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Not many shoe stores left around here


Road Runner

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The last dress shoes I bought, I had to go across the river to find a Johnston and Murphy shoe store.  The old style store where someone actually waits on you and fits you properly.

We used to have several quality shoe stores within a few miles of my house.  Like Tara, they seem to be gone with the wind.  :(

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I couldn’t even tell you the last time I was in a “shoe store” - apart from running shoes. (And even the last pair of those I bought, I bought online.)

I have running shoes (2 pair), hiking boots (2 pair) and cycling shoes (3 pair). Even have a pair of Chaco sandals to piss RG off, but no “shoes”.

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2 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

The last dress shoes I bought, I had to go across the river to find a Johnston and Murphy shoe store.  The old style store where someone actually waits on you and fits you properly.

We used to have several quality shoe stores within a few miles of my house.  Like Tara, they seem to be gone with the wind.  :(

So, you bought a pair of shoes at a store many moons ago, and still expect them to be around? What kind of business model would allow that to still be possible?

Tom

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Just now, TrentonMakes said:

I don't feel any personal guilt about shopping for clothes or shoes online.  Most places haven't bothered to stock things that fit me since I was 15.

I scrape the bottom of the barrel, barely finding 29 length pants.  :mellow:  28 would actually be better but they are nonexistent in stores.  I am happy they stock as many 29s as they do. :)

 

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3 minutes ago, F_in Ray Of Sunshine said:

I couldn’t even tell you the last time I was in a “shoe store” - apart from running shoes. (And even the last pair of those I bought, I bought online.)

I have to admit, I too have transitioned to the internet for athletic type shoes.  Once you know your size for a particular brand, it is hard not to just point and click.  But for dress shoes, I need to see and feel them.  And there seems to be greater size variability with leather dress shoes (or at least they feel different). 

One of my first jobs was working in a Hofheimer's Shoes store.  A small area in the front for men's shoes and the rest of the store (3/4 of it) for the women's.  Fun days.  :)

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I buy from Macy's and Dillards. Their shoe departments still have a little salesmanship in them. But mostly they carry my brands: Ecco, dress; Ben Sherman, casual; Mizuno, trainers. 

Also Dillards works with Ecco and their company guarantee. I have 5 pairs of Ecco all quality and comfortable but my last pair the inner lining of the sole wore with the insoles so I had a divot in the heals. These were 2 years past purchase date. Dillard's took a look at them, phones their Ecco rep and a new pair were with me on the way out the store in less than 30 min. 

I'm very particular about my feet so I try shoes, research heavily, and buy local. Other items are a toss up online or in store

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12 minutes ago, goldendesign said:

These were 2 years past purchase date. Dillard's took a look at them, phones their Ecco rep and a new pair were with me on the way out the store in less than 30 min. 

Nice!  Makes me wish we had a Dullard's here!  I wrote to Rockport and got a big long procedure to return them, so instead I got some shoe goo and patched the holes.

I never heard of Ecco, I'll have to seek them out.  I also am very touchy aboot how the foo shits.  The most comfy were the Kohls Croft (Loft?) and Brownstone store brand of soft loafer, but they wore out very quickly.  Still, they were so comfy I might try them again, but I hate "disposable" things.  I figured it makes more sense to pay a little more for better, and I was pretty disappointed in the Rockport 'speriment in that direction.

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25 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

So, you bought a pair of shoes at a store many moons ago, and still expect them to be around? What kind of business model would allow that to still be possible?

Tom

Why would a retired guy be a frequent purchaser of dress shoes?  Even the most ardent Sunday dresser would only use them 52 days per year. 

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24 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

I don't feel any personal guilt about shopping for clothes or shoes online.  Most places haven't bothered to stock things that fit me since I was 15.

I have to admit that I do a lot of shopping for hobby supplies online.  Even though I worked in a Hobby Shop they rarely stocked the sorts of stuff that I bought.  I did purchase a lot of my pre made drone stuff there and I was there last week for paints of various colors and a replacement frame for one of my drones.

Stocking issues are what drive me to online shopping..........that and distance to the "local" stores.  A 20 mile one way is part of the result of living out in the country.

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19 minutes ago, goldendesign said:

I have 5 pairs of Ecco all quality and comfortable

I have found the Ecco size and style I like and order a spare pair ahead of time online.  I may order like five pairs just to stash in my closet as they will eventually discontinue or change the ones I like :(  I regret I didn't do this with the pair I loved prior to this new Ecco set, but at least these Ecco's are a solid replacement - comfortable, durable, and relatively attractive.

Tom

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I had narrowed my dress shoes down to particular 'comfort style without the comfort look' Johnson & Murphy, ECCO, and Clarks. While online was tempting, as I shopped at the major mall stores - both shoe specific and department, like Macy's, - Was difficult to find the style I wanted, which were all the manufacturer's controlled price, if available in my (popular) size. Online they rarely discount 10/10.5 with discounts at the extreme sized. That is one of the few times I venture into "the tourist corridor" that locals avoid like the plague and hit the outlet malls. Got lucky on Clarks as their top of line "Un-Kenneths" was buy one get one free so got black and brown pair, each about the same price as their lower line on sale in town.

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Dallas had a chain called Larry's Shoes.  It was mens dress and casual shoe Nirvana!  They carried wide widths and larger sizes and they had great, extraordinary customer service and good pricing.

Now you have to go to Macys or Nieman Marcus to find anything like what Larry's was.

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1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

I buy dress shoes and underwear in Italy.  Nowhere else. 

Athletic shoes from sports stores, all of which belong to Canadian Tire Corporation. 

What about belts? I would buy those in Eataly too if I could. I like my dress shoes and belts to be well made with good leather. Quality of goods in the US have declined over the years.

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1 minute ago, Page Turner said:

 

What's amazing is that those folks are the new normal!

I wonder if shoes that were once considered "wide" are now considered normal?  Like a "2E" is now a "D"?

Q: Do all brands come in widths?

A: No.  Most European brands only come in standard widths.  This is true of many US brands as well.  However, in the past 20-30 years more shoe manufacturers have embraced multi-width sizing.  Today, brands such as New Balance, Munro, and Clarks lead the way by providing a wide selection of widths across their full line of shoes.

Tom

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1 hour ago, Road Runner said:

I too have transitioned to the internet for athletic type shoes.

I can get “last year’s model” for significantly less than “this year’s”. Not like they have a shelf life or anything. 

 

1 hour ago, Road Runner said:

for dress shoes, I need to see and feel them. 

I don’t have that problem. ?

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I had a GC for Macy's a couple of years ago so I bought shoes. The employee did not work for Macy's. She worked for a shoe store company that managed the department within Macy's. I bought a pair of New Balance shoes that fell apart pretty fast. 

I had to fly to Chicago recently for a funeral and got caught without nice shoes. I found a DSW that had some Italian sounding shoes for a decent price. I'm not a shoe person, but this place had a big selection. Prices seemed reasonable to me. It's pretty much a self-service store though.

Locally, we have quite a few options for shoes, mostly outdoor stores. 

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6 hours ago, Wilbur said:

Why would a retired guy be a frequent purchaser of dress shoes?  Even the most ardent Sunday dresser would only use them 52 days per year. 

?  Breakfast shoes, shoes after lunch, certainly dinner shoes, evening shoes. Unless I'm working, I changed shoes appx 4 times a day along with clothes. 

Sometimes you're an animal Wilbur.   ?

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49 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Boot maker 150 miles away from home, but is very accommodating when I am in town for repairs or a fitting. A little pricey, but they last a long time. Too bad if folks don't think they are dressy enough for their festivities.:whistle:

I used to fly in cowboy boots. :)  Then I moved east and some halfwit employer didn't think they were appropriate.  

I thought they went well with an Armani suit. 

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11 hours ago, Wilbur said:

I buy dress shoes and underwear in Italy.  Nowhere else. 

Athletic shoes from sports stores, all of which belong to Canadian Tire Corporation. 

My partner never enjoyed buying dress shoes. 

I want to go into the shoe store and try on shoes  --any dress, athletic since I have been wearing custom orthotics for past 2 decades.  My feet have changed in shape.  I wish to avoid the hassle of returns since only 10% of the shoes that I want to try, actually are walkable in a decent way without falling on my face or killing my feet after 10 steps.

Once after a 105 km. bike touring ride in Washington state where it rained 70% of the time, I slipped into my flip-flops to go out for dinner about 1 block away from hotel.  My feet were killing me -- a lesson that my feet had become too flat. (I couldn't wear my cycling shoes because they were completely wet.)

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