Husband-and-wife owners Lynn and Heinz Reichl focus on healthy feet in their Texas shop.

by Jaime Fraze

Having been affected by corporate instability multiple times, Lynn and Heinz Reichl grew tired of the uncertainty. Seven years ago, they struck out on their own and opened Arches, a shoe store in Temple, Texas, that specializes in comfortable and supportive footwear. 

“Layoffs happened, and we thought, ‘What have we got to lose?’ Let’s open something up ourselves,” Lynn Reichl said. 

Her husband is a certified pedorthist, which is an allied health and medical professional who seeks effective outcomes for patients with foot-related problems. Heinz Reichl trained in his native Germany in the orthotic/prosthetic field for several years. He and Lynn have been married for 35 years, but they’d never worked together. 

“I love my family, and it’s always great when they’re around,” Heinz said.

Heinz and Lynn Reichl are partners in life, including business. (Photo: Candace Lee/NCR Small Business)

Naturally, as first-time business owners, the couple had some reservations – particularly when it came to the financial aspects of the business.

“Things like cost of goods sold, and inventory balance sheets … that’s the part that we didn’t know anything about,” Lynn explained. “NCR Silver has all that in there. We had more reports on sales than we thought we needed, but we’ve now learned, ‘Wow, this is helpful.’”

With NCR Silver, generating reports and tracking sales and inventory are easier than ever for the Reichls. Learning which items are best sellers, the store’s most popular hours and other metrics help the couple run their business efficiently and without undue stress.

The Reichls use NCR Silver to boost sales and keep track of customer medical notes, shoe sizes, preferences and more. (Photo: Candace Lee/NCR Small Business)

“It’s easy to understand,” Lynn said. “In a way, we are getting our business degree by using NCR Silver.”

This way, they can focus more on the reason they opened their business in the first place: to help people walk comfortably and without pain.

They’ve been able to bring their son, William, into the business to help out on the sales floor. Heinz offers one-on-one comprehensive foot evaluations for people with foot issues, and he also fabricates custom orthotics and shoe modifications onsite. Runners often seek him out for common running issues like shin splints, knee pain, heel pain and tendinitis. 

“There’s a nice sense of pride in helping the community and doing the right thing,” Lynn said. “And showing that to your children is pretty special.”

Added Heinz: “Working with people that have foot issues, and basically come in and can hardly walk … a lot of times they leave us and can finally walk again, pain-free. That is awesome. It’s just a great feeling.”

That great feeling extends to the Reichl’s clientele, ranging from parents of trend-seeking teens to seasoned runners to chronic pain sufferers, who all sing the praises of Arches and its “foot guru,” Heinz.

“For over a year, I have tried to find new athletic shoes, but they all hurt my feet,” explained Gloria G., a customer from Temple. “My rheumatologist diagnosed arthritis in my feet and my podiatrist referred me to Arches two weeks ago. Heinz and the staff were so friendly and really wanted to help me with my foot pain. Heinz fitted me with Sole Orthotics and they are wonderful. I wear them every day. Not only is the arthritis in my feet much better, but so is my knee pain.”