‘No one wants
to go into the
family business,
do they?
You want
to blaze your
own trail,
otherwise it’s a
tacit admission
of falling back
into something
familiar.’
of it comes down to materials. You can
have a great design but find the materials
don’t live up to it. Ultimately, the product
needs to hold up to all the quality issues.”
As customers and journalists trickle in
and out of his new shop, Clark appears
relaxed, but he’s frequently checking his
cell phone and discreetly monitoring
everything, from problems with lighting,
to the sale of another pair of shoes, to the
fact that one particular style of United
Nude boots (the Sharpei Hi blue-green
flame print) regularly attracts the interest
of 7-year-old boys. He’s busy without
looking busy, moves without seeming
to move, a pair of well-worn black Vivos
on his feet. You can tell his mind is
already onto something else, maybe
something big, like the introduction of a
Vivo children’s line in 2009 or how to
achieve his goal of having a team that can
cope with his myriad business challenges;
or maybe something smaller, like how to
improve his roses or grow a better crop of
vegetables.
“No one wants to go into the family
business, do they?” he says in his usual
frank, soft-spoken way. “You
want to blaze your own trail,
otherwise it’s a tacit admission
of falling back into something
familiar. That’s why I’ve been
so wild with shoes — to
differentiate myself from
the very solid, middle-of-
the-road shoemakers
that the Clarks are. I have
to push the boat out a
little.”
Galahad Clark
CHRISTINE
FUNDAK ROHAN is
a freelance writer in
London. She previously wrote about
human rights
lawyer Clive
Stafford Smith ’ 81
for the Review.
The November-December
1998 issue of the Review included a story
about Clark’s work with a scholarship program
in Zimbabwe.
Soul of
Africa is a
Clark project
that trains
unemployed
women in South
Africa to hand-
stitch shoes,
enabling them to
support their fami-
lies, and develops
projects to help chil-
dren affected by
AIDS.
COURTESY OF
TERRA PLANA
The author of her life. As a successful young
producer for a nationally syndicated radio program, Anita Woodley felt that
her career was well on its way. Her experiences growing up in the rich cultural
environment of Oakland, CA, gave her a unique voice—the only thing missing
was the confidence to use it. Then she took a Community Classroom Series
course called “Write Your Life” and began a life-changing transformation. “It
taught me to appreciate who I am and to put it into my work. I just soared!”
she recalls. Anita has since taken another Friday Center writing course for
academic credit, and recently won two national journalism awards.
We invite you to experience the power of continuing education for yourself.
The Friday Center’s spring enrichment programs begin in early March. Visit
fridaycenter.unc.edu/pdep or call 919-962-2643 to request a brochure.
