Sockshop & Shoe Company

Love, love, LOVE their sock selection. Especially their socks that come up to your knees and they actually stay up and not slide down. So many colors and designs to choose from, but a little pricey for me. I wish I could buy all that I want but that would put me in the poorhouse.

I can’t resist a novelty sock store! There’s just something about seeing rows and rows of wild, colorful patterns that makes me happy (and destroys my willpower). Sockshop & Shoe Company is bigger than most and has a big selection for men, women, and kids.
The women’s and kids’ socks are located toward the front and are the first thing you’ll see when you walk in. They have all the usual brands — Sock it to Me, Hotsox, Socksmith, K. Bell, etc. — but more colorways per pattern than you usually see. The colors are often alternated on the rack, so make sure to poke through to check if a pattern is available in other colors!
The men’s section is a separate room toward the back and I was impressed by the size of their selection. There’s a whole wall of socks for men, plus additional racks and displays throughout the room on the shoe tables. Guys, if you feel like most sock shops cater mainly to women, this one has plenty of stuff for you.
In addition to novelty socks, there are plainer athletic socks, plus men’s and women’s shoes and a few accessories like bags and hats.
The prices seemed consistent with other sock stores and gift shops I’ve been to – prices are mostly in the $ 6 – 12 range for single pairs. There was a small sale basket at the front with a few pairs marked down as low as $ 4, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of sale or clearance items, so you’ll have to suck it up and pay for those must-​have socks. However, there did seem to be a rewards card offered for regular shoppers, so if you plan on coming back, start a card and collect your stamps!
Overall, a really fun store with tons of awesome styles for my fellow novelty-​sock lovers.

The certainly get 5 stars for the well curated comfort and on trend boot collection. For being such a small shop, the quality and selection is amazing. I have been in this shop several times over the years and service in the shoe store has never been a strong point. I wandered for several minutes carrying 4 pairs of shoes in 2 hands while the wandering glazed eye sales lady passed me 4 times. I didn’t realize the young lady was an employee until her manager from behind the register prompted her to engage me. The shoes here are quite unique and amazing, I tried on 6 pairs and bought 2. I recommend making your selection and taking them to the register to get help for the most efficient service. If you parked in the «2 hours free for $ 1» lot behind the shop, carry your ticket with you and pay at counter facing the street before you go to your car. The machines on the first floor were all out of order and there is no one to take your dollar at the exit. Lol Santa Cruz at its finest. I’ve never worked so hard to get my car out of a parking garage! I think it’s Santa Cruz’s subliminal way of letting you know you should be bicycling or taking the bus to shop. The ladies at the affiliated sock shop next to the shoe store are much more attentive by the way. This selection at this shoe store is a must see, especially if you are into boots or fashionable comfort shoes!!!

I’ve come here a couple of times when I was in Santa Cruz because their sock selection is amazing. Seriously, they have the most variety i’ve ever seen and you’ll find something for everyone!
However, my experience here was seriously made so much better by one of the employees! I came in on a Saturday night, and GAH I wish I remembered her name! I think it was Christine? If it wasn’t that, it’s something super similar. She was pretty tall, wavy brownish hair, and super pale (even for a white girl LOLOL). If you come in and need assistance, just ask for her! She was so helpful in helping me find everything I needed. I came in because I needed socks for a costume, and I couldn’t find the exact pair that I had wanted. Fortunately, she was free and she offered to help me find exactly what I was looking for.
It can be kind of overwhelming with the amount of stuff they have available, but she made it much less of a hassle. I’m not sure if the owners read these reviews, but she was amazing. Seriously deserves a raise!

Sock heaven! Love this place. I can spend hours here looking and laughing at all the different sock designs. My go to place for fun gifts

So many socks, so little time! My boyfriend and I stopped in here on our walk through downtown Santa Cruz as we waited for our 9:55 movie last night. I was really hoping to find a pair of socks with all-​black cats on them, but unfortunately those are the one pair of socks they don’t carry. I bet there are few others. They also carry shoes here, and comfy, warm socks (as opposed to the majority of their socks, which appear to be more for cosmetic purposes).
I love this shop and will probably return next time I’m in Downtown.

I’ve lived in Santa Cruz for five years and for the first time went into this place looking for work shoes. Julia was fantastic she helped me instantly, found the right shoe for me and was incredibly friendly the entire time. I’ve been into a few other shoe stores on Pacific and this was the best experience so far.

I LOVE SOCKS. Fun socks, funky socks, spunky socks for sure. They have them all.
I ended up finding the perfect socks to complete a costume! They had their pride socks out up front! So if people were looking for their rainbow stripe socks, they were easy enough to get. They even had label socks so you could call yourself GAY, BUTCH, STRAIGHT. what have you.

Great local business. Everything I’ve ever bought from there has lasted, and the customer service is attentive but not in your face. The employees there are honest and real — no fakes! I bought a belt there 20 years ago that I still wear everyday; good, solid leather that’s held up.
I just bought a pair of shoes there today, men’s size 13. That’s a hard size to stock for, and they didn’t have everything, but they had a dozen good styles to choose from. Out of curiosity, I checked online to see what all the big shoe retailers were charging for the shoes I bought at Sockshop. Turns out: Sockshop’s price was the exact same as the other guys online. Good shoes from a good shop at a good price.

Knowledgeable and friendly customer service and a BIG selection of shoes and socks keep me coming back here. I buy shoes for myself (women’s 8 EEE) and for my 13-​yr-​old boys (men’s 7 W).
I have given up on buying athletic shoes for the boys; running shoes are designed to completely break down and shred into tiny bits after 3 months wear and ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead I buy them sneaker-​style street shoes, which are more durable, but can be hard to find in widths. I can always find them something that fits and looks good at this store. The employees are super helpful and patient, and offer great suggestions. Last time in the store I got the boys women’s Keene sneakers and women’s Teva sneakers, both of which look and fit great on them. (The Tevas were a suggestion from the male sales person who was also wearing them and loved them. Tip for all you guys… women’s Teva sneakers might be she shoes you’re looking for.)
Oh, and did I mention great customer service? One of the lacing grommets came out of the Keenes a month after we bought them. I called the store and June (super nice and helpful sales person) told me no problem. Just bring them in for an exchange. Hooray for local stores with nice people, great selection and great customer service!

Validated parking offered for garage next door, Interior design by local artist Michael Leeds, loads of great shoes for anyone with feet.
My tennis shoe of choice Superga hails from Italy and is sold here-​this season it’s offered in white and a dark blue, of course I wish they carried more.
Service is spotty or snotty depending upon the day of the week.
You gotta applaud a store that’s simply shoes and socks in this day and age of internet behemoths that rhyme with Nappo’s.

I admit I’m addicted to funky socks. I enjoy wearing socks that have cute animals on them. There were a few that I was so tempted to purchase, but life budget cuts, stopped me. Horrible I know. If you have the same love for crazy socks, this place is worth walking around at the very least.

I went to Sockshop on Sunday, Feb. 4^th, 2013 to purchase a pair of Birkenstock sandals.
Several styles of Birkenstocks were on display, including the style I had in mind. But I was told that the store was out of stock in my size, and that I should come back «in the spring» after more had been ordered.
Huh? I wanted to buy shoes right then and there, on that very day. If I hadn’t wanted them until spring, I’d have waited until spring to shop for them. As the Valley girls are fond of saying: «Hel-​LOOO?»
I thought it was odd that the store wouldn’t replenish its stock more proactively. It occurred to me that they might consider sandals seasonal merchandise and let their inventory run down during the winter. But c’mon, this is Santa Cruz, a locale with one of the gentlest climates on the continent. People here wear sandals all year ’round.
So I went home, placed an online order with Birkenstock Express, and had my sandals three days later.
I like to support local businesses when I can. And I found the staff at Sockshop to be friendly and helpful. But my experience with their inattentively maintained inventory was an excellent example of why more and more consumers are turning their backs on «brick and mortar» stores and are being driven into the arms of online retailers such as Amazon.

It’s like sock heaven here and they have a good selection of shoes too, lots of good stuff. They even had about 5 types of toes socks for my Vibram 5 finger shoes!

I work at a restaurant and work up to 12 hour shifts.
I also have chronic back pain from a childhood injury.
Needless to say, I need a shoe that provides enough support and comfort to last me all day.
I decided to go to Sockshop&Shoe Company because of their wide selection, knowledgable staff and close proximity to my house.
I have to say I am happy with my decision. Not only is SSC locally owned, but I received detailed and thorough information about the shoe that would best fit my needs.
Yes it is expensive. Yes the employees can be a little standoffish and maybe a little elitist. But guess what, you get what you pay for. I don’t want someone to try to sell me on something or follow me around. I want them to tell me, frankly, what shoe is best for my needs, ring me up and have me on my way. That kind of service is exactly what I experienced here.

Trumpet socks. Nuff said.

They have a nice selection of shoes but priced higher then other places where I can get the same shoes I happen to be interested in. But this isn’t the reason for the one star.
I don’t enjoy shopping where sales people follow you around the store or make you feel like you are being watched so don’t steal anything. The first thing we noticed was that they have a lot of people on staff not doing anything. Then we realized that they are hawks keeping an eye on everyone. So we decided to leave and find a friendlier shopping experience.

I found my new favorite brand of socks for the winter! They’re expensive, but they’re comfy and they’re warm… Smartwool. Thanks Sockshop & Shoe Company for introducing us.
The Sockshop is perhaps one of the largest sock shop I’ve ever seen. They have all sorts of socks, even more than those carried in a Macy’s department store. It’s amazing.
Unfortunately they don’t carry shoes my size. That made me a bit sad. But then again, I’m not sure if I like their selections.

This review is for the shoe side of the store. I had more than enough employees approach me and ask if I needed help with anything. Which is a plus.
They have a fancy sub-​shop in the back for the more pricey shoes. They had a nice little cubby in the corner with their clearanced shoes. Then in the front was a selection of Men’s and Women’s shoes. They seem to specialize in comfort shoes.
The problem I have with this shop is the same sales person that I have talked to both times, kinda bothers me. I asked for the largest size in a shoe I was after. She brought out other shoes but in my size and I passed.
I came back and asked again for the largest size of the two shoe styles I was after. She brought out a size smaller than I normally wear but I thought I may as well give it a shot. It was just too pinchy on my big right foot. She told me they could stretch it but meh, if I am going to spend upwards of $ 150 on a pair of shoes, I want them to fit. I then asked if she could special order in the size I was after and she really discouraged it. She said they are probably sold out and that from the spring sales they sell the bigger sizes more quickly blah blah, My feeling was she was giving me some bs. I was trying to give that store my business and keep it local. She wasn’t making that very easy so I walked out.
I went home that night and ordered both pairs of shoes, in my size, online direct from the manufacturer.

When you first walk into Sockshop & Shoe Company, it feels just like a regular shoe store that focuses on comfort shoes. Something like The Walking Company or stores of that sort. Once you delve deeper into the aisles it becomes clear that this isn’t your ordinary shoe store. It’s like a mix between comfort shoe store and art gallery. Their sock selection is fairly substantial. We were able to find plenty of cute socks for the nieces and nephews.
The atmosphere is one of a small town business where it felt like many locals came into this place. The staff seemed quite young, but they knew their stuff. Some of the stuff is a bit higher in price, but it’s quality stuff and most of the shoes are built for comfort. Additionally, there are plenty of comfortable seats around the store to try on shoes or just relax.
One of the secret best things? They get bonus points for providing validation for the parking structure next door.