Kirkland is known for its fashion boutiques, and for decades, Betty’s Apparel was the key source for style and quality in the area. But the space, recently occupied by Bella Tesori in downtown Kirkland, will welcome Crush Footwear in early April.

Crush Footwear provides an exquisite selection of women’s footwear and accessories, with co-owner Rhonda Herbert searching the world for styles from emerging and hard-to-find designers.

“Although we do carry some recognizable brands, we really love to communicate directly with designers who apply their creative genius to make unique footwear styles” Herbert said. “We enjoy discovering designers and we enjoy offering unique items for women who appreciate individual style.”

Rosalyn Sumners’ Bella Tesori has provided décor treasures to designers and interior decorators from that location since 2008. Bella Tesori is consolidating into the corner space and Crush Footwear is moving into the remainder of the Betty’s Apparel location.

“We will have 70% more space, so this is a significant improvement” said Neal Hughes, co-owner of Crush Footwear. “We need more space for more styles, more variety and more shoes to love.”

Spring styles are arriving from Spain, France, Portugal, and even the USA.

“It’s an honor to be a part of Kirkland and to be in the space where Bob, Betty and Karen provided quality and stylish fashion to the area,” Hughes said, who lives in Kirkland. “We’d love to display pictures from Betty’s Apparel, so anyone with pictures & stories from that era should bring them in.”

Bob & Betty Lightfeldt, and later their daughter Karen, operated several fashion stores in the area among Betty’s Apparel, which was in their downtown Kirkland location for decades.