Since opening on April 5, new occupants have created a bright and airy boutique next to Shakabrah Java in Tacoma. Cotton candy pink ceiling combined with crisp white walls, blonde wood floors and comfy seating area exude naughty feminine energy and easy charm. The trio behind The Shoe Show compliment each other well — half Parisian former model Ondia Shapiro, Sam Shapiro, whose family owned Olympia’s Jinjor for 18 years, and fashion enthusiast and creative mind Alex Marr all hail from the Northwest but have spent extended time in various parts of the globe gathering visual images, ideas and finally crafting them into one solid reality. When asked how the name came about, Ondia shares: “the store is based off a ‘50s pin-up/’50s movie theater feel. You know, there’s nothing like the look of Old Hollywood when women were of a real size and always stunning.”

Feeling that Tacoma’s downtown area was too conservative, they settled on 6th Avenue “because it’s the Broadway of Tacoma.” There’s a real lack of shoe boutiques. The Shoe Show hopes to capture the attention of shoe lovers — girls, women, drag queens, cross dressers, whoever, and carry sizes in some shoes up to 16. “I try to carry stuff that you can’t find anywhere else yet is still within the style. Also, a bit of a rockabilly girl, too.” Ondia elaborates and promises that the shoes are “different from Nordstrom’s. I try to keep prices affordable, average pair is $50.”  Michelle Lemon of 253 Photography, admittedly not a girly-girl, was a recent customer, “If I wanted slutty hooker boots, I’d have to go to Lovers Package, or if I wanted cute flip flops, I’d have to go to the Bon. Now I can get both in one place.”

And to quote co-owner Sam Shapiro, “Shoes: cheaper than diamonds.”

[The Shoe Show, 2614 B Sixth Ave., Tacoma 253.272.1412]