Stout’s Shoes

I am a professional woman in my early 30s and have ridiculously wide feet. Woe is me. Shoes that I can wear to work that won’t kill my feet are a real pain in the rear to find. I had heard that Stout’s had a good selection of wide options, so I decided to go in and take a look.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’m younger or what, but twice I went in on my weekday lunch break and the staff completely ignored me both times. And I didn’t walk in and then walk out. I walked in, browsed around, picked up several pairs of shoes and looked at prices, etc. I lingered a bit the first time, hoping that a staff member would acknowledge me and offer to help, but it never happened.
Both times, the staff was helping older customers, which is totally fine, but at least acknowledge my presence and offer to help as soon as you’re free. It was a really disappointing experience. Especially considering the prices of a lot of their shoes, you’d think their service would be a bit better. To Zappos I go… bummer. :(

I love that Stout’s is a throw-​back, old fashioned store that just sells great shoes and shoe accessories. They’re not selling microwaves, pet food, and clothes as well … just shoe stuff. Their staff really know the products, and the products they carry are all high quality and purposeful shoes.
What do I mean by purposeful? Whether for exercise, work, casual or dress, you can find good-​looking and well-​made shoes that won’t punish your feet. They’re definitely more expensive, but every pair of shoes I’ve bought from Stout’s has lasted for many years, and are worn so much more than other shoes because they’re so comfortable. More expensive, yes, but also a great value.
I usually buy Dansko shoes, and I appreciate that Stout’s will special order a style or color if they don’t have it in stock, and can even have it sent directly to my home.

Wow! The first pair of shoes I saw here with my name on them were $ 276 some odd bucks! But, boy were they beautiful… made by hand in Israel. The brand name is actually «BeautiFeel» and they do live up to their name. NO, I didn’t buy them… that’s just a bit more than I wanted to spend, especially since I need a new pair of Uggs this year.
Other brands here that I adore include NOAT and a new line called Aravon that is apparently part of the Clark’s of England family.
This store never seems to be busy and it was not on the day of my visit, either. This was kind of nice because I got plenty of personal attention and a plethora of «try ons» from saleswoman Maria. The only part of my experience I didn’t care for was Maria’s «slightly too enthusiastic» attempt to close the sale. I really needed to think about which shoes might serve me best and at more than $ 100 for every single pair I desired, this is not a «spur of the moment» purchase for me. But, I would definitely return to Stout’s because they clearly have some styles and brands that don’t necessitate sacrificing comfort for fashion or vice-​versa.
Also, a cool selection of more casual standbys like Keen, Merrel and such, men’s shoes and my favorite socks: SmartWool.