You Can Tell A Lot About a Person
byKeira’s recent post about shoes got me thinking about a few things. Sure, I have more pairs of shoes than I can count on my fingers (and toes) but I don’t think I’m obsessive at all. I walk into a store and I know exactly what I want, ie. closed-toe, non-stiletto, non-chunk heel shoes that are not suede or velvet but easily waterproofable for Vancouver days.
Sometimes it’s tough to shop that way as opposed to “hello lover!” impulse buys, but our frugal lifestyle doesn’t always allow for such things.
One thing I do love though is shoe shopping with my husband (yes, we’re both comfortable enough with his sexuality that I can make that statement). He walks over to the men’s section and I head to the ladies’. We meet up a few minutes later with a couple samples and provide feedback for each other, and talk each other out of hideous decisions. His comments about his own selections are pretty priceless though: “…too biology teacher,” “too Chris Isaac,” “too clodhoppy.” His usual criteria for a pair of shoes is “useful and goodlookin,” after which I make a comment about him and give him a ridiculously cheesy smooch on the cheek.
Two things though about shoes in this city though.
Best place to shop for them? To quote Keira, ‘I’m not gonna lie’, I prefer Payless. I admit that I shop at a chain and yes, at a store on Robson Street. Scandalous I know. But honestly, you can’t beat BOGO – unless we’re talking about the shoe clearance section of The Bay.
Second, where can I get my busted up stilettos fixed? On my way to and from work would be ideal but I haven’t been able to locate a shoe repair shop in those areas. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Today, I’m going to wear flats. This means I’ll be 3 inches shorter than most people think I am, which is kinda fun but my feet will hurt at the end of the day.
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Some reasons I like to shop Payless are: (1)It’s very close to my work and I can run over there on my lunchhour if I have to; (2) reasonable prices; (3)they always seem to have a style I like; (4) they are practically the only shoestore that carries WIDE widths – in the styles I like (see item #3)
The shoe repair guy I use is in Royal Centre – he does fantastic work, he’s fast and he’s inexpensive. If you take the escalator down from the cookie place he’s right there. It’s not on your way to work, but it’s most certainly en route from your apartment to the Bay’s shoe department 😉
Oh no! That guy ruined my last pair!
Ahhh, I passed Robson Shoe Renu today. Unfortunately the sign on the door says they don’t open til 10am but I guess I could bring things in after work.
There is a shoe-repair guy in Royal Centre just before you walk out the door to Burrard skytrain. I’ve used him before and he’s pretty good and very reasonable.
yes, payless rocks. i gotta confess, i thoroughly dislike buying shoes. i’m a huge sucker for comfort and if the shoes don’t feel exactly right, i’ll hardly ever wear them (and if they do, i’ll wear them till they fall off my feet). the problem is you don’t really know how well they fit until you’ve walked in them for at least 30 minutes. but yes, i’ve had the best luck with payless.
got a wonderful pair of sandals at payless at west edmonton mall in the summer.
the last time i had my shoes fixed was in the walk-up from granville skytrain station. and if you ever go to the superstore on main and SE marine, they have a shoe fixer guy there, too.
on the getting them fixed i need a place too for my pink pair there used to be a great place on denman that moved… i should find out where it moved to they seriously rule and there used to be a good place in the pacific center i went to but it is covered buy holt renfrew now.
@gus: I think you’re probably talking about Quick Cobbler (http://www.quickcobbler.com) – they’ve moved to:
430 West 2nd Ave , Vancouver BC
im a big fan of the David Gordon store on Granville. last time i went in there i ended up picking up a pair of Fender shoes. who knew fender made shoes? plus it’s close to Golden Age. what beats that? cool shoes and comic books. nothing.
also im a horrible impulse buyer. definitely have more pairs than i need. by about a dozen…or so…
Oooh, I find every shoe I’ve ever bought at Payless falls apart. I just buy shoes on sale at more expensive stores, because I buy so few they NEED to last. I had Fluevogs that lasted four years, and with the exception of red heels I just bought, I haven’t had to spend more than $100 on shoes a year for ages. Now, that doesn’t include flip flops, though…
More expensive shoes are nice, but you only have two pairs of shoes. You buy cheaper, you have more of a selection, and not wear the same pair every day, thus, they don’t wear out as fast.
Lately I’m partial to THE SHOE COMPANY:
http://www.theshoecompany.com/
Theh sucky thing is that there’s not many locations and not plastered everywhere like PAYLESS. The closest for me are whether I’m around Coquitlam or Langley, which ain’t often.
I’ll never shop at Aldo again. Every pair I’ve ever had from there has fallen apart after a few months. I paid about 50% more for a pair of Clarks this time and so far they seem to be holding up.
Just realized my grammar up there sucks!
Ah shoes. I like Payless too. I agree the more shoes you have the longer they should last. I need to go shoe shopping. I need to fix a heel on my shoe. I didn’t know that Superstore has a shoe repair place in it… I go there all the time too. I will check that out. Thanks!
I read in an article recently that the average woman (I think a survey in Australia of 450 women) own about 30 pairs of shoes on average. Sounds about right.
I’m a around there myself (ok, a little above) and don’t feel this is too many. But then I might have an addiction and never think I have too many shoes (anyone feel this way?). How do I deal with it? One pair at a time. I mean day.
And I agree with you about the Bay clearance area! Hopefully January will have lots to choose from! 🙂
– MT
[…] than anything, because they don’t hurt my feet, but I still love my heels. Awhile back Miss604 had a little post about footwear, so I pose these 2 questions to the women of […]