This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/13/2017 07:30 AMJan. 31, 2018 will be Carol Cornachini’s final day of business for Shoetique, the shoe shop she established in Branford 31 years ago. It will also mark about the third month Carol will have been in business with her latest venture, IM=X, a North Branford Pilates studio. For those who know Carol from her 10 years as a Branford school district nurse, don’t despair—she’s also keeping her part-time role as the school nurse at St. Mary’s Catholic School.
“In a way, no matter what I’m doing, I feel like I’m a caregiver, whether it’s patients or clients or customers,” says Carol. “There’s always that element of personal interaction.”
Putting the brakes on the success she built as the proprietor of Shoetique wasn’t an easy decision for Carol, but one she felt was being made at the right time, for the right reasons. After experiencing success after she took up Pilates to aid in recovery from knee and shoulder injuries, Carol saw a need she could fill on the shoreline to help others. While she at first considered ways in which she might possibly keep both businesses going, ultimately Carol decided it was time to let Shoetique go. She opened IM-X in October and, about a month later, began sharing the news about her Shoetique decision.
“One of the reasons I’m doing this is because I don’t want work to define me; I don’t want to think back on my life and say I opened this business and that’s what I did ‘til I died,” says Carol. “That’s why I’m so grateful for my mom, who reinforced to never give up nursing; 10 years ago, I went back to it!”
Carol got back into nursing after taking time off to raise the Cornachinis’ two kids and run Shoetique exclusively. She started off as a full-time nurse in the town’s elementary schools, then at Walsh Intermediate School, before finding a perfect part-time fit at St. Mary’s.
A Branford resident since the age of eight, Carol (née Carpentieri) graduated from Branford High School in 1978 and went on to earn her nursing degree. She began her nursing career working at Yale New Haven Hospital and credits her husband, George, with later supporting her when she first floated the idea of opening her own small business in town.
She picked shoes because, as Carol says, “I love shoes!” Many years later, she learned her grandfather had once owned a shop (he later became a cobbler) in Fair Haven on Grand Avenue, so “it must run in the blood,” says Carol of the business choice. She also knew she wanted to offer customer service of the type she grew up with, when “going to buy shoes was such a great experience,” she says.
The first Shoetique opened in 1986 in the shopping plaza at the top of Branford Hill (now the location of Allusions Salon & Boutique). Carol built the shop into a destination for shoreline residents looking for good quality footwear and personalized service.
“l got the feeling we could do more in a more central location,” says Carol, who made the move to Shoetique’s present location, in the Branhaven Plaza 24 years ago.
While it may be hard for today’s point-and-click shoppers to imagine, it was before Internet shopping was a thing.
“At back to school time, we had a waiting list where people would sign in and we’d call their name to help them,” says Carol. “It was standing room only. There were so many people in the store, we filled all the seats.”
Carol also fared very well against many brick and mortar competitors, from department stores in the plaza (first Caldor’s, followed by Kohls) to shoe-store chains (first Thom McCann, followed by Payless).
“I think we’ve always co-existed very nicely,” says Carol. “We’ve had some shoes with similar price points, but for the people that understand the value and quality we offer, for the most part in this area, we are higher end.”
Then, as now, Shoetique continues to offer personalized service, with a display of goods up front and shoes of all sizes and varieties in back, boxed up and waiting for staff to pull them to help customers try on.
Like many small business owners, Carol has always done her best to give back to the community that supports her and her staff, several of whom have worked with her for 20 or more years. This month, she’ll once again donate dozens of shoes (as many as 100 pair have been given away annually) to assist those served by BHcare, New Reach, and Columbus House programs.
Now in the heart of the busy Christmas shopping season, Carol says she hasn’t had the chance to really reflect on the fact that Jan. 31 will be her last day in business as the owner of Shoetique. As for her next steps, Carol says she is excited for the future and the opportunities she will be offering to a new set of clients through IM=X Pilates Studio at 999 Foxon Road in Twin Lakes Commons West, North Branford.
IM=X stands for integrated movement plus exercise, Carol explains.
“I’ve been working on it since July, and we opened in October with a soft opening. Then November was our first month up and running with full classes,” says Carol. “This is a particular style based on the Alexander Technique, which is creating synergies with certain muscle groups while relaxing others.”
Carol offers all a one-hour free session to start because she wants to help everyone become familiar and comfortable with the process and equipment.
“If you’ve never done Pilates, you’ll see there’s this bed and it’s got springs and pulleys, so it can be a little intimidating, but it’s really good!” says Carol.
Carol came to Pilates to help her body gain strength after ending physical therapy and finding the home exercises and gym workouts weren’t helping her “move forward,” she says. Once it worked for her, the idea of opening her own studio clicked.
“I’m a business person, and I saw a business opportunity for people who were in the same situation as me. I felt like I was injuring myself doing home exercise and going to the gym; I felt like I was going backwards. Pilates set me on a course moving forward.”
Carol assists clients who use Pilates to overcome many types of physical hurdles, from recovering from injuries to the impacts of diseases such as Parkinson’s.
“Everyone is working on something and they’re all looking for something to help them move forward and feel better. It meshes well with my nursing, my personal life experience and my store experience. It’s so exciting,” she says.