Improve your balance with Good Feet Worldwide’s personalized arch support solutions
Passionate about enhancing people’s comfort and wellbeing, Dr.’s Own, LLC (Good Feet) is the market-leading manufacturer and retailer of premium, individually fitted Good Feet arch supports. Manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility in Carlsbad, California, Good Feet arch supports are supplied exclusively to its franchise retail locations. Within these stores, highly trained Good Feet arch support specialists offer customers a no-obligation, free, and personalized fitting tailored to their lifestyles, whether for performance enhancement or pain relief. Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Ro Blackwood, is thrilled to share further details about the company’s mission and history.
“In 1992, our founders established Good Feet with a vision to create personalized arch support inserts for shoes that help mitigate foot discomfort and lessen knee pain caused by foot misalignment. As our flagship product, the arch supports have been extremely successful with customers. Made of a proprietary blend of polymers, they are designed to fit into the footbed of a shoe to support the arches of the wearer’s foot, thereby improving their balance and relieving aches and pains, including those in the feet, hips, ankles, and knees, among other areas. Experiencing tremendous growth in this niche, we expanded our reach by opening additional stores, which eventually led us to adopt a franchise model. From 1992 to 2018, we increased our store total to 117. Following a change in ownership, with our new CEO, Richard Moore, and the support of our private equity backers, we grew to 270 stores from 2018 to 2023. Moreover, we are set to open up to 30 more stores this year.
“This exciting growth is a testament to the effectiveness of our products in improving our customers’ lives, as most of them come to us while in pain. Indeed, many of our clients have tried virtually every other solution available, short of surgery, to alleviate their pain without success. However, upon turning to us, they find that our products relieve their suffering in most cases,” he continues.
Personalized experience
It is worth noting that Good Feet’s success can be attributed not only to its top-quality products, but also to its unique approach and expertise in delivering personalized arch support solutions. “At Good Feet, we understand that no two pairs of feet are the same, which is why we personally fit our products. Through extensive research and development (R&D), technology, design, study of the foot, and guidance from medical advisors, we have created a diverse range of products encompassing over 360 sizes, and different rigidity levels and arch heights. This variety enables our arch support specialists to find the perfect fit for each customer. Unlike typical foot care products where consumers can simply pick products off the shelf, we provide a personalized experience that begins with a consultation to understand the customer’s lifestyle. Subsequently, we take prints of each foot as well as measurements of the length and width of the foot, and the height and length of the arch. From there, we review the client’s lifestyle, including whether they are active, sedentary, or if they work a job that requires them to stand for long periods. The combination of this information enables our arch support specialists to leverage their technical knowledge of Good Feet arch supports and training to find the right fit for each customer,” says Ro.
Perfect partners
Through its unparalleled knowledge of the foot and its arches, Good Feet prides itself on providing immediate relief to clients. Ro sheds light on how its products achieve such results: “One fact that many people are not aware of, including myself before joining Good Feet – is that humans actually have four arches in their feet. Our products are designed to support all four arches, which results in a drastic improvement in balance and alignment. In our stores, we have partnered with renowned footwear companies whose products perfectly complement our arch supports and are designed to fit seamlessly with them. As an example, our stores sell Brooks running shoes as well as fashionable footwear for men and women by Revere. Furthermore, OS1st, a company under our umbrella, produces top-quality compression socks and sleeves, providing the ideal package deal for our customers. Therefore, customers can visit our stores to find relief for their balance and foot issues and also get complementary products that work in harmony with our solution,” he enlightens.
On the subject of partnerships, Ro discusses Good Feet’s acquisition of OS1st and Stretch*d in greater detail. “Two years ago, OS1st, a well-established family-owned company specializing in compression socks and sleeves, became part of the Good Feet family. Today, its products are available online, in our stores, and in specialty sporting goods stores. OS1st has a strong presence in the running and pickleball communities, with nationwide and local accounts at Road Runner Sports, among many others. In the last six-to-eight months, we have also acquired Stretch*d, a New York-based business offering upscale stretching experiences. The company caters to people seeking to improve their flexibility or recover from injuries. Within Stretch*d’s studios, customers can now receive personalized assistance from our extremely capable team of stretchers, led by our chief stretcher and trainer. Our regimen is tailored to meet each person’s needs, and we offer a premium experience with enhanced privacy and membership options to help clients build a rapport with our team and reach their fitness goals,” he ends.
By providing quality products through expert guidance and forming strategic partnerships, Good Feet is set to continue elevating customer comfort as it pursues further geographical expansion.