A New York company plans to set up shop in Birmingham.
The Shoe School will be taking space in Hardware Park, where industry professionals and co-founders Gary Chwatuk and Jennifer Silestki aim to bring shoe industry education and manufacturing to the Magic City. Chwatuk and Silestski both have over 40 years of experience in the industry.
The Shoe School plans to have operations up and running in Birmingham by the summer.
The Shoe School plans to serve as a training center to educate students on handbag and shoemaking to help them launch their own ventures. The school has been operating primarily in New York and New Jersey for the past 22 years and maintains a sample room in New Jersey.
Chwatuk had a vision of opening a combination of a factory and training center and, after some investigating, The Shoe School settled on Alabama.
The company's initial focus will be on education but eventually wants to establish a small shoe factory.
“Basically, we would have our factory that (we) would develop would be a central fabrication system for these upcoming entrepreneurs that study under us. They (would) basically have their little design facilities, neighboring our factory, and it’ll give them a chance to grow and give us actual production for them,” Chwatuk said.
Chwatuk said costly machinery is a barrier to entry in the shoe industry, and the company's model would allow entrepreneurs to utilize the Shoe School's machinery without having to purchase equipment themselves.
Chwatuk said he found Alabama as an affordable market with a business-friendly climate, as well as a commitment to entrepreneurship.
The Shoe School settled on Hardware Park because of its commitment of engineering and how it could fit into modern production of shoes and components.
“When I saw (Hardware Park) was a pretty big base for mostly engineering firms, 'I said this really fits in with what we’re doing.' We’re combining a bit of the old world with the new world as far as the engineering goes,” Chwatuk said. “We’re not looking to make space-age products right now, but we are looking to make an incredible shoe here in the United States that can compete with anyone else in the world, and we need the engineering behind it.”
The company is looking to eventually manufacture all types of shoes from sneakers and classic shoes to leisure shoes. They are also looking to work with sustainable products that are more durable than leather and less harmful to the environment.
“We believe (Shoe School's) focus on design, sustainability and manufacturing adds immense value to our growing community of product designers, engineers and entrepreneurs. And, of course, we can’t wait to buy shoes that are being made right here in Birmingham!,” said Daniel Bolus, director of community outreach at Hardware Park.
