Fit to Be Tied

Shoelaces are among the least sung-about parts of any wardrobe. Most people hardly notice them. But now style has claimed even these pedestrian pieces of string. Fancy laces imprinted with rainbows, hearts, stars and whole menageries are turning sneakers and jogging shoes into snazzy footwear.

Lucy's Canvas, a Boston firm that started the new wave in September 1980, has sold about $6 million worth of the colorful laces. Goodtimes Industries of Los

Angeles has marketed more than 10 million pairs of its Goodties in just ten months. Says Goodtimes President Robert Greenburg: "Kids can't afford to buy new shoes as often as before, so they dress up their old ones with a new pair of laces."

The flashy fastenings normally retail for $1.50 to $2, or about twice the cost of regular laces. Although they have been particularly popular with girls from eleven to 19, they are now being tied on by many men and women as well.

Some customers collect the laces. Craig DeLongy, owner of a Champs Sport Shop in Florida, recalls one teen-age girl who spent $17 on ten sets of laces and $22 on a pair of shoes. DeLongy is already stocking up to meet expected back-to-school demand this fall. Says he: "I just placed an order for 140 dozen, and will place it again every three or four weeks."