Early peak at Fall shoes and boots

Patience.  It’s not the easiest quality to embrace.  But it’s so important to our overall happiness.  I've had many conversations with you about how whether you are eating at your favorite restaurant, remodeling your kitchen, or (yes) buying shoes you might have to exhibit more patience than usual.  This can manifest in many ways. Lack of staffing means that businesses are operating with abbreviated hours.  Delays in shipping—both overseas and domestic—have pushed back delivery dates.  Companies that you’ve come to love may no longer be in business. It’s a reality that continues to evolve and that affects every industry.  

I am an eternal optimist, and I'm happy to report that overall Plum Bottom is doing very well.  The new Camp Hill store is a great success. At both stores summer brought customers who were excited to eat out, see friends and attend events and we helped them find shoes that made them look and feel wonderful during those special times.  We look forward to an equally robust fall season.  New boots and shoes are arriving daily—though a bit slower than you may have come to expect. Boots will be arriving throughout September and October—with winter styles arriving closer to November.  Believe me, we still have PLENTY of boots and shoes for you to love.  But, as I’ve advised in the past, don’t wait to purchase something if you like it! It may not be available for reorder and demand can exceed supply in our most popular styles.

Customer favorite Eric Michael already delivered these must-have tall suede boots! They're perfect for an athletic calf.

The message I’m sharing here is just to give you a perspective on what is happening in retail as we progress into fall 2021 and beyond. Many of the changes we’ve seen aren’t going to be corrected soon, but I am confident that we are continuing to adapt to keep our customers very pleased.  

I’ll focus on fall trends in my next blog, but I’ll tease you by saying that light colors, including white, can be found in all shoe categories. Prints are still very strong (leopard and reptile), but cow print is a fun new addition to that genre. Rich brown has returned as a staple, as has navy. Many loafers have acquired sporty bottoms for a more casual touch.  

These All Black oxford loafers encapsulate several trends--sport soles and white for fall. 

In the meantime, there are some wonderful prices on summer sandals—both instore and online.  Be sure to stop by our clearance rooms before sandals are gone for the season because we’ll still have some lovely, warm weather ahead of us in September. You can even get a discount on sandals, like NAOT, which will be reordered for next season so there is no better time to save and stock up on essentials.  

Rows of colorful summer sales shoes await you in Camp Hill and Harrisburg in sizes from 5 - 11! 

You can also shop for sale items online!

We’d love to make it even easier for you to shop by expanding our evening hours, but currently our staff is stretched thin.  That means we are hiring!  If you’ve ever thought that it would be fun to work at Plum Bottom, we’d love to talk to you. Retail experience isn’t a strict must. We’re looking for employees who genuinely enjoy helping others and who display a positive attitude.  The ability to work in the evening and weekends is important, and we’d prefer to hire those who are flexible working in either Harrisburg or Camp Hill.  Stop by either store to drop off a resume or pick up an application. 

 Have you ever wanted to join our happy family at Plum Bottom? Visit us at either store to pick up an application or drop off a resume!

As I said before, I’m an optimist. But I’m also a realist.  I shared this with you so that you also have realistic expectations for shopping this season—not just at Plum Bottom but at any store you visit.  It’s likely that your favorite stores are understaffed and operating with less inventory that normal.  If you can exhibit a bit of patience and shop local, shop small and shop women owned, your happiness and the happiness of everyone you encounter will continue to shine!