Stepping Into Success:

Being dressed well from head to toe for a job interview is a step in the right direction. So Robert Yegenah, owner of the recently opened Love My Shoes in Bayside, decided to partner with Dress For Success, a non-profit organization that donates outfits to low income women returning to the workforce.
Love My Shoes recently held a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony and also celebrated its partnership with Dress For Success, by donating more than 500 pairs of shoes to the organization. Yegenah hopes to donate 5,000 pairs of used and slightly used heelsboth donated and from his shopper year to Dress For Success.
"The amount of support has been unbelievable," said Yegenah, who has also been collecting donated shoes from his three stores in Huntington Station, Carle Place and Oceanside.
Yegenah knows his women’s shoes. He’s been in the shoe business for more than 20 years; he started hawking shoes in street fairs while majoring in aeronautical engineering at Dowling College in Oakdale. By 1996, he had opened up his first store in Carle Place. "We did try men’s shoes," Yegenah admitted. "And it didn’t work out very wellmen don’t buy as many shoes as women." All of his shoe stores are characterized by the wide range of prices, suited for any working woman. Shoes range from $19.99 to $200.
"We’ve been looking to partner with a non-profit for a while," said Yegenah. "But most were all somehow tied in with some religious or political organization and we didn’t feel comfortable with that. This was the one organization that was very independent." Dress For Success has helped more than 45,000 women in over 75 cities suit up for their job interviews.
To donate a pair of used footwear to Love My Shoes, visit the Bayside store on 38-35 Bell Boulevard.