They laughed when Mary Hager suggested opening a Birkenstock store in Las Vegas. She's the only one laughing now.
She recently marked her 25th year selling Birkenstock and other "granola shoe" brands to Las Vegas residents. Hager owns and operates two Desert Birkenstock stores, at 2192 N. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 103, and 594 N. Stephanie St., Suite 130.
While it might be normal to see people in comfort footwear now, that was not the case 30 years ago. The entrepreneur initially encountered the strange-looking shoes when she was in college.
"The first time I saw them, I thought they were the most ridiculous things I'd ever seen," Hager said.
But then she had a chance to try on a pair and was an instant convert. She's worn them ever since.
After college, Hager expected to have a career as a respiratory therapist. But just wearing her Birkenstocks to work proved a magnet of interest.
On their feet all day, her fellow workers at University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital were desperate for comfortable footwear. That interest prompted Hager to call Birkenstock's headquarters and propose opening a store here.
But the company didn't see Las Vegas as "organic" enough. Plus, there was an economic recession in full bloom.
Despite those factors, Hager managed to make a convincing proposal. A deal was struck and she opened a tiny store on West Charleston Boulevard, no bigger than 600 square feet.
Unable to afford advertising, she relied on word of mouth. Within two years, she was able to move to a slightly larger storefront at Charleston and Valley View boulevards, a space now used as her office.
The early days were hit and miss. A single mother, she and her son David eked out a living, selling the funny-looking shoe line. They took no vacations. They ate Top Ramen and macaroni and cheese ad nauseam as they survived on $600 a month.
"He used to help me, spending his time after school and on weekends at the store," she said. "He made his first sale at 8. I had to run to the bank and I thought, 'It's just down the street, I'll only be 20 minutes.' When I got back, he'd sold his first pair, rang it up and everything."
The first sigh of relief came four years into the business. That's when sales were strong enough to hire one employee.
At the 11-year mark, Hager said, she knew the business had a definite foothold and would succeed. She now allows herself a one-week vacation.
Each year brings its own cycle of clients. In June, sales spike with high school graduation gifts.
Baby boomers make up a large part of her clientele. While most people buy a single pair, one female celebrity -- Hager won't name names -- bought nearly 60 Birkenstocks. They weren't for her but were sent as part of her wedding invitation.
One thing hasn't changed: Hager's customers often return, telling her how her shoes have positively affected their lives. One such person is Sandy Franklin.
Franklin, a quality controller at a title company, turned to comfort shoes after a spider bite on her foot became infected and she landed in the hospital. After being discharged, her foot problems continued.
"I've been shuffling around in slippers, bedroom slippers, for the past nine months," she said. "Do you know how classy it is to get all dressed up to go out to dinner and top it off with bedroom slippers?"
When a friend suggested Desert Birkenstock, Franklin tried on her first pair and was an instant convert.
"The more I wear them, the more comfortable they get," she said.
Roughly 50 percent of Desert Birkenstock's sales are of its namesake brand, but it also carries other manufacturer's shoes, such as Simple, Naot and Dansko, which has been skyrocketing in sales since celebrity Rosie O'Donnell wore a pair on "Oprah."
Prices at the two stores range from $50 to $200.
No longer relying on word-of-mouth, Desert Birkenstock runs ads and its mailing list now tops 20,000 subscribers.
"The biggest change in 25 years is the depth and breadth of the comfort shoe market," Hager said. "I started with one brand and now look at how many there are. There is a new generation out there, a whole lot of people who are being raised without ever wearing high heels."
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