Lakeland Hills woman has sole to fit and help others

Lysne Nolte is a warm-hearted, generous woman, a fancier of flip-flops, a woman of sole.

Lysne Nolte is a warm-hearted, generous woman, a fancier of flip-flops, a woman of sole.

Nolte designs and sells the colorful casuals from her Lakeland Hills home and then directs a portion of her profits to charity and other causes.

Her latest cause — the plight of a 6-year-old girl from her own neighborhood.

Doctors recently diagnosed Avery Huffman, a student at Lakeland Hills Elementary School, with an inoperable brain tumor. Her story has gone international, touching celebrities, who have passed on supportive messages to the girl.

The #AveryStrong campaign has hit home. The community is pitching in with a fundraising auction Aug. 22 at the Lakeland Hills Community Center. Proceeds from tickets sales will help the Huffman family cover medical costs.

Nolte, a mother of four, has also decided to do something. A portion of her flip-flop and other pre-order sales for August are going to go to the AveryStrong Foundation.

“She fighting, she’s fighting really hard,” Nolte said of Avery. “I want to help however I can.”

Nolte launched her business – SeaTown Sole – in 2014 to raise money for her daughter, who wanted to go on a mission to Guatemala for her 15th birthday.

Mother and daughter did bake sales, washed cars and used the proceeds from a children’s and family Christian book Nolte wrote as a first-time author.

Then a friend provided a photo of a flip-flop, and an idea came to Nolte: buy them in bulk then decorate and sell them to girls and women.

In only a few months, the Noltes raised enough money for both to go to Central America, where they helped outreach teams build chicken coops, homes, a stove, and provided sanitized, filtered water to villages.

“It was an amazing opportunity for my daughter to personally grow, and for myself,” Nolte said.

When Nolte returned she found she had more orders to fill. It was then she decided to start her own boutique, secured a trademark and found a reliable factory source for flip-flops.

Many of her flip-flops bear the colors of the Seahawks with the iconic Seattle skyline; others are brightly decorated for schools.

Sunshine Lynch, the mother of Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, bought a pair.

Nolte entertains new looks. She plans to unveil new flip-flop styles for women and men next month and introduce slippers in October.

“It has been my priority to focus on durability and high quality with fresh new styles,” Nolte said.

Nolte hopes to grow the business. Beyond online availability, SeaTown Sole products are sold at several retailers, among them four area MultiCare hospitals.

“I love it,” Nolte said of her work. “I feel very content … and it’s fun.”

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To learn more, visit www.seatownsole.com or find it on Facebook.