Checking in with...Antonia, A Show Boutique:

Studies show that shoe shopping can be a viable (and fun) form of therapy. Darlene Gardner and Debbie Johnson, co-owners of Antonia, A Shoe Boutique, heartily agree.

The pair have spent decades helping women satisfy their shoe fetishes; their beachy-keen shop in Corona del Mar brings hand-selected designer rarities to the lucky ladies who buy them.

What’s your background in the industry?

DG: I’ve been in the business for 27 years — always shoes. We actually bought the store from someone that we both used to work with. I grew up with her in Las Vegas, and she opened a Stuart Weitzman store here; then we bought the space.

How do you stand out from all the competition?

DG: We’ve become very extinct in our business. You just don’t see shoe stores with multiple lines anymore. We say ours is like In-N-Out Burger for shoes and bags; that’s all we do. Because there’s so few of us, we really have to stay ahead of our competition.

When we go to a showroom to buy, we ask where they sell. We’re anti-department store. Whatever they do, we don’t do.

Department stores are much more mainstream. We try to stick with the trends, but we’re not too edgy; we try to find designers that people have never heard of. And after a shoe is gone, we don’t re-buy it. We kind of cherry-pick from each designer for the best shoe designs.

Is it as fun a profession as it seems like?

DG: You either have the knack for retail or you don’t. And if you don’t love what you do, you shouldn’t be in it. We’re shoe therapists; we love helping people find the perfect shoe. It’s very therapeutic. We’re also here all the time. Very rarely do you find somewhere where the owner-operators are in the store every day.