Maguire: Combining city-based design with accessible luxury

For three to four months every year, Myriam Belzile-Maguire watches her Montreal store sell almost nothing but winter boots. Could be November through January, sometimes it's bleeding into October or February, depending on when the snow decides to show up. Shearling-lined, sturdy-soled, ready for slush and ice.

But open a second location in New York, though, and the equation changes: "We brought over a lot of winter boots," Myriam recalls. "We thought we were going to be the only ones with shearling boots."

Turns out, New Yorkers had different priorities. They wanted shoes with thick, protective soles for 20,000 footsteps a day across asphalt, subway grates, and dodging the occasional rat. "They need shoes that can handle hours of walking," she says.

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