Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Ciccia.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My wife Allyson and I started the company about twenty years ago in our apartment in Beacon Hill. I was working as a management consultant and Allyson was in medical equipment sales. Allyson walked to work each day and constantly complained about her aching feet in her work shoes – especially up and down the hill each day. She couldn’t seem to find comfortable shoes that were fashionable enough.
At the time we had been traveling quite a bit to Italy since my family is Italian. During one of our trips visiting relatives, Allyson picked up several pairs of shoes that fit the bill – they were really comfortable, allowing her to walk to work with no pain. Her colleagues and friends noticed them and started asking for us to bring similar shoes home for them during our next trip. Since so many other women in Boston seemed to have the same problem with their shoes, we figured there must be a good opportunity for a business in comfortable but fashionable shoes. So we got connected to a shoe factory in Italy, and put together our first collection. We called the line CORDANI, which is my mother’s family name – my last name is way too hard to pronounce for American consumers. We launched the collection in New York and the styles were immediately snapped up by buyers from all over the country. It sort of took on its own life from there. Our sales increased each season and our brand was picked up by a few major retailers like Nordstrom, Anthropologie, etc. We eventually moved out of our apartment in Beacon Hill and opened a warehouse and distribution center in Wakefield.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As every business owner knows, there are always struggles along the way. We barely survived the 2007 recession, especially when the dollar tanked and hit an all-time-low. But we stuck with what we do best – providing great product for our customers. We’ve also stuck by our manufacturers and we continue making most of our product in Italy, where we feel we get the best possible quality.
Please tell us about Cordani, Inc.
We try really hard to provide women with the best quality shoes that are as comfortable as they are fashionable. Our shoes are best known for their comfort features, like plush insole padding, arch supports and contoured footbeds. Our classic styles are made on a platform with a “rocker-bottom” that has a slight toe-spring which gently propels you forward as you walk. We’re really proud of the fact that we support age-old shoe-making techniques by employing only artisans to make our product. Approximately 70% of our shoes are made in Italy and the rest is made in Spain, Mexico and even in the US. About 5 years ago we started manufacturing a very small grouping of shoes in a tiny factory in North Hollywood California. Many of our customers really like supporting US-made products and we love the fact that we can get reorders in such a short time. And shipping costs from Californian are a fraction of what they are from Europe. But regardless of where we make our shoes, successfully combining fashion and comfort is what sets us apart from other brands. We’re so happy to have such a strong following with woman who really love our brand for its comfort and quality. Our shoes are available in the best boutiques across the country as well as on line at some of the most major on-line retailers. We have a really small outlet located next to our offices in Wakefield. The outlet is only open three days a week and only older styles, overruns, and samples are available. But the prices are great and you can find a lot of one-of-a kind styles.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is sitting in my grandmother’s kitchen in Italy and being surrounded by the most incredible smells. Her house was in a tiny farming village in the mountains between Parma and Genoa. Everything she cooked with came from the gardens and fields in her village – I guess you could say that she was way ahead of her time when it came to the organic movement and “farm-to-table” eating. She would make the most incredible dishes with the simplest ingredients. My love for Italy definitely started in her kitchen.
Contact Info:
- Address: 76 Albion Street
Wakefield, MA 01880 - Website: www.cordani.com
- Phone: 781-245-2131
- Email: info@cordani.com
- Instagram: cordani_shoes
- Facebook: Cordani
- Yelp: Cordani
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