Is it ever a good thing to have something stuck to your shoes? It can be now! Stikii, a fun and unique Toledo-based venture, is looking to give kids something new to wear — and to get stuck on.

Stikiis are shoes — boring, right? That’s what Stikii founder Joe Chew (of Toledo’s Computer Discount) thought, when he took his two children to Target one afternoon. The kids were more than happy to look at toys for as long as Chew would let them. “But when I said ‘Let’s go buy shoes?’” he remembers, “No excitement! I wondered if we couldn’t bring the toy-buying experience to shoes.” Chew was already looking for a way to branch out from the computer business (“I thought ‘If I don’t do something I believe in, I’ll regret it,” he remembers,) and he saw an opportunity. Teaming up with friends Steve Reamey (aka “Gay Steve” of Andrew Z’s Morning Show) and Tony Martinez, Stikii was born.

The idea was simple — shoes that young kids would be excited about — but the project took a couple of years to develop, looking for designers and suppliers. Finally, a Chinese manufacturer (which has worked with Skecher, among other companies) was happy to do business with the group. And the finished product is every bit as fun as the partners hoped.

Make it your own

But what’s so special about Stikiis? Ask a seven-year-old. At first glance, they’re just simple, funky, brightly-colored shoes — maybe a more kid-friendly version of Crocs (everyone’s favorite guilty-pleasure footwear). But the joy is in making them your own. The microfiber upper is covered with a hook-and-loop surface (Velcro-style), and young wearers can add as many “Stik-ems” as they want — little cloth or plush icons depicting everything from animals to flowers to robots, that can be moved around, customized, traded with friends — whatever kids like. (Light-up Stik-ems are coming soon!) As Chew envisioned, they make kids’ shoes into something to play with. (The shoes retail at $29.99, with stik-ems prices at $1-2.)

The Stikii gang debuted their product at a kiosk at Westfield Franklin Park over the holidays, and hope to get their funky footwear into chain and big box stores soon. Currently, they’re making the rounds of trade shows (with a giant, eye-catching inflatable shoe!) The three founders are confident that they’ve hit on the next big pre-teen fad. So step aside, Silly Bandz — there’s a new Toledo trend that might just stick around.

Stikii answers that question with the world’s first interactive children’s shoe. The two month old company, Stikii, has qualified to participate in the national WalMart “Get on the shelf” Contest.

A newly formed committee headed by honorary chairman, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, Bonnie Hunter (Toledo Blade)and local celebrity boxing star, 9 year old Bam-Bam, are all pushing for Stikii to become a winner! They know that when Stikii wins; Toledo wins and Ohio wins!

Virtually every local TV news station has shot video at Stikii’s headquarters, and several local celebrities have also been spreading the Stikii buzz too. Most notably, Steve Reamey (Gay Steve the gossip guru) of 100.7 the Vibe’s Andrew Z in the morning show. Steve said, “It’s about time a local company strived to give back to the community, and the jobs Stikii can create will have a long lasting effect on the economy!”

The “Get on the shelf” program is offering the coveted grand prize of distribution through all WalMart Stores. Tony Martinez, Marketing Coordinator, says the contest is the “American Idol” of retail products. He added, “With local support; Stikii will succeed in creating a nationally recognized brand with roots in Toledo, Ohio!”

Stikii isn’t just another boring shoe; it’s a new category in the footwear industry. Inventor Joe Chew said his kids loved shopping for toys, but didn’t enjoy traditional shoe shopping. He found a way to mix the two. With over 100 fun Stik-em accessories, kids are now able to redesign and individualize their shoes every day. Currently available in 4 sizes and in 8 vibrant colors, now shoes CAN be fun!

Stikii’s are available in the local Stride-Rite children’s shoe stores, and at www.Stikii.com. The start-up company has already gained tremendous buzz. While international distribution isn’t their initial objective, Inquiries have already been received from over 20 countries worldwide.

You can support this local company and its mission to win the “Get on the shelf” contest by visiting the website and voting! Stikii is also asking you to forward this information to your network of family and friends, and gain their support too.

TOLEDO, OHIO — You’ve heard of silly bands and those shoes that light up. Well there’s a new style of shoe that combines the collectible craze and bling all in one product… And guess what, it was dreamed up right here in Toledo!

They are called Stikii shoes and creator Joe Chew says a light went on when he was shoe shopping with his kids.

“When they went to the show isle, there was no excitement. No thrill. Ok, ill try that on. whatever, bring me a pair. And I saw the same thing in other kids having the same experience. No excitement at all. At that time, it hit me, why can’t I bring the shoe the toy experience in to the shoes. That’s how Stikii got started,” said Mr. Chew.

Mr. Chew has lived in Toledo for over 20 years and is an entrepreneur that opened a chain of stores called Computer Discount, around the city. He said it has taken almost two years of research and development to get this far, but he never thought he would own a shoe company.

He said, “We kept sketching, we’d realize something round is usually cuter than square, not so round. So, we decided round is the theme.”

Stikiis retail for $40 and are designed for kids, at least for now. The outside is covered with a microfiber and is easy to clean. And the fun part is the collectable stick ums that give the shoe their name, Stikii. Right now, they have eight colors with over 60 collectable stick ums. Stikii’s marketing team said many parents are using the stick ums as incentives for their kids. They clean the room, they get a new pack of stick ums to collect and share with their friends.

Tony Martinez has created a music video with local kids promoting Stikii. And he said, “It is cool to see like someone who had the guts to, during a time when people aren’t opening businesses and taking chances seeing them follow a dream and it does show us some Toledo Pride.”

The creative design is already getting attention from around the world. Locally owned national shoe company, Stride Rite is carrying Stikii Shoes. And you will find them in kiosks at area malls and on their website. Company executives are in talks right now to launch their line of shoes on one of the Home Shopping Networks and connect with other national shoe departments.

Hal Yaffe, Director of Business Development, said, “Why can’t shoes be fun? I think we found a way to make shoes interactive. There was no other show where the child had a reason to want to put it away. There’s no other shoe where the child had a reason to clean up their room to get a new Stikii. I think we solved that.”

Chew wants to inspire other entrepreneurs and said, if you have a dream, you need to give it a chance to grow and not be afraid of taking that first step. “My advice is, if you have a great idea, don’t give up, don’t settle. Keep pushing,” he said.

Big Ideas
Stride Rite is partnering with Edison Nation, an inventors’ community that hosts online searches for new product ideas, to find the next big innovation in baby footwear….

Looking to make footwear more fun for kids, Toledo, Ohio, entrepreneur Joe Chew has created Stikii, a line of shoes that can be decorated with removable three-dimensional fabric stickers. Available in sizes 10 to 3, the shoes feature microfiber uppers that function similar to Velcro. Kids can choose from a wide selection of stickers, in motifs such as animals, flowers, fruit and dinosaurs, and collect and trade them with friends. Stikii will be sold on the brand’s website, as well as in footwear chains, independents and mall kiosks. The shoes are priced at $30 a pair, and the stickers at $1 each.

Children personalize a pair of Stikii Shoes by buying “Stik-em” patches and attaching them.

As the prosperous owner of a chain of Toledo-area home-computer stores, Joe Chew is savvy about bits and bytes but readily admits: “What do I know about shoes?”

What he doesn’t know, he plans to learn quickly after recently launching a line of children’s footwear he calls Stikii Shoes.

“I wasn’t looking for shoes at all. It was the idea that just came to me,” said Chew, who founded the six-store Computer Discount chain in the Toledo area in 1996.

“My heart is still in Computer Discount. But Stikii is something I know that, if I didn’t try it, I’d be regretting it someday,” he said. “As a businessman, an entrepreneur, I know that if you have a good idea, you need to execute it well. If you can do that, you can succeed.”

Stikii Shoes — the name refers to colorful patches and emblems that children can stick on the shoes — is in its infancy.

Chew leased a generic vending cart at Westfield Franklin Park mall during December to unveil his product and test its potential. He is having a customized cart designed that will present the product in a more-professional setting.

“We didn’t come across as a corporatelike image,” he said. “Right now, people look at the brand and say, ‘I never heard of these.’ They don’t want to be the first to try it, but even under those conditions, we still sold quite a number of pairs of shoes.

“I wouldn’t call it a huge success, but I would call it encouraging. And we gathered a lot of information,” he said.

Chew has spent the past 21/2 years and a six-figure sum (he won’t say how much) developing Stikii Shoes from a raw idea to prototype to finished patented product with manufacturing operations in China. Lightweight and available in eight bright colors, the tennis-shoelike shoes are for children ages 3 to 9 and cost $30 a pair.

But the key to the shoes — Stikii’s slogan is “Why can’t shoes be fun?” — are the 56 “Stik-em” patches that cost about $1 and are sold separately to allow children to accent the shoes. The patches and shoes use a Velcrolike loop-and-hook system.

The idea for the venture came after Chew took his children, Renee and Ranen, then 8 and 5 years old, shoe shopping at Target three years ago.

“While we were there, we went to the toy aisle because they wanted to look at the toys. They were just so excited about toys all the time,” he said. “Then we walked to the shoe aisle, and I saw them totally lose all their excitement. I saw other kids in the same aisles, and they were really not excited about shoes at all.

“I thought, ‘How I can bring the same toy excitement to shoes?’  ” he said.

jchavez@theblade.com

Is it ever a good thing to have something stuck to your shoes? It can be now! Stikii, a fun and unique Toledo-based venture, is looking to give kids something new to wear — and to get stuck on.

Stikiis are shoes — boring, right? That’s what Stikii founder Joe Chew (of Toledo’s Computer Discount) thought, when he took his two children to Target one afternoon. The kids were more than happy to look at toys for as long as Chew would let them. “But when I said ‘Let’s go buy shoes?’” he remembers, “No excitement! I wondered if we couldn’t bring the toy-buying experience to shoes.” Chew was already looking for a way to branch out from the computer business (“I thought ‘If I don’t do something I believe in, I’ll regret it,” he remembers,) and he saw an opportunity. Teaming up with friends Steve Reamey (aka “Gay Steve” of Andrew Z’s Morning Show) and Tony Martinez, Stikii was born.

The idea was simple — shoes that young kids would be excited about — but the project took a couple of years to develop, looking for designers and suppliers. Finally, a Chinese manufacturer (which has worked with Skecher, among other companies) was happy to do business with the group. And the finished product is every bit as fun as the partners hoped.

Make it your own
But what’s so special about Stikiis? Ask a seven-year-old. At first glance, they’re just simple, funky, brightly-colored shoes — maybe a more kid-friendly version of Crocs (everyone’s favorite guilty-pleasure footwear). But the joy is in making them your own. The microfiber upper is covered with a hook-and-loop surface (Velcro-style), and young wearers can add as many “Stik-ems” as they want — little cloth or plush icons depicting everything from animals to flowers to robots, that can be moved around, customized, traded with friends — whatever kids like. (Light-up Stik-ems are coming soon!) As Chew envisioned, they make kids’ shoes into something to play with. (The shoes retail at $29.99, with stik-ems prices at $1-2.)

The Stikii gang debuted their product at a kiosk at Westfield Franklin Park over the holidays, and hope to get their funky footwear into chain and big box stores soon. Currently, they’re making the rounds of trade shows (with a giant, eye-catching inflatable shoe!) The three founders are confident that they’ve hit on the next big pre-teen fad. So step aside, Silly Bandz — there’s a new Toledo trend that might just stick around.

Stikii’s showroom is at 5844 W. Central, next to Radio Shack. See what they’ve got at www.stikii.com. 419-720-8322.

Toledo entrepreneur Joe Chew has developed a kids shoe brand that might even be better than toys. He and his business partners call it Stikii, and they’re hoping the idea sticks with children in Toledo and across the world.

Stikiis are fun, brightly-colored shoes that somewhat resemble a more playful Crocs (think lime greens, hot pinks and fire engine reds). They demand to be seen, and what really makes them fun are the “Stik-ems”—tradable cloth and 3D plush icons that stick to the upper half of the shoe in a similar form to Velcro. Kids can decorate their Stikiis with flowers, animals, cars and more, interacting with their shoes like they would their toys.

Intended for children 3-9, Stikiis are available online (click the Build A Shoe tab), and ideally will be picked up by a shoe chain and big box stores in the near future. Check out the Stikiis showroom at 5844 W. Central, next to Radio Shack. For more information, www.stikii.com.

Updated: Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 9:42 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 9:36 PM EST

TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) – A new Toledo area company has combined toys and shoes.

Stikii Shoes, for kids ages 3 to 9, opened its first ever store in West Toledo on Central Avenue.

The unique shoes are lightweight and microfiber with the option to velcro stick ‘ems, giving kids the option to decorate and personalize.

CEO Joe Chew came up with the idea for the fun footwear while shopping with his children.

“They get to the shoe aisle and there was no excitement at all,” he said. “They’re just okay, get a pair, and try them on. It doesn’t matter as long as it fits. I see other kids in the same aisle and there the same thing, not excited at all.”

The decorative shoes cost $29.99. They are only sold in Toledo, but Chew has plans to expand across the United States, North America, and internationally.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – A Toledo entrepreneur is launching a kids’ shoe line. Stikii Shoes is a unique style inspired by the creator’s own experience with children’s shoe shopping.

Joe Chew was fed up with the lack of excitement shoe shopping seemed to offer. He created a style that comes in a rainbow of colors and sizes for kids aged 3-9.

The unique feature that separates the shoes form any other is the unique item called “stick ems.”

“You stick them to it. You can decorate. You can purchase all kinds of accessories for it. It makes it a lot of fun.” explained Chew.

Stikii Shoes opened in December, but Chew is hoping to soon get to a point where he can sell 1,000 pairs per year.

“I don’t think that’s a challenge for us at all. We can see that happening. So, our goal is to sell as many pair of shoes as we can.” said Chew.

Stikii’s online business manager Tony Martinez, or Tony Toledo, put together a music video for the shoes that he wrote and rapped himself.

I think when they see this video, they will automatically have faith in our product and realize that we’re serious.” said Martinez.

Chew wants to make a brand Toledo can be known for:

“Stikii you know is just another brand you know big brand that hopefully one day people will think oh Stikii is from Toledo Ohio, you know make Toledo a proud city.”

The company’s headquarters is located on West Central Avenue near Holland Sylvania in Sylvania Township.

Click here to visit the Stikii Shoes website.

Copyright 2012 WTOL. All rights reserved.

Stikii Shoes owner Joe Chew shows off his product, a line of shoes that children can decorate with color patches and emblems. Mr. Chew also owns Computer Discount, a chain of home computer stores.

As the prosperous owner of a local home computer store chain, Joe Chew is ultra-savvy about bits and bytes but readily admits, “What do I know about shoes?”
But what he doesn’t know, he plans to learn quickly after recently launching a line of children’s footwear he calls “Stikii Shoes.”

“I wasn’t looking for shoes at all. It was the idea that just came to me,” said Mr. Chew, who founded the six-store Computer Discount chain in metro Toledo in 1996.

“My heart is still in Computer Discount. But Stikii is something I know that, if I didn’t try it, I’d be regretting it some day,” he said. “As a businessman, an entrepreneur, I know that if you have a good idea, you need to execute it well. If you can do that, you can succeed.”

So far, Stikii Shoes — the name refers to colorful patches and emblems that children can stick on the shoes — is in its infancy.

Mr. Chew leased a generic vending cart at Westfield Franklin Park during December to unveil his product and test its potential. But in an effort to prevent people from thinking Stikii was a gimmick or a cheap product, he is having a custom cart designed that will present the product in a more professional setting.

“We didn’t come across as a corporatelike image,” he said. “Right now, people look at the brand and say, ‘I never heard of these.’ They don’t want to be the first to try it, but even under those conditions, we still sold quite a number of pairs of shoes.

“I wouldn’t call it a huge success, but I would call it encouraging. And we gathered a lot of information,” he said.

Mr. Chew has spent the last 2 1/2 years and a six-figure sum (he won’t say how much) developing Stikii Shoes from a raw idea to prototype to finished patented product with manufacturing operations in China. Lightweight and available in eight bright colors, the tennis-shoelike shoes are for children ages 3 to 9 and cost $30 a pair.

But the key to the shoes — Stikii’s slogan is “Why can’t shoes be fun? — are the 56 “Stik-em” patches that cost about $1 and are sold separately to allow children to accent the shoes any way they want. The patches and shoes use a Velcrolike loop-and-hook system.

The idea for Mr. Chew’s venture came after taking his children, Renee and Ranen, then 8 and 5 years old, shoe shopping at Target three years ago.

“While we were there, we went to the toy aisle because they wanted to look at the toys. They were just so excited about toys all the time,” he said. “Then we walked to the shoe aisle and I saw them totally lose all their excitement. I saw other kids in the same aisles and they were really not excited about shoes at all.

“I thought, ‘How I can bring the same toy excitement to shoes?’ ” he said.

The shoes are for children ages 3 to 9 and cost $30 a pair.
Mr. Chew said was ignorant of the shoe business but began studying all he could, spending a year on research and development.
Marketing and product expert Mike Bills, executive director of the Innovation Initiative at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, said Stikii Shoes faces a tough road.

“With any new product, the primary challenge is understanding who the consumer is,” Mr. Bills said. “Do you have a large enough market opportunity, and will it resonate with the consumer?”

Too often, Mr. Bills said, a new product launches that everyone agrees is cool or interesting, “but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a concept that will resonate with consumers.” For the best chance of success, entrepreneurs need feedback from friends and family and should reshape their product to fit consumer’s wants, rather than make an item the inventor hopes to find a market for.

“Is there a compelling … speech that comes from the perspective of the consumer, rather than one that talks about just what the product is,” Mr. Bills said. “If not, a consumer is likely to say, ‘So what? Do I really need that?’ ”

Mr. Chew said he gained a lot of feedback during holiday sales at the mall that will help shape the Stikii Shoes marketing approach.

“Just like any new brand, it takes time to build one and you have to create a buzz. We created tremendous interest and curiosity,” Mr. Chew said. “But curiosity doesn’t always generate sales.”

Customers praised his product, but most shied away because it was new and untried. “Those who bought them said they really love the shoes. They didn’t care who made them,” Mr. Chew said. “I wouldn’t call it a huge success, but I would call it encouraging. We gathered a lot of information.”

He said his next step is to expand beyond Toledo. The company has a Web site for sales (stikii.com), will reopen at the mall soon, and will take part in children’s clothing trade fairs starting in February. “Ultimately, having the shoes sold in the big-box stores and chain stores would be a nice goal,” he said.

But for now, the budding shoe salesman said he’s happy putting fun back into kid’s footwear — even if his own children, now age 11 and 8, are close to outgrowing Stikii Shoes.

“Most of the kids that like them are the younger ones. Past 8 or 9 years old, they’re not as excited,” Mr. Chew said. “When they get older, they want to be cool, not cute.”

Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.