Foot Traffic

By Mark Loehrke
January 2025 View more Shop

Building better health from the ground up at The Good Feet Store

Given the amount of money, hype, and enthusiasm that is lavished on high-end designer footwear, it would be hard to argue that the retail establishment isn’t putting enough focus on the foot. But while social media may breathlessly document every new iteration of a famous player’s signature kicks or the staggering heel heights (and price tags) emerging from Milan and Paris, a comparably small level of attention is paid to the most important aspects of any shoe—how it fits and what that means for the wearer’s overall health.

Finding its niche in the footwear ecosystem by focusing on this less-glamorous piece of the puzzle, The Good Feet Store manufactures and sells custom-fit arch supports designed to help alleviate foot, knee, hip, and lower-back pain and, overall, to provide better comfort and alignment. Founded in 1992, the company has grown over the past three decades to encompass more than 300 locations around the world, including a new Naperville outlet (2517 W. 75th St.) that opened this past July in the Springbrook Prairie Pavilion complex.

“Our primary customer base consists of individuals—at any age and with any lifestyle—who need help addressing pain in their feet, knees, hips, or lower back,” says Heather D’Agosta, CEO of ECM-GF Venture Group Inc., which owns the Naperville location. “Many of our customers have tried everything else, from off-the-rack insoles to custom orthotics, to no avail.”

D’Agosta says that The Good Feet Store’s arch supports provide better comfort and pain relief for these individuals than traditional store-bought insoles because they’re personally fit to each customer’s precise needs and preferences and are available in more than 400 styles, flexibilities, and sizes. As a testament to their effectiveness, she cites a recent study from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital that found that the Good Feet Arch Support System provided significant pain relief to participants in just four weeks. “Proper kinetic alignment begins with proper arch support,” she explains. “By focusing on all four arches in the foot, the Good Feet Arch Support System is designed to keep the foot in the ideal position for the body, which helps to eliminate pain in the feet, knees, hips, and lower back.”

In addition to arch supports, The Good Feet Store also sells a variety of complementary items, including compression socks, performance socks, and slip-on footwear—all of which are designed to comfortably incorporate or pair with its custom arch supports. And while many customers come in seeking help with pain relief, D’Agosta says others are just looking for better comfort, alignment, and balance in their daily lives—something she’s happy to be able to provide to the many weary feet of Naperville. “We knew that Naperville was not only a thriving suburb but also a community that values health and wellness as much as we do,” she says. “Interacting with community members every day and seeing the difference our products make has been really encouraging for our team so far, which has helped make the in-store experience even better for our customers.”

Photos: The Good Feet Store