I don’t know about searching for a wide toe box, but if you click on “women’s” on the top row, it brings up a menu where you can choose from flats, heels, boots etc. Click on “heels” and it brings up a menu where you can choose casual r dressy, heel height, heel style ( block, wedge etc) color, brand . toe style( open, closed,pointed,round and so on) price. There’s got to be at least ten different ways to narrow the search.
I’m not sure that convincing your customers that you’re a small local business is your problem. I suspect that many of the reasons people support local stores simply don’t apply to entirely online businesses and that once they’ve decided to shop online, it doesn’t matter to them whether they shop at your small, local online business or at Petco or Petsmart or at a small online business located halfway across the country. When people talk about “supporting local, independent businesses” , it’s often because they feel the community gains by the local business remaining open - one less vacant storefront on Main Street, or the local fabric store provides more service in the form of answering questions and giving advice than Jo Ann’s, or because the local business supports the community in some way such as sponsoring a youth activity or providing refreshments at some community event or donating to local organizations.
That’s odd. I looked again, and a lot of that is there; but I’d swear it wasn’t when I looked before. Maybe I’m in a different browser?
I don’t necessarily disagree with this. What I posted was the impression I got at some of the local in-person vending events I’ve done. Specifically, people will walk up and browse some of my merchandise and then ask me where my store is located. When I tell them I’m just online, a bit of a shadow crosses their face like they’re disappointed to hear that. I’m not sure why they would be, though. But I agree with you that once they go online, they’re more likely to hit the sites that are well-known, like Chewy, instead of trying to find my shop.
While true, all of this can also apply to a small, locally owned and operated online business (except for the empty brick and mortar shop-front of course). It’s not the customer’s responsibility to know all the behind-the-business concerns of course, but one of the reasons my shop is only online is that I can’t afford a lease on even the smallest store. I do want to grow the business so it can afford a lease and move it out of my house, but at the same time I’ve been advised by experienced retail owners to stay online. So I may just move into a warehouse instead of a retail space, and then my answer to people is likely to be the same. I do have dreams of having a portion of the warehouse space designed to be a “showroom” so I can have customers walk in to shop, though.
At any rate, I do support the local community. You don’t need to hold a lease for that. 
I think the average person just hasn’t thought this through to the extent that I have.
JcWoman, are you or somebody else local making what you sell? If so, I’d stress that point: ‘the sales are all done online, but this item and that one (etc; or ‘everything I sell’ if accurate) is made by me/right here in X county’.
But do your potential customers know that ? What do you mean exactly when you say you support the local community? There are a lot of things that can’t be done by online store because of practicalities but is there a baseball team with “JcWoman’s online store” printed on the back of their shirts , a table at the Santa parade for “refreshments provided by JcWoman’s online store”, do you donate prizes to be raffled off at the local rescue’s “person of the year” dinner dance? And by “you”, I mean “your business” - it’s great if you personally donate to organizations , but to be seen as a local business that should be supported, it has to be your business donating a gift certificate to be raffled off at that dinner-dance, not you making a $50 donation to the rescue organization. (I’m not looking for an answer, just things for you to think about)
Brick and mortar, for anything even remotely large (anything Blu-Ray player size or larger); usually online for smaller things, but anything I can get from the factory outlet stores about 30 miles from where I live, I get there.
For those of you who go B&M for large items, may I ask why?
I recently purchased a lawnmower and a chainsaw from Amazon, easy-peasy. Maybe it’s because I have Prime, and shipping was free, but I’m actually more inclined to have big things shipped.
OK, things like refrigerators, cars, and washing machines I buy locally.
I cheat i look up online if a store carries it and if they dont have it i look it up on amazon and if they do I buy it online for store pick up …although I’m into legally dodgy video game emulation boxes and those only can be bought in Asia… now last year we shopped online mostly because we have a sears store card and Kmart left here years ago so we used Kmart.com
Does QVC tv shopping count as online or no ?
Normally I would say thanks but this time of year …
CURSE YOU RED BARON!
Cars I can’t say but we do have a new XL (large crap) facility open around us. I know several of the folks there. You can buy and they deliver and install. Don’t know details (will soon - a beer and bitch session is scheduled) but --------
PS – I “moved” in October – now the stuff in the vans are my fault and not the USPS stuff.
What I picture in my head is going to the mall. What I actually do is go to amazon.
I actually miss the mall - I remember walking around and around, windowshopping, spending endless time in B Dalton shopping for books and walking the food court pretending not to look at boys. It’s a bummer that malls are dying like nobody’s business.