Please support your local dance store by purchasing your dancewear needs there when ever(understood sometimes it's not possible) possible. Each time we order online takes business from the local store which makes it harder for them to stay in business. If the local stores go out of business what will we do if we need something last minute or need to be fitted?

We recently discovered one of our local dance stores has new owners and they have redecorated the place and updated the inventory. Such a nice surprise! Some things you just can't order online, you have to be sure of a good fit. They have awesome specials, too, like buy three pairs of pointe shoes, your fourth pair is free. They have discounts for teachers, too.

Support your local dance shop!

kk~

I owned a dance and in the end went under to do people not supporting it. What makes it worse is I got plenty of business of people trying on clothes and getting fitted for shoes so they could go buy online after wasting an hour of my time fitting them for $10 less. And I sold a lot of tights during Nutcracker season when they would tear with no time time to order but that is about it. A lot of my inventory especially pointe shoes got ruined from constant try on's. That is my biggest peeve. If you plan to buy online suck it up if it doesn't work, don't go try stuff on without buying at your local dance stores. And know dance stores cannot offer online prices because they don't do the volume of business.

^ Most of the time I order online, because the local shop isn't that local and besides most of the stuff they sell isn't my taste. But I absolutely can't understand how somebody can be so rude to try on plenty of pointe shoes and then order the pair she liked to most online. I know that this happens but this is SO insolent!! I would never do that even if I could get the shoes for half of the regular price.

I can definitely understand the dance store's side of this.

Here's the thing -- ballet is EXPENSIVE. And most of us can't afford to chop only at dance stores when we can get way better deals online. I mostly buy online because a) they carry the brand I like that the dance store doesn't always carry, and b) I save a lot of money.

Every time I have gone to try pointe shoes I have ended up purchasing a pair unless I found one I didn't like, but then when I know they work I buy them online after.

But I would understand if someone went to try them in the store and then bought them online. I mean, I want to save money. If I know a store lets me try on shoes without having a rule about having to buy a pair, why would I not make use of that and check to see that the shoes are good in the store and then buy them significantly cheaper online? It's not 'polite', but business is not polite.

If I *could* and had the means to, of course I would purchase the shoes in store because I would want to support my dance store, of course. And as I said, I personally have never been in a situation where I couldn't afford one pair of dance-store-price shoes -- granted, that was when my parents paid for my dance stuff. Now that I have to pay for it, and I am a college student, without a job, dancing full time -- circumstances change and I will look for the best deal.

Unfortunately, it's all a matter of saving money. There are other aspects, like ease and wider selection. Ultimately ordering online is more convenient in general. But as you pointed out, we NEED dance stores so that we can get properly fitted and get last-minute things. It's a problem.

Perhaps the solution is for local dance stores to also offer online ordering.

noachka wrote:

Perhaps the solution is for local dance stores to also offer online ordering.

Unfortunately this wouldn't really solve anything. The store will still need to pay rent on their local store, and still would not have the means to buy hundreds of pairs of each style of shoes which is why online stores are cheaper.

The only way to really "solve" it would be for local stores to charge a fitting fee, which would be waived if the customer bought shoes. Unfortunately, unless every store in an area started this at the same time, it would just end up with the store losing even more business.

If you are using a service, pay for it. A pointe shoe fitting is a service, the same as a hair cut or car repair is.

^ Our dance shop (with the new ownership) does offer online ordering. It's one of the changes the new owners made.

kk~

mirrim wrote:

If you are using a service, pay for it. A pointe shoe fitting is a service, the same as a hair cut or car repair is.

If the service costs money, I will pay for it. If it doesn't, I won't give charity I haven't got.

I like the idea of charging a fitting fee that is waived if the pointe shoes are bought.

My local store only carries a few styles, is rude as heck, and has a HUGE markup from the MSP. Why on earth would I go out of my way to support them? If they actually have something I need I'll consider buying it there (especially if it is last minute) but they rarely do and I hate dealing with their attitude.

My local dance shop place is awful for anyone who's not a child. I went in and asked if they had any split sole ballet shoes, after a strange look and me waiting about 5 mins they produced a pair of full soles. When I acknowledged their error they said, "We only do *normal* ballet shoes". When I asked to see their range, they had one make of pink leather full soles in every size, and a few black leather full soles. It was the look they gave me though when they said "Normal" as if I was being deliberately awkward. Not long after I went in about tap shoes, and the only thing they had to offer was those cheaper canvas ones kids have with no heel taps, and then I got evils again for saying no. I hate the attitude in that shop. I take to buying things online because of the price, but also if I happen to be in the vicinity of a decent dance store, I will go in and try things on and buy them, paying the extra is worth it. This dance store is the only one in my area, and I'd love to try on leotards there before I buy instead of buying online, but they're so snotty I just feel judged when I go in. Plus their leotard range is just pure nylon lycra, not ideal for someone over 10 lol.

Sorry that was a rant

^ That's a valid point, some stores are better than others. We had one in the area I just almost refused to shop in. They opened up near a good dance store and because of the agreements between Capezio and their vendors, they could not sell Capezio. They were too close to the existing Capezio vendor. Plus, the owner wasn't very helpful and she always had her kids in there running wild. Jeez, get a sitter already. It was a store of last resort. They ended up closing, imagine that, lol.

kk~

The dance store I work for has an online store as well as two store fronts. With the online store getting a surprising amount of business.

Working at the store I have been used many times for fittings and it is frustrating as all heck. We have people come in allude to the fact they need the shoes ASAP and then after fitting say, oh I need to think about it. And then we then never see them again. Or after telling them the price and fitting, they say, 'Oh well, its ten dollars cheeper at Target/Payless/Whatever' and leave without buying. Yes, I do understand money issues, but to use someone like that it just rude when there is a long list of people waiting to get shoes who intend to buy (you get tot know the regulars). Just my two cents.

^ Agree. That's just rude. If you're going to use the store's fitting services, you should buy at least one pair of shoes there.

kk~

I'm working at the same dance store where I worked in high school for a while before I move to New York in January. In many cases, it's cheaper just to get your shoes here - by the time you pay for shipping, you often come out even.

I think our customers enjoy the experience, too. We're corporately owned, so we get a lot of customer service training and we pride ourselves on providing quality service. I love hearing about my customers' dance backgrounds, and I think they like being able to pick our brains about the dance community in our city.

When people harass me about our prices, I tell them that they're paying for convenience, quality, and the experience. You leave our store with the product you need instead of having to wait for it to be shipped. You get a quality fit, provided for you by dancers who know how dance shoes should fit, and you can try on multiple sizes. And you get the experience of shopping at a dedicated store where you can try on all kinds of fun things, chat with dancers who are interested in selling you a well-made, properly-fitting garment or shoe, and talk about dance. It's FUN to shop at the dance store!

I could seriously go on about this for days. I LOVE my job and kind of want to open my own dance store someday in the distant, distant future. Support us! We love customers!

The shipping thing just reminds me of one experience with a lovely customer when I had my store. She came in to get ballet shoes she was new in town and was going to be teaching at a local studio. After finding a pair she liked I went to ring her up and they were $1 more than discount dance. She threw a fit about it like a child.

I tried the whole well I am a local business, you got to try them on, you get them today and there is no shipping charge. She came back with I'll just order from DDS to which I said okay I have a copy of their catalog if you would like and I showed her at that time shipping would be around $6 she replied she would order with 2 others making shipping $2 to which I replied then she would be paying $1 more than my shop charges.

She started to leave in a huff and I have to say I was young and now angry with her attitude so I told her I would give her the catalog price and she was all happy so I took the shoes into the back room when she asked what I was doing I said well you want the catalog price you get the catalog treatment the shoes will be $14 with $6 handling fee and they will be ready in 7-10 business days. Of course she stormed out and almost broke my door but that was one time it was totally worth it.

Funny thing is a week later she realized how childish she had been and came back and apoligized and bought the shoes and we got along great after that.

Stupid people if you want local businesses you have to support them. And it is not okay to go try on and buy elsewhere. I didn't care if you tried on a rack of leos and didn't buy one but got a pair of flats that day but do something to help keep the store open.

To me trying on pointe shoes and buying elsewhere is like eating grapes at the grocery store. And in the end I did make a fitting fee $25, no one did it as even if the shoes were $25 cheaper online then you still have shipping and waiting. It is just sad we have to make policys like that.

2 common things I see in this thread I want to address. If you don't like your dance store, they are rude or don't sell the types of items you like then simply don't go in. I don't like a lot of businesses in my area either and I simply do not support them but I also don't go in and sample all their goods and leave.

And if you would rather order online then order online from the start and accept that you might pay extra if something doesn't fit or look right etc. because you are not paying for the service of being able to try it on first.

We went to a different dance shop today. I used to like this one but not so sure, now. There were several employees talking among themselves, but no one greeted us, so we looked around on our own. Daughter was looking at some different things and she picked up a pair of toe pads and a woman behind the counter hurries over and says "oh, honey, those are for pointe shoes". I looked at daughter, she looked and me and then we both looked at the lady and my daughter says, "yes, I know". "Oh." the woman says. She just assumed daughter did not do pointe, for whatever reason? Hm.

Daughter takes a leotard into the dressing room to try on. Woman comes hurrying over. "Oh, those run small" and hands her an extra large!! Which swallowed her, of course. Daughter is now insulted that the woman thinks she is fat and doesn't know anything about pointe. (Oh, sheesh. This is not going to end well.) I get her the right size.

I'm standing in front of the dressing room (and beside a rack of tights) waiting on daughter and again, the woman comes hurrying over, "Do you need adult or child tights? because these are child size, the adult sizes are over there." Um, ok. I said, "Actually, we don't need any tights today, I was just waiting and staring."

Daughter comes out of the dressing room and says she likes the leotard but the back is cut too low. (She teaches in daycare centers and has a dress code to conform to.) The woman is once again right there, telling us she could wear a sports bra or cami to make it work and daughter is frowning and shaking her head.

We cut the visit short at that point, but I did still buy a pair of shorts, even though the woman was less than helpful in her efforts to be helpful.

Then we went to the store we like and got what we needed and left happy.

kk~

Aeril, Well said!

I would like to thank all the responders to this post. As always there are exceptions to everything; if there is no store locally to you, if the store is just flat out uncomfortable to patronize (for what ever reason).

Yes, dance can be an expensive profession/hobby to supply. But please keep in mind that you often get what you pay for and with dance it is very important to have quality well fitting supplies because it is your body to protect and support. Would you expect someone training to be a sports star wearing shoes or other gear that could risk their safety because it was less expensive. Would performance quality musicians buy their instruments from Sears? (sorry Sears there are limits to what a business is good at)

Online discounters are in business to make money just as any other business but it is important to remember that even though it is an internet world we live in there is still a huge need for face to face business interactions from knowledgeable professionals. (doesn't it frustrate you when you call a business and can't get a human being to talk with?) Saving money is important as well but it needs to be looked at from a balanced prospective, understand what you are getting for your money and how long it will last, will the seller stand behind it and for how long.

An educated consumer is a better consumer. Thanks again everyone for reading the original post and giving your opinions.

I'm a big fan of supporting local businesses, but a lot of the time those businesses don't carry the products I need (and can't or won't order them) and I end up buying online anyway. In my city there are two dance stores that are easy for me to get to. One of them stocks a ton of leotards (child and adult sizes), and the people who run it are super nice, so I've bought a few things from them. But, they don't carry traditional mesh tights (only the microfiber ones), and they carry only two brands of ballet shoes and one brand of pointe shoes. The other store has a better selection of pointe shoes, but they rarely have a trained fitter on hand, and the rest of their inventory is almost all child-sized. So, neither of these stores is super helpful for me, and I order most of my tights, tech shoes, etc. online. I'd love to go to the local stores, but they just don't carry what I need.

On the other hand, when I switched brands of pointe shoes recently (switching to Gaynors), it was so worth it for me to get fitted at a store with someone who knew what they were doing that I actually took a 3-hour bus ride to get to the nearest dance store with trained fitters that carried the shoes. They were upfront about their fitting fee ($25, waived if you bought shoes, which I think is totally fair), and I found that they had a good selection and their fitter was knowledgeable about how to find the proper fit for my feet. Since they're super far away, I'll probably still buy my future pairs of shoes online, but if they were in my city I'd definitely go there again.

Which is to say, I know it's hard for brick-and-mortar stores to match the selection and prices of online distributors, but it's the services like pointe shoe fittings that the online stores can't offer. If a store offers a service and does it well, I'm totally happy to pay for it and give them my business even if their prices are a little higher.

Athena, thank you for your input. I agree with you completely. There are always exceptions. Maybe the store you bought your Gaynors from has a website you can order from or maybe you can send them a request via email to re-order.

To be truthful, if there were any well stocked dance stores around here I would definitely support them. But there aren't, so anything I get is either from my teacher's stock or online. I usually buy things from my teacher, but now I'm en pointe and it's impossible to get pointe shoes without ordering online here. I support my teacher whenever I need to buy a leotard or flats or tights (but tights are only last minute tights; the tights my teacher gets are always way to short for my (sort of) long legs and always end up ripping after 1 class). If I need anything else, then I buy online.
If I can't find it anywhere here, I buy it online. It's as simple as that.
On second thought, there is a dance wear store here. However, it only carries a very very limited number of products in very very little quantities (a maximum of 3 of the same product) in only one size. the size is always either a kids size or adult size small. Let's just say that I don't fit into a small anymore

I live in a city with only two dance stores. One is a branch of a major chain, and I do buy pointe shoes from there. But they have very few leotards in my size (L), and I've had some very rude girls serve me there (also one very nice one, who fitted me for a different model of pointe shoes). The rude girls were quite condescending of me as a serious adult dancer.
The other shop is independently run, has great service, but doesn't stock my brand of pointe shoes, and the main brand of leotards that they stock don't work well for my shape (too low cut in the front). In theory I'd like to support them more, but they just don't have what I'm after.
I've ordered from several of the big online firms, but I really had fantastic service from a smaller online company, run by a lovely lady who express posted leotards and shoes to my nieces after a major company let me down. Yay for the fantastic small companies that provide great service!