Sole Desire

Shoes are great but they need to get it together to be awesome. Best things are not available in most sizes, and the rest stay on the shelves for years. Some of my favorite boots and shoes are from here, but its harder to find cute items and get them before they’re gone. Service is slow or not forthcoming. It’s hard to find interesting, comfortable shoes so I hope things improve.

I’ve been shopping here for years but now they have moved to their bigger store on Burlingame Avenue (closer to El Camino), I don’t shop for shoes anywhere else! The staff is great and I like how they don’t just bring out the pair you ask for but also bring similar styles that I might like. The service is terrific and they have s large selection, now men’s shoes too. The also have a frequent buyer program which is an added plus. I highly recommend making this your «go to» shoe store!

I’m not quite sure what the issue is with people giving this place such a low rating, but I was able to find a decent pair of shoes as a present for my mother and the people working here are super helpful. Customers expect to be treated like royalty but they treat the workers here so badly – IT’S A TWO WAY STREET, you get treated how you treat others. I’ve seen how badly the girls here get talked to by some of these snarky customers. Besides the certain demographic of low IQ customers, this was hands down one of the easiest shopping experience I had shopping for someone else.

Just bought nice Sofft brand sandals from here, which I desperately needed to make sure my feet are taken care of. The sales clerk was nice and accomodating, but it weirded me out that there were no price stickers on the shoes she brought me. She had to go to the back to check, when I asked her to price the two pairs that I had narrowed down to. That was a bit odd.
But I got the sandals, I think I will be happy???

I was walking by and saw a shoe sale. I was pleasantly surprised that they had my size on the table on the sidewalk. After making some selections there, I came inside and Melissa brought me many styles to try and helped me to get them feeling just right with heel pads (my heels are narrow), slip guards and treads. She certainly knows the tips and tricks to getting your shoes just right. I left with 5 pair and I will be back!!! I hope the management knows her value!

Go elsewhere. Okay shoes but terrible service. Will not accept a return within one week with a receipt without original box. Huh? There are many great places to buy shoes, and most of them respect their customers.

This is the best shoe store ever. With my foot problems I was very limited in shoes until I found this store, and now I’m a regular. Helpful and knowledgeable staff, great ergonomic styles, reasonable prices on high quality shoes. I will remain a loyal customer.

I drove all the way from SF in a precious Sunday afternoon (ie. today) to pick up a pair of shoes that my picky feet would feel comfortable in. Both their website and voice recording say they close at 6pm on Sundays. I got to the bigger store at 1426 Burlingame Ave at 5:30pm and it was closed. There’s an inconspicuous sign on the side glass panel that has posted the store hours with closing hour of 5pm on Sundays. I walked over to the smaller store at 1215 Burlingame and sure enough its closed, with the same sign posted. I immediately second guessed myself and wondered if I had made a mistake over their website info or phone recording that their stores closed at 6pm. So, I called their number again and verified that i wasn’t hallucinating, as the recording truly said 6pm. Now, unless Sole Desire really intends their customers to be neighbors living no further than a 3-​block perimeter from the stores, they should take seriously their own information and what they communicate. Posting a store closing hour of 5pm at the store when everywhere else says 6pm doesn’t help. I hope by the time your potential customers get to read this, you have updated your site with the accurate information.
2 stars for comfy shoes. Minus stars for $$$$$ and experience like this.

I hemmed and hawed over two pair of shoes and the clerk offered a 15% discount if I bought both, so I did.
At the counter, I told her the prices of the shoes and then she tossed the receipt in the box. I went home and looked at the receipt, and not only did she not include the discount, the clerk overcharged me on both pairs of shoes.
I had to go out of my way to bring them back, and the new clerk would not issue the 15% discount that was promised by the first clerk. When she made the adjustment she made up an excuse as to why she could not issue the full 15% off both pairs. She only issued the 15% on the cheaper pair of shoes.
After she rang me up again to make the adjustment she made an error, and only when she realized the mistake she gave me 15% off both pairs finally, after she claimed the first clerk was not suppose to give me a discount.
I think the shoes at this store are more comfort than high style for those interested.
You can find a lot of these shoes on Amazon.
Since my time is limited, I think I will just go on-​line. It’s just not worth wasting time over a pair of walking shoes. I do understand there prices are high because of urban rents and wages, so if I pay for that I would like excellent service. I think reneging on a discount that the clerk offered is bad business.
I have gone to some of their other stores in the Bay Area, but I will not go back. I’ve dropped big money here (always an impluse buy because of the locations) and the service is not equivalent to a high end store, I thought the clerks I met were careless in ringing up the receipts and perhaps not well trained.
Kind of a crazy retail experience.

Ehhhh. I hate to leave this bad review, but it’s mainly because this store is just not my taste.
The bigger location across from Wells Fargo had awesome customer service. They gave me tips on outfits and gave me other styles to try on when I asked for a single pair. The one next to Sephora had okay customer service.
My main reason why I don’t like this store is cuz it’s too expensive. See, so I feel bad cuz other people love this store, and probably don’t mind paying the high prices. But for me? A super plain pair of cowboy boots for $ 200??? Ummmm. No thanks. Ohhh that no name plain purse over there is on sale for $ 150? No thank you. I forced myself to buy something because I was given a gift card to this place. So I just bought Uggs haha! Uggs are expensive no matter where you buy them. But as far as those plain cowboy boots go? I can probably buy them somewhere else for a fraction of the price. (yes, you pay for comfort and quality, but I still wouldn’t pay that much for plain no name cowboy boots.)

First & last time I’ll shop there! I believe in supporting small businesses when I can. I bought a pair of shoes (not cheap) & wore them around the house for a few days to see how they fit. Then went out of town for a week.
I tried to return the shoes & was told they have a 7 day policy for refunds & a 14 day policy for exchanges. Since it was 15 days I was given an in-​store credit. Yes, it was on the receipt, but was not mentioned to me when I bought the shoes. Piss poor customer service. The store manager was condacending & inflexable.
So, I guess I will shop there one more time to use the credit.
No wonder there is a swinging door of small stores on Burlingame Ave. I guess I’ll stick to the big stores with decent customer service.

I’m writing this review on behalf on my beloved: the shoe selection was okay, but a big part of shopping is customer service. Customer service was great until the shoes were brought back to the store for a return. As is often the case, clothing items that seem perfect in the store aren’t always once we get them home. As such the shoes were returned for a refund. With zero signs of any wear it was expected there would be no problem returning the shoes. But Sole Desire is no Nordstroms when it comes to customer service and living up to their own return policy. The stated policy is that shoes may be returned as long as they show no signs of wear. But try to put that policy to the test and you’ll find that policy is easier written then used. The clerk tried every possible excuse to not take back the shoes. In the end they finally did take the shoes back, as per their stated policy. However, we felt so soured on the store it is unlikely we’ll ever return. Should you go shopping at Sole Desire make your choice well, because if you decide they just aren’t right one you get home, trying to return your shiny new shoes will prove to be an exercise in futility.

The reviews for this FABULOUS shoe store are so strange on Unilocal!that I decided to write one from a very «normal» person’s point of view. I have been shopping here for at least 2 years now and have also introduced many gal pals to this store because of their fantastic selection of both comfort and stylish shoes. They turn their merchandise quite quickly, so if you like it, buy it! They have helpful salespeople and I have not ever had anything but a positive experience shopping here. They have a rewards club program and the points add up quickly, too. I only shop for comfort shoes and this store has the very best selection EVER!!! They are a Northern California chain of shoe boutiques and are more than happy to send your size or color from any of their other stores. Stop by Sole Desire — you won’t be sorry.

I like modern” good for your feet” shoes. I think it’s hard to find that in the same sentence. With lines like Tsumo and Wolki, my feet couldn’t be more happy with my high end clothing. i drive from Los Gatos to find something special.

Yes, receipt says exchanges within 14 days. And I was closer to three weeks (I’d been out of town). But jeez… the chicks in there had this somewhat patronizing attitude. I wasn’t even asking for a return… I just wanted to see if we could work some sort of compromise that would leave everybody happy. Instead I felt that they were enjoying their «right”-ness because the 14-​day-​thing was printed on the receipt (they referred and pointed to it multiple times). No, «Gee… we’re sorry.» No, «Let’s see what we can work out. Maybe we could take these back and give you a discount towards another pair.» I just felt like they were WAY more happy to tow the party-​line than to keep what would have been an ongoing future customer… but they made me feel very unwelcome.
It’s too bad, really… because I had liked the store’s selection and would have gone back. Instead, I’m writing an unhappy Unilocal review. sigh. Weird choice on their part.

Title: «Weebles Wobble, but they DO FALL DOWN, when they are wearing Tembea Shoes! …or how I almost got a FRONTAL LOBOTOMY!»
Place: Burlingame Shopping Area
Date: a few weeks ago
Never, never, & never, go walking around like a happy shoe shopping fool, with money in your pocket, in this area. Now, even the best of us smart Unilocaling shoppers can have a weak moment, and make an impulse buy… but not here, and definitely not in this OVER-​PRICED store!
I admit, I should have known better, but I had just seen my Neurosurgeon, who basically told me that I was doing better with my spinal injury, and I would not need to wear a diaper anytime soon, unless I screwed-​up! I did screw up the week before, and painted my fence & pushed a manual lawnmower with my «broken-​back, with some return of numbness and pain to my right leg. She recommended, to my wife, that I should have a frontal lobotomy, if I did not behave! She was, of course, absolutely 100% right!
The problem was that, if I needed a FRONTAL LOBOTOMY, I was sure my HMO would not cover it, and I would have to do one myself, the old fashioned way, with a kitchen ice-​pick! Yes, my Unilocal friends, the very same procedure that Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz won the NOBLE PRIZE for, many moons ago. In the recent dark ages of Psychiatry, whackos like the infamous Dr. Freeman, ran around California, and the rest of the US, stabbing people deep in the inner corner of their eye socket, until it reached their nice & soft brain, and made mincemeat out of it! This was often done in the comfort of your own home, without that annoying anesthesia stuff. It was so popular at one time; they did this „treatment“ on JFK’s mentally ill sister, ROSEMARY KENNEDY, who was then hidden away until she died in 2005, a „HUMAN VEGE“!
Anyway, after the good news about my back, and that I did not need a lobotomy right away, we then had a fabulous Thai meal at Coconut Bay, on that fateful, beautiful, & sunny fall day. After the meal, I just had to walk around, and „just look & window shop“, I stated to my wife. She, of course did not buy it, but indulged me anyway. She is an ANGEL!

I then, somehow wandered into this nice new shoe shop, Sole Desire, and spied this interesting new shoe display for TEMBEA shoes. These shoes were supposed to be „scientifically“ designed to be great for correct body alignment and your back. They looked rather bizarre, with the sole looking like the bottom of a „WEEBLE WOBBLE“, but the salesgirl told me that everyone LOVED them after „getting used to them“ and „building up the proper muscles for balance“. She also said that she and her coworker there wear them everyday… and they were „SOOOOO…COMFY“. (What the hell… what did they put in my curry at the Thai place… LSD, PCP, THC, or some other Psychoactive letter threesome?)
While trying to act like a wise guy, I asked», are there any scientific studies backing this up”. She said,” Lots, but we do not have any copies” (YA… RIGHT!). So, I said what the hell, it is only $ 250, and far cheaper than an either a frontal lobotomy, or another weekend trip to the Bay Area, and ended up buying and wearing them outside.
I THEN WEEBLED AND WOBBLED TO MY DISTANTLY PARKED CAR, SMILING ALL THE WAY, LIKE A TOTAL IMBECILE!
Well, I have been doggedly wearing them, like a fool now, for a few weeks, and STILL have not gotten used to them. I have also lost my balance and HAVE ALMOST FALLEN, A FEW TIMES, and could further injure my back! I did research it on the Internet, and found out that some goofball Swiss engineer, Karl Müller, developed this «MBT Anti-​shoe» while walking barefoot in rice paddies in Korea (WHAT WAS THIS BUNGHOLE SMOKING!) It apparently became popular in Asia. Unfortunately for me, goofball fads & quackery are everywhere in Asia.
Well, this is one foolish goof-​ball, who is ready to chuck these anti-​shoes into the NEAREST anti-​matter disintegrator, and weeble & wobble over to the nearest ice-​pick for a
…DIY FRONTAL LOBOTOMY!
Again, I cannot stress enough…
Never, never, & never, go walking around like a happy shoe shopping fool, with money in your pocket, in this area (NOR THIS STORE!)
And also keep in mind, the old saying, «I WOULD RATHER HAVE A BOTTLE IN FRONT OF ME, THAN A FRONTAL LOBOTOMY».