Good Feet Store

The Good Feet Store was the first and is still the leader in its market segment, franchised Foot Care stores. Previously the domain of small private podiatrists and a small section in the local drug store, since the late 1990s, this has grown into a billion dollar industry. The success of the Good Feet Store brand has spawned many competitors and imitators, including [http://www.walkfit.com/?src=affiliate&aid=13314&subid=p4 Phase IV] , [http://www.footsolutions.com/ Foot Solutions] and [http://www.newfeetstore.com/ New Feet] .

The key to the start of this industry was the spread of a general use orthotic. The first was invented by Romanian/German Podiatrist Georg Alzner in the 1940s. You can connect the dots to see why and who in Germany at that time might have funded a podiatrist to research devices to improve foot comfort. [http://www.bioorthotics.com/georgalzner.htm] Alzner's theory was; there is a proper shape where the foot works properly, with weight evenly distributed. He thought a device could be designed to cause any foot to form the proper shape.

The invention that was culmination of Alzner's research was finally patented in Canada in 1969. The exclusive manufacturing and marketing for the product was licensed to retired Presbyterian minister Donald L. Airey, a very satisfied customer of Alzner. He formed the company that became Bio Orthotics International that exclusively markets the Alznner. [http://www.bioorthotics.com/don_airey.htm]

In 1992, Airey contracted with Television Marketing Programs, owned by Joe Paul (b. Joseph P. Polifroni) to create an Infomercial for the product on a shared revenue basis. The idea was to sell this through a loss leader less durable clone of the Alznner called "Barefoot." Paul's wife Rosalinda Johnson and Director Andrew Hecker wrote "Feet Facts for the 90's," hosted by Johnson, shot by Hecker and including an impassioned testimonial by Airey. While most infomercials have a "shelf life" of under 6 months before their effectiveness wanes, the core of that original infomercial still airs, making it the longest running Infomercial in history. [ [http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=2&ti=1,2&Search%5FArg=hecker%20andy&Search%5FCode=NALL&CNT=25&PID=B7OpPPz6ho4NFYQzZievj_wyZx12g&SEQ=20080901190325&SID=6] ]

Now tied to the success of the infomercial Paul sponsored airings on cable systems surrounding their home in Cardiff by the Sea, California. But selling the product by mail order proved problematic, with a high rate of returns. Most customers didn't know their shoe size. More particularly, for any given shoe size the proper fitting of an arch support could fall into any of three different arch sizes.

Needing a way to get the fit right, Paul opened the first Good Feet Store, in a tiny office in neighboring Solana Beach. Driven by that single infomercial, the success of the product and the store grew. Paul undertook expansion into other carefully defined exclusive markets, first franchising to family members, original store employees and their extended families. Under the product name "Dr.'s Own," Paul created an entire line of support products and worked with professional podiatrists to develop new products for what became an entire new market segment--the foot care store. Previous to Paul's invention, these needs were and still are served by retail product manufacturers like Dr. Scholl's and individual offices of members of the medical specialization of Podiatry. The success of the stores has brought on lots of competition into this new market, copying the products, the stores and most particularly the infomercial that brought business into the stores. Paul brought in (soon to become) attorney Mark Walsh to develop franchising across North America. Johnson developed the store's business practices, motif, advertising and conducted the "training" program for prospective franchisees. Between 1995 and 2002 the Good Feet Store expanded from the one store to over 160 stores.

In 2003, the technicalities of the franchising structure came under scrutiny of the Securities Administrator of the State of Washington among others. [http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/orders/S-03-080-03-TO02.pdf] [http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/orders/S-03-080-03-CO01.pdf]

The resulting series of lawsuits wrested Paul and Johnson from their interest in Good Feet.

The Good Feet Store is now headquartered in Carlsbad, California that operates via franchise stores which specializes in selling arch support inserts for shoes.

They are well known in some areas for their infomercials. They offer a free service which they call "taking a print" in which an individual places their foot on a pressure pad and a print of their foot is produced. According to the company, a trained professional can properly size the customer with aid of the footprint and bring to the customer a variety of different arch supports to choose from. The trained professional does not diagnose or prescribe. The arch supports are molded off the "ideal foot", instead of being molded to a customers foot which they claim is likely out of position. These arch supports are designed to guide the foot back to the ideal position, giving it better stability, alignment and balance.

In addition, several current and/or former Sacramento Kings players, including Kevin Martin, Predrag Stojakovic and NFL player, and TV dance champion, Emmitt Smith endorse their products [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuLNgNT0lWY YouTube - Good Feet Emmitt Smith ] ] .

A large portion of their customers have what are known as fallen arches, or flat feet.Fact|date=April 2008 The store claims that all kinds of body alignment issues can be improved using their supports, including posture, balance, knee problems, hip alignment, and straightening the back. The arch supports help to realign the foundation of the body, the feet. Which in turn helps with the posture of the rest of the body.Fact|date=April 2008

Some foot doctors, medical practitioners, and physical therapist do refer patients to The Good Feet Store to be fitted for arch supports.Fact|date=April 2008

There are 150 franchises stores located in the United States, Canada, and South Korea.

ee also

*Shoe insert
*Flat feet
*Arches of the foot

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