New Businesses Aim to Satisy Soles and Souls
by January 11, 2010 12:00 am 309 views
New Balance Shoes
Owner: Bart Dickinson
Address: 1720 W. Walnut St., Rogers
Phone: 479-636-9200
E-mail: [email protected]
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Startup date: August, 2009
Scott Hall is serious about shoes.
“It’s not that good shoes fix everything,” Hall said, “but they can prevent a lot of stuff.”
Hall is the store manager and pedothist at New Balance Rogers. The store has a 2,600 SF showroom Hall said is the largest of any New Balance outlet.
More importantly to customers, the store boasts an inventory of 13,000 shoes (in more than 100 models) in a whopping 96 sizes. Hall and the other four employees are dedicated to making sure each customer gets a perfect fit.
“We don’t just sell you a pair of shoes. We can put you in a proper shoe to make you more comfortable,” Hall said, adding the store offers a 60-day comfort guarantee.
After 60 days, in other words, an unsatisfied customer can exchange the shoes for a different pair or get a refund. As a pedothist, Hall specializes in custom shoes and orthotics as well as shoe modifications.
Store owner Bart Dickinson has similar operations in Hot Springs and Little Rock. Hall said shoe prices at the Rogers store range from $40 to $200, but most models are between $79 and $143.
In addition to the expected array of running shoes, Hall said his store offers basketball shoes, cleats and kid’s shoes and cleats. Most of the non-shoe inventory is specifically geared toward runners, but the store has some leisure wear, in addition to clothing for cycling, tennis and basketball enthusiasts.
“Business has been good,” Hall said. “Every month we’ve been here we’ve done better than the previous month.”
Hartfield Therapy
Owner: Dr. Cara Hartfield
Address: 112 W. Center, Suite 215, Fayetteville
Phone: 479-409-2212
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.drhartfieldtherapy.com
Hours: Scheduled appointments Monday-Thursday, including Tuesday and Wednesday evenings
Startup date: Dec. 1, 2009
A veteran psychologist has opened her own practice in downtown Fayetteville.
Dr. Cara Hartfield, who had worked with Northwest Arkansas Psychological Group since 2006, and in Springfield, Mo., for several years prior to that, started her new practice on Dec. 1.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “It’s kind of nice to set your own overhead and be your own boss.”
Hartfield, who primarily sees adult patients, including many 65 or older, said she also enjoys the flexibility of allowing sliding-scale (Read: income-based) fees in some cases. Her regular rates are $125 per hour.
Hartfield also does some Social Security assessments through the state of Arkansas and/or attorneys, and has handled some forensic cases recently, too.
The practice’s Web site features “Short Sessions,” a regularly changing collection of tips written by Hartfield. Some are general in nature while others are based on personal experiences.
Submit tips about new businesses in Northwest Arkansas to Rob Keys at [email protected] or 479-725-0394, ext. 323.