Shoe business
Friends, it's now a week until Christmas, if you celebrate that holiday with your family and friends. Hope you're ready--I think that we finally are!
Was thinking the other day about shoes, particularly about my personal history of shoes and foot issues. When we were kids, both my older and younger brothers were diagnosed by the doctor as needing "corrective" shoes (do these still exist?) and my parents dutifully bought them--once for each boy. None after that.
As I recall, my older brother seldom wore leather dress shoes after that. His shoe of choice for many years was the original Converse Chuck Taylor basketball shoe. He generally had multiple pairs to allow time for them to dry between wearings, which is actually something that folks in the know suggest. My younger brother often wore whatever shoes one of us no longer wanted, to the point where I never actually knew what size shoe he wore.
And then there's me.
I had long feet as a kid, but they weren't particularly wide and there never seemed to be any real problems until I was an adult. I wore inexpensive shoes of all types, without issue, and when I got an after-school job I began to buy better shoes, at least of the athletic variety. Back then I played tennis, so I went through a series of white leather tennis shoes, starting with a pair of the original Adidas Stan Smiths (you know, the ones with a dark green suede patch on the back of the shoe). Continued that for a long time, because white shoes go with everything!
I began working after college in more professional and traditional jobs, so I found that wing-tipped brogues were the way to go. They were durable and fit well, and provided some support that I needed. I continued wearing this type of shoe for my working hours for many years, eventually graduating to the top-shelf Florsheim Imperials. Expensive, yes, but they could be resoled and continue to provide wear for many years. I eventually went contemporary and had them resoled with Vibram outsoles, thinking that this would provide more cushion and comfort.
Then I began to develop foot problems.
Health issues prompted me to begin a regular routine of exercise (which I continue when my work hours and circumstances allow) and then I began to have what I simply thought were tired feet. I now think that I had developed plantar faciitis, a painful malady which is often mistaken for heel spurs. Feels like a knife is being poked into the sole of one's foot with each step. A nurse who lived next door suggested that I buy some New Balance running shoes, that had helped a nurse friend of hers to combat a similar complaint, so I did. Big difference. I added a Powerstep orthotic and really felt the difference!
But that didn't help much at work. Gradually I moved away from the heavy wing-tips and began buying a variety of "comfort" shoes. A succession of this type of footwear led me to a German brand called Finn Comfort, handsewn shoes that are best described as a cousin of Birkenstock sandals (also of German origin, I believe). Finns have a cork and leather insole that conforms to the foot of the wearer, offering excellent support that's pretty close to custom.
All of my work shoes and most of my leisure shoes were Finn Comfort for the last fifteen years or so. Until the past year, when I went to buy a replacement pair of a Finn model that I had worn for some time. They didn't fit anymore. I don't know if my foot changed, or the shoe did, but I could no longer wear them comfortably. Now I had a real problem!
I eventually went to SAS Footwear, which operates stores in a lot of cities throughout the country. This is an American company, shoes are all handmade, with a variety of styles and insoles. They make what my mother used to refer to as "old lady comfort shoes," but luckily they make more than that. Right now I have three pairs of a quasi-dress shoe of theirs, plus a pair of sneakers. All have been augmented with Powerstep insoles, and I've been relatively pleased with the results.
I have to remind my self that I'm older now, that I have more aches and pains, and that there will be times when my feet will simply hurt, despite whatever else I might be doing.
Recently my wife and I were at one of those discount shoe places, the ones that have big long aisles of self-service shelves and a myriad of brands and styles. I saw Florsheim as one of the brands, and while I didn't try any of their shoes on, I was intrigued, and that led me to do a little checking. Because their stores had gone away over the past twenty years (owing mostly to the demise of enclosed shopping malls, I think) I really had lost touch with the brand and didn't really know if it still existed.
It does. In exploring the current makeup of the company, it's back in the hands of members of the Florsheim family, and they now stock many traditional styles as well as contemporary models plus some old favorites that have been updated for today's men's shoe market.
Which brings me to my current point of interest. A scan of the Zappos online shoe sales website showed the Florsheim Kenmoor traditional wing-tip dress shoe in a couple of colors. I thought about that, and remarked to my wife that my foot problems seemed to have begun when I decided to resole my original Florsheim Imperials with synthetic soles.
Thought about it a little more, and decided to take the plunge, so I am sitting in my house wearing a spanking new pair of Kenmoor wing-tips in their Cognac color. Stiff, firm, but supportive. Break-in does not seem quite as severe as the last pair I bought, which were very painful. Slick on the bottom, too, so each step is a little of an adventure, at least until I scuff the sole bottoms. I had to carry some things down the stairs yesterday and wisely took them off, so as not to lose my footing on the steps with no ability to hold on!
But based on my indoor experience thus far, they're keepers, I believe, and I'll probably add a black pair at some point soon. No arch support or foot discomfort yet, except from the stiffness that I would have expected. Will probably get brave and wear them out of the house in a day or two.
So the moral of the story appears to be that everything old is new again. Fashion is cyclical, but, it seems, so is function.
Was thinking the other day about shoes, particularly about my personal history of shoes and foot issues. When we were kids, both my older and younger brothers were diagnosed by the doctor as needing "corrective" shoes (do these still exist?) and my parents dutifully bought them--once for each boy. None after that.
As I recall, my older brother seldom wore leather dress shoes after that. His shoe of choice for many years was the original Converse Chuck Taylor basketball shoe. He generally had multiple pairs to allow time for them to dry between wearings, which is actually something that folks in the know suggest. My younger brother often wore whatever shoes one of us no longer wanted, to the point where I never actually knew what size shoe he wore.
And then there's me.
I had long feet as a kid, but they weren't particularly wide and there never seemed to be any real problems until I was an adult. I wore inexpensive shoes of all types, without issue, and when I got an after-school job I began to buy better shoes, at least of the athletic variety. Back then I played tennis, so I went through a series of white leather tennis shoes, starting with a pair of the original Adidas Stan Smiths (you know, the ones with a dark green suede patch on the back of the shoe). Continued that for a long time, because white shoes go with everything!
I began working after college in more professional and traditional jobs, so I found that wing-tipped brogues were the way to go. They were durable and fit well, and provided some support that I needed. I continued wearing this type of shoe for my working hours for many years, eventually graduating to the top-shelf Florsheim Imperials. Expensive, yes, but they could be resoled and continue to provide wear for many years. I eventually went contemporary and had them resoled with Vibram outsoles, thinking that this would provide more cushion and comfort.
Then I began to develop foot problems.
Health issues prompted me to begin a regular routine of exercise (which I continue when my work hours and circumstances allow) and then I began to have what I simply thought were tired feet. I now think that I had developed plantar faciitis, a painful malady which is often mistaken for heel spurs. Feels like a knife is being poked into the sole of one's foot with each step. A nurse who lived next door suggested that I buy some New Balance running shoes, that had helped a nurse friend of hers to combat a similar complaint, so I did. Big difference. I added a Powerstep orthotic and really felt the difference!
But that didn't help much at work. Gradually I moved away from the heavy wing-tips and began buying a variety of "comfort" shoes. A succession of this type of footwear led me to a German brand called Finn Comfort, handsewn shoes that are best described as a cousin of Birkenstock sandals (also of German origin, I believe). Finns have a cork and leather insole that conforms to the foot of the wearer, offering excellent support that's pretty close to custom.
All of my work shoes and most of my leisure shoes were Finn Comfort for the last fifteen years or so. Until the past year, when I went to buy a replacement pair of a Finn model that I had worn for some time. They didn't fit anymore. I don't know if my foot changed, or the shoe did, but I could no longer wear them comfortably. Now I had a real problem!
I eventually went to SAS Footwear, which operates stores in a lot of cities throughout the country. This is an American company, shoes are all handmade, with a variety of styles and insoles. They make what my mother used to refer to as "old lady comfort shoes," but luckily they make more than that. Right now I have three pairs of a quasi-dress shoe of theirs, plus a pair of sneakers. All have been augmented with Powerstep insoles, and I've been relatively pleased with the results.
I have to remind my self that I'm older now, that I have more aches and pains, and that there will be times when my feet will simply hurt, despite whatever else I might be doing.
Recently my wife and I were at one of those discount shoe places, the ones that have big long aisles of self-service shelves and a myriad of brands and styles. I saw Florsheim as one of the brands, and while I didn't try any of their shoes on, I was intrigued, and that led me to do a little checking. Because their stores had gone away over the past twenty years (owing mostly to the demise of enclosed shopping malls, I think) I really had lost touch with the brand and didn't really know if it still existed.
It does. In exploring the current makeup of the company, it's back in the hands of members of the Florsheim family, and they now stock many traditional styles as well as contemporary models plus some old favorites that have been updated for today's men's shoe market.
Which brings me to my current point of interest. A scan of the Zappos online shoe sales website showed the Florsheim Kenmoor traditional wing-tip dress shoe in a couple of colors. I thought about that, and remarked to my wife that my foot problems seemed to have begun when I decided to resole my original Florsheim Imperials with synthetic soles.
Thought about it a little more, and decided to take the plunge, so I am sitting in my house wearing a spanking new pair of Kenmoor wing-tips in their Cognac color. Stiff, firm, but supportive. Break-in does not seem quite as severe as the last pair I bought, which were very painful. Slick on the bottom, too, so each step is a little of an adventure, at least until I scuff the sole bottoms. I had to carry some things down the stairs yesterday and wisely took them off, so as not to lose my footing on the steps with no ability to hold on!
But based on my indoor experience thus far, they're keepers, I believe, and I'll probably add a black pair at some point soon. No arch support or foot discomfort yet, except from the stiffness that I would have expected. Will probably get brave and wear them out of the house in a day or two.
So the moral of the story appears to be that everything old is new again. Fashion is cyclical, but, it seems, so is function.
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