Published: April 26, 2008 11:52 pm            

Quite the pair

Only having one shoe wouldn’t quite get the job done. It’s no coincidence that Shoe Bank, 603 N. Perkins Road in Pioneer Square, has been a successful business in Stillwater for 27 years, because instead of having just one owner, the business has a pair of owners.

“We each have a point of view,” said Jana Swain, co-owner. “We try and meet in the middle. I think it is a big plus.”

“We try to be different,” said David Swain, co-owner. “We try some fresh things and not just be safe all the time.”

While the business has been in Stillwater for more than a quarter century, David and Jana have been more than just business partners throughout the entirety of the Shoe Bank. The two have been married for 36 years.

“We can’t imagine working without each other,” Jana said. “I guess it is kind of unusual to work together.”

The couple bounces ideas off of each other and splits duties.

“I’m a little more conservative than David. He’s a little edgier on fashion,” Jana said. “It works out.”

The first 27 years of the business has been family oriented, as their eldest son worked at Shoe Bank during his time at Oklahoma State University. He has since moved on to become a structural engineer in Tulsa, and is not looking to take over the family shoe store.

“We really encouraged him not to,” Jana said. “If you don’t want to work on weekends, you don’t want to get into the retail business.”

The Swains spend a lot of their time traveling to various conventions all over the world. Throughout their 27 years in business, they have been led everywhere from Scotland and Ireland to China and Greece, and many places in between

“We have traveled a lot,” Jana said.

In fact, Jana is preparing herself for a trip to a convention in Orlando, Fla., soon. These conventions are important to the business as the new trends are released and decisions are made as to which style of shoe to carry for the upcoming season.

“You just go and look and see what’s new,” said Jana. “You have to be willing to search and stay up with the trends.”

However, simply following what’s hot in other parts of the country and world won’t necessarily get the job done.

“What sells in Atlanta won’t sell in Oklahoma City,” David said. “You’ve got to be in tune with who your customer is.”

Shoe Bank can be reached at 377-5908.

        

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