July 3rd, 2011 by admin

For this month’s fan profile, we talked with Karen Stephens, one of our favorite Facebook friends. You’ve probably read her comments, many times, on the BFT page. Karen is a little slip of a thing; standing a mere 5’9.” She’s single and lives in Brooklyn, New York. This 40-year old, shoe lover works for the New York City Transit Authority making sure the denizens of the Big Apple arrive on time. She does her absolute best to help us sell out all our size 14 styles, and we love her for it. She doesn’t have any children yet, but shares her home with a parakeet named Socrates. She says she “used to be afraid of having girls but, now with Barefoot Tess, I wouldn’t mind. At least they won’t have the kind of trouble finding shoes I did growing up.”
She hasn’t a clue how she came by her foot size, as her mother and father were average height, but her mom does wear a size 10WW – when she can find them.
BFT: Who is your favorite shoe designer?
Karen: Not to suck up or anything but it’s Barefoot Tess! Second is a tie between Gwyneth and Blowfish.
BFT – Oh, Karen, please, feel free to suck up. That’s just fine. Can you tell us, do you have a favorite clothing designer?
Karen: I’m plus-sized, so right now I’m loving the styles at Torrid.com. They make very stylish clothing in plus sizes.
BFT: How would you describe your personal style?
Karen: I’m very casual most of the time. I was kind of forced into it due to only wearing sneakers all thru High School and College. Now I’m branching out, spreading my wings!
BFT: What shoe is on your radar right now? Are you actively on the ‘hunt’ for a specific shoe?
Karen: Boots! I love boots! Mainly because they are so feminine and I wasn’t able to buy them for most of my life. I recently bought the Gwyneth Urbana for the summer. Summer boots! How perfect!
BFT: Which designer do you wish would make larger sized shoes?
Karen: I don’t follow shoe designers that don’t make shoes in my size. My goal is to support any designer that realizes that not everyone can wear a size 6.
BFT: You’ve discovered the secret. Support the designers who support you. Eventually, more designers will figure it out and get on the larger sized bandwagon. Now – our last and favorite question – how many pairs of shoes do you own?
Karen: I own thirteen pair, not including my work shoes. I’ve bought 10 pair, just this year, from Barefoot Tess! You guys are killing my discretionary income! Thank God you have great sales!
Karen and Barefoot Tess. Can’t you just feel the love?