Size 12
Founders (from left): Toni Hall and Natalie Prather
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info@mysize12.com • (301) 355-4468
Size 12, currently headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, offers stylish footwear for women whose shoe size is between 10 and 14, as well as a line of unique accessories and handbags. Women with larger shoes to fill know the frustrations of trying to find fashionable footwear; Size 12 is here to help.
HOW MENTORING WILL HELP: “It’ll sharpen and cultivate our business minds,” Hall says. “We’re looking forward to gleaning information from business professionals who have more experience and insight than we do.”
HOW $10,000 WILL HELP: “The grant will help us by increasing our inventory selection,” Hall says. “It’ll help us connect with more designers to create exclusive designs for our brand, and help propel the strong marketing and promotional outreach that we have created.”
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ARE YOU A WOMAN with, so to speak, big shoes to fill? If so, you’ve surely experienced the aggravation of trying to find comfortable, stylish footwear that doesn’t look like something LeBron James might wear for a night out with the guys.
Toni Hall and Natalie Prather, the cofounders of Size 12, certainly sympathize. The name of their boutique — which also offers a line of one-of-a-kind handbags and accessories — was inspired by Hall’s shoe size. Fittingly for a footwear company, the business is already up and running; Size 12 currently occupies a boutique in the Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland. “This is the first store of its kind in the area, and one of just a few in the world,” Hall says.
Tall women have long gotten short shrift from fashion designers — but increased awareness of the clothing and apparel needs of this demographic is beginning to change that. Among Size 12′s premium clientele? The WNBA’s Washington Mystics, every one of whom was tricked out in Size 12 shoes for the team’s 2010 Media Day photo shoot.
As for what the future holds? Hey, tall women are everywhere, so Size 12′s plans for expansion are obvious. “In the near future,” Hall says, “stores in every major city.” •
