Issue 055 - Featuring Little Penguin Shoes

Shop Name: Little PENGUIN Shoes
Owner Name: Carleigh Johnson
Instagram: Little PENGUIN Shoes Facebook Group: Little PENGUIN Shoes VIP Website: www.littlepenguinshoes.com
"There is nothing better than hearing from my customers how happy their kids are when they open up a bag with a pair of our shoes inside." -Carleigh Johnson, Owner
Little Penguin Shoes has been a staple of the small shop world for close to four years, offering consistent, ready to ship drops weekly and occasional preorders. Owner, Carleigh, started the business after discovering how difficult it was to find cute and functional boy shoes when her son was little. Her focus is providing shoes that parents love for their children, but also that children love to wear because of the unique prints and colors, while also being comfortable and supportive. The shop offers a variety of children's shoes in various colors, prints and styles, also occasionally offering coordinating adult shoes.
Carleigh's children are her whole world, her inspiration. They love to help with fun shoe ideas, themes and colors and they inspire all that she does! She is so grateful that she has been blessed with a supportive husband, amazing children and a thriving small shop. Before her son was born, even before they knew he was a boy, they purchased a little sweater romper with a penguin on it which led to them calling him their little penguin. So, of course, when Carleigh opened up shop, she immediately knew the name Little Penguin Shoes was perfect!
One thing that always sets a shop apart from its competition is customer service. Carleigh places a huge emphasis on customer service and ensuring that everyone is happy with their shoes. She takes customer satisfaction very seriously. Each and every order is picked and packed by her personally and almost always shipped within 24 hours to ensure each customer receives their shoes as quickly as possible! She makes it a point to show customers how important they are to her with how well she handles each order, each email and each design. She also takes extra care in dreaming up new prints, then turning the print into shoes and seeing it come to life! It's so rewarding! Having a platform to express creativity with a product and being backed by the support of loyal customers and an amazing family is a dream come true for any business owner.
In her heart, Carleigh is an entrepreneur, so she loves that this shop allows her to follow her dreams. She said, "There is nothing better than hearing from my customers how happy their kids are when they open up a package with a pair of our shoes inside." She has shared more times than you can count that Little Penguin Shoes is so much more than shoes. These shoes make kids smile, they are a part of each child's every day journey and the shoes they wear help them explore their world in style!
Be sure to check out Little Penguin Shoes on Facebook and on the website to shop ready to ship styles for all the boys, who are so often left out in the small shop world, and girls alike!

1. Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer? Gatherer
2. You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why? Green- my favorite color and the color of new growth
3. You find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do? Pay off my mortgage along with my family and friends, invest it for my children and probably take a big adventurous trip! 4.What do you think about when you’re alone in your car? Usually a list of things to do and new shoe ideas!
5. What’s your favorite ’90s jam? All 90s jams are the best!
6. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? Penguin- its my spirit animal
7. What was the last gift you gave someone? A trip to NYC for my son's birthday. We don't get our kids gifts for their birthdays, but instead we take them on a trip/experience!
8. What were you like in high school? My now husband and I actually started dating in high school. We were together 10 years before getting married!
9. What’s the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it? Cobra Kai- the new season came out!
10. Any advice for your previous boss? Biggest mistake they ever made was letting me go, but my biggest regret was not leaving sooner! I believe things happen for a reason and it was a blessing in disguise.
11. Tell me something about your last job, other than money, that would have inspired you to keep working there. I worked for years in higher education and athletic fundraising. I loved my job, but when I had my son my priorities quickly changed. There's nothing that would have kept me at that job after that, because I knew I wanted to raise my children and work for myself from that point forward. 12. What is your dream job? The one I have!
13. What inspires you? My family! My husband, children, my parents, my sister and her husband and my niece! They are my entire world and inspire me in all that I do!
14. What’s your food/drink guilty pleasure? Craft beer
15. What are you known for? In my shop, I'm known for my customer service!
16. What do you work toward in your free time? I love to run, and be outside and on adventures with my family and travel!
17. What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn without asking this question? I have my scuba diving certification and have swam with sharks!
18. How would you rate your memory? Strong
19. If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer? Prioritize them and respond to the most important ones.
20. What pizza topping best represents you? Pepperonni- a little spicey
21. Describe the color gold to somebody who is blind. Metallic and shiny like the sun
22. If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why? None- they all have a purpose
23. What is your favorite tv show to watch when you’re alone with the remote? Lately, Cobra Kai and MTV Challenge
24. Are you now who you thought you would be ten years ago? My parents taught me to be a strong woman and I believe I am, so yes!