 200 cases of new toys!  Our commitment is to provide the LARGEST selection of Melissa and Doug toys in the entire State of Texas and we will not disappoint you.

Ask Melissa and Doug themselves, they are a real live married couple in Connecticut, and they will tell you that Sandy’s is the largest single outlet store for their great educational and classic toys in the southwest, not just Texas.

Now is a great time to stop in for a special Valentine gift for the little Princess, (or Prince), in your life.  Or if you are like me, the special Princesses (5) and Prince!

Perfect Fit- This is simple really.  The Fenwick family have been fitting shoes since 1954. All kinds of shoes, from old fashioned white high top “first walkers” that were the rage for most of the 20th century babies in America, to outfitting today’s young athletes in Asics, New Balance, Saucony and others.  In between our family has fit women in high heels, men in Red Wing workboots, and orthopedic shoes, filling prescriptions.  Though we haven’t done any of that for decades, one thing is beyond debate- NOBODY in Central Texas has more combined experience providing the “Perfect Fit” for children than Sandy’s.

Our reputation and success is built upon caring about the children and families we serve.

Perfect Price- This is a bit more abstract and harder to nail down.  At the same time, it is the most exciting news we have to share since relocating to our NEW store.

After evaluating the economic landscape and the challenges facing the families we care so much about, we at Sandy’s have made a commitment to providing Value Pricing everyday, day in and day out, 12 months out of the year.

What this means is that Sandy’s will be offering the same great brands you trust, like Stride Rite, Geox, Tsukihoshi, Pedipeds, Asics, New Balance, KEEN, Teva, and on and on- at lower prices than ever before.  We are offering brand new styles at lower prices than the suggested retail- year round.

Also, our new Outlet Room, which many of you have visited, offers a constantly changing selection of famous brands at $29.99 or Lower!  All the time! We have over 2500 pairs of shoes in our Outlet Room on sale Right Now! And new styles will be brought in weekly so you never know what bargains and treasures you may find.

So Perfect Fit, Perfect Price is our new mantra and we hope you will agree that it is exciting news, worth sharing with about a dozen friends or so. Thanks for spreading the news and come by soon and see for yourself what Perfect Fit, Perfect Price will mean to you and your family.

We have taken what was our Toy Showroom and transformed it into the Sandy’s Shoes Clearance Room.

Every item in this room will NEVER be priced above $29.99.  We have over 2000 pairs of shoes that will sell from $9.99 to $29.99.  This Clearance Room will be changing often as customers take advantage of the prices. Originally most everything in there now represents Fall and Winter clearance items.  But we will be purposely buying for this Clearance Room and bringing in seasonal merchandise at unbelievably low prices.

We still will be carrying the Largest selection of Melissa and Doug toys, but they will be integrated into the larger showroom.

Our new strategy going forward is to guarantee the lowest everyday prices on top brand children’s shoes in Central Texas.  You will also note that our main showroom will be changing as we increase our selection, especially in athletic shoes.  We are now the Largest independent Dealer of Asics shoes for kids in Texas!!  That makes us the Largest independent dealer of Asics, KEEN, Teva, Tsukihoshi and Melissa and Doug toys in the state.

We hope you will stop in and see for yourself the changes over the next few weeks.  New spring merchandise is starting to arrive daily!

Stop by Sandy’s to enter to win one of the 10 sets of 2 tickets to see Laurie Berkner as our guest. Also, 5 lucky winners will receive VIP passes to meet Laurie and her band, hang out backstage and have an overall good time!!

Also, try on a pair of UMI shoes and receive a FREE “Rocketship Run” CD! (while supplies last).

This is just another way we are trying to make a difference in our community and anyone who has heard The Laurie Berkner Band before knows how much wholesome fun she provides.

That said, a few Halloween memories follow.

Growing up in a small town in the midwest, we used to set out on Halloween with a very detailed plan of attack. We would cover a square mile before we had to be back on our block, so we would save our neighborhood for last. Yes this was a long time ago when parents let their young ones roam a town without too much concern. But we did have our troubles.

One time a group of teenage boys assaulted us with shaving cream. They reached into our swelling bags of goodies, took what they could and filled the bags with shaving cream. Not nice, but a quick run to the homestead and out we went, undeterred with a new bag.

Another time we approached an older home that sat stoically upon the highest lot on the street. This was a converted farmhouse that was surrounded by large pines. The screened porch was more than a bit spooky as we opened the screen door to ring the doorbell to the house. A jack-o lantern glowed and flickered on the silhouette of a life sized scarecrow perched upon a rocker on the porch. Right after we rang the doorbell and waited for what seemed an eternity, the scarecrow leaped from the rocker and sent the group of us sprawling in a screaming heap. After reassuring us and filling our bags, the neighbor sent us away promising we wouldn’t warn the next group. We didn’t, but we did watch and laughed aloud as two of their group tumbled out the porch and down the stairs into the yard.

Halloween is different now, with more parties and neighborhood get togethers, and far less traversing the streets.

We have a great selection of dress-up costumes from Melissa and Doug to help make Halloween fun and to provide lots of imaginary play throughout the year. So your child can pretend to be a fireman, policeman, chef, construction worker, pirate, knight, hairdresser or train engineer. These great, fun not scary costumes sell for $29.99. But you can save $5.00 by just mentioning this offer now thru Halloween 2010.

Have fun!

We started with an offer on New Balance atheltic shoes in solid colors, black and white. We have just sent out a $10 off coupon on the entire stock of Skechers, now through September 19th.

We will be continuing this strategy going forward into the fall. You will see offers coming your way on brands like Lelli Kelly, John Deere Boots, Stride Rite, and more. We really hope this is helpful to you and welcome any feedback. During these tough economic times, we want to partner with parents in providing the very best footwear for their children. And these special coupon offers will help us accomplish this goal and save you some money along the way.