Shoes, more than any other article of clothing, have really come a long way in the past century. 100 years ago, most people, men and women alike, had just one or maybe two pair of shoes- day shoes for work and night shoes for anything else.

In 2006, even the most modest of men probably have at least 5 pair. Theres tennis shoes, dress shoes, dress casual shoes, sandals, work boots, hiking boots and more, all just for men. And you would be hard pressed to find an American woman who owned less than 10-15 pair of shoes in this day and age- pumps, high heels, short heels, sandals in hundreds of varieties, and more.

But according to a recent internet poll by www.krstarica.com, 41% of Americans surveyed buy new shoes several times per year. Thats great news if you own a shoe store. But how do you ensure that those customers keep coming back to you? Running a successful shoe store in 2006 starts with minding the supply and design of the store. It is important to use these elements to create an environment that your customers will feel comfortable in.

Start with the details, because those are the things that customers notice first. Small things like having plenty of shoe mirrors and properly displaying your products can make a big difference. Its easy to get caught up in having the latest and greatest products. Thats fine. But remember that shopping is an experience for customers, and that takes into account the whole store and staff, not just products.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when designing your shoe store to help you attract and retain customers:

Pay Attention to Aisle Spacing: In an effort to offer the most, we sometimes forget that the most important thing to a shoe store customer is comfort. Make the store design reflect that ideal of comfort, and supply plenty of space in each aisle for several customers to try on and test out shoes at any given time.

Mirror, Mirror on the Floor: Give customers a convenient way to check out their new kicks by providing plenty of floor mirrors that will give them an all-angles look at their shoes. Second only to (and sometimes even more important than) comfort is style.

Put Your Products on Display: Again, instead of getting caught up in supplying more products, do a better job of providing better products and better displays for those products. Customers are much more prone to try on shoes theyve seen on display than dig through boxes to find the right color and design for their tastes.