36°
CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. Walking around the streets of Chappaqua in search of a Mothers Day present last May, a realization hit Licia Mikulicic like a ton of pumps: there was no women's shoe store in Chappaqua.
I had to go to White Plains or to Danbury, said Mikulicic, whose store, Step in Style, opened on Saturday. Then I started going from town to town. To Armonk, Katonah, all over. I even Googled shoes to see what was in the area, and there was nothing.
When Mikulicic left her position as a clothing buyer for Barneys New York three years ago, she never planned on returning to retail. The prospect of becoming Chappaquas sole shoe provider, however, was too much to pass up.
My son-in-law, he thought it was the greatest thing since apple pie, and hes conservative, Mikulicic said. And thats how we started. We started looking at storefronts.
Despite the excitement, Mikulicic was not looking to rush the decision. Her search for the perfect location eventually ended six months later when her son-in-law told her about a recently-vacant storefront next to 228 Salon on South Greeley Avenue.
I came the next day to see it, said Mikulicic, a Brewster resident. And it took a while because of holidays, but we finally signed a lease in February and were open. I had to buy shoes quickly, obviously, but the selection is pretty good for the time frame that I had to work with.
Currently, Step in Style is stocked with several high-end shoe brands, including Chocolate Blue, Graffiti, Robert Zur, Matt Bernson, French Sole and Corso Como. Mikulicic expects to expand the selection even more in the fall.
Step in Style had its official grand opening on Saturday, to what Mikulicic called a great turnout. The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Monday through Saturday.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Chappaqua and receive free news updates.
