| Credit: Courtesy of Aida Stenholm
Aida Stenholm s classmates in Peru laughed when she declared as a child that she wanted to make shoes for a living but today she does, with imaginative flair, at her shop in Wichita.
Interview with Debbie Leckron Miller.
DLM What sparked your love of shoes?
AS My friends had many pairs of shoes for school, church, everyday and many colors, but I had only one black pair of hand-me-downs that I wore for everything. My mom bought them from a shoemaker. They were high quality so they would last, but I was jealous. At church, I’d study what people were wearing. I told Mom, “One day, I’m going to fill my whole closet with shoes.”
| Credit: Courtesy of Feed and Foster
1. ELEVATE EVERYDAY I grew up in Indianola, Iowa, a community south of Des Moines, and I’ve loved watching the town square evolve over the past few years. My latest fave: Feed and Foster. Owner Erin Freeberg already ran a gift shop a few doors down, and she opened this sister biz late last summer. The floor-to-ceiling shelves are stocked with provisions for get-togethers, plus other goodies for the home. There’s a steady rotation of versatile housewares (think colorful Smeg toasters and Staub cast-iron cookers, pinstripe aprons, and wooden serving trays), plus dozens of giftables (coffee-table books, gourmet spice rubs and cocktail kits). I can’t tell you how many times their grab-and-go section has saved my evening plans. Instead of running around from store to store trying to locate the perfect mix of food for a snack board or a crow