8/27/10
8/19/10
A Shoe In Launch
We had a little party to celebrate the end of the project last Sunday and the participants talked about their own favourite shoes. Here are a couple of their stories.
8/4/10
Youth responses
After each of the tours that A Shoe In had the participants were asked to write a personal response to their experience at each of the locations, here are some highlights:
HARRY ROSEN:
Before even walking into Harry Rosen I have always had the desire to learn see how high end shopping stores work. To begin, I am already interested with high fashion couture and high-end brands like Faragamo. I was amazed to see how many brands Harry Rosen carries and how selective they are in product placement and selection in brands. Harry Rosen’s customer service is based on making the customer feel comfortable and at ease and I was able to acknowledge that during the tour. I was happy to win a gift certificate for learning the important history of the major shoe brands this store caries. Lastly, The bespoke section has to be the key component to how Harry Rosen separates them from any other store. Custom fitting with food , and music of choice in one room. It is a perfect way to shop. Overall the Tour and store was a benefit to me because of the shoe field that I am in with my website. I was able to learn and acknowledge how a company like Harry Rosen works.
-David
FLUEVOG:
My lasting impression of Fluevog is they make some intense footwear. One of the first things we were told was that Fluevog’s staple shoe is the work boot. This certainly set the stage for the incredibly sturdy “families” of shoes Fluevog has to offer. We were given the tour by all three employees in the store, who were very knowledgeable and head-over-heels Fluevog supporters themselves.
I would say the main focus of our tour was the quality of workmanship which goes into each Fluevog. Although mainly made in China, as we learned, our guides ensured us that the workers are being paid fair wages and work in safe conditions unlike many manufacturing stations in China. This is partly why I admire Fluevog and their ethics.
Secondly, my admiration goes to their comfort level of the shoes. Although I have never tried a pair on, our guides told us stories of women who wear Fluevog heels but previously were injured to the point where they thought they could never wear heels again. As well, I think it’s fantastic that the shoes don’t give you bunions which is a condition that probably affects half the country (a.k.a all the women).
Thirdly, I admire Fluevog’s creativity. As I mentioned previously, Fluevog releases models in what they call “families” which are essentially groups of shoes sharing a common theme – saloon wild west, for example. So certainly if you want something off the beaten track, go to Fluevog. Although they cost half an arm, their exceptional quality and lifetime are probably worth it.
-Sairah
HOLT RENFREW:
So I thought that going to a fancy shoe store was gonna really really suck, but it actually didn't.
The first thing I noticed was that Holt Renfrew was really clean. I think it might be the cleanest place I've ever been in, and in any case was the fanciest store I've ever been in. Everything was shiny. And the store people were nice. We learned some cool stuff about how the shoes are made and got to see all the weird designs and different kinds of shoes. There was a shoe with a mouse face on it. A MOUSE FACE. Freaking AMAZING. So yeah, I guess I learned something new at Holt Renfrew... that rich people appreciate mouse humour too and that the world of shoes is pretty interesting.
-Claire
HARRY ROSEN:
Before even walking into Harry Rosen I have always had the desire to learn see how high end shopping stores work. To begin, I am already interested with high fashion couture and high-end brands like Faragamo. I was amazed to see how many brands Harry Rosen carries and how selective they are in product placement and selection in brands. Harry Rosen’s customer service is based on making the customer feel comfortable and at ease and I was able to acknowledge that during the tour. I was happy to win a gift certificate for learning the important history of the major shoe brands this store caries. Lastly, The bespoke section has to be the key component to how Harry Rosen separates them from any other store. Custom fitting with food , and music of choice in one room. It is a perfect way to shop. Overall the Tour and store was a benefit to me because of the shoe field that I am in with my website. I was able to learn and acknowledge how a company like Harry Rosen works.
-David
FLUEVOG:
My lasting impression of Fluevog is they make some intense footwear. One of the first things we were told was that Fluevog’s staple shoe is the work boot. This certainly set the stage for the incredibly sturdy “families” of shoes Fluevog has to offer. We were given the tour by all three employees in the store, who were very knowledgeable and head-over-heels Fluevog supporters themselves.
I would say the main focus of our tour was the quality of workmanship which goes into each Fluevog. Although mainly made in China, as we learned, our guides ensured us that the workers are being paid fair wages and work in safe conditions unlike many manufacturing stations in China. This is partly why I admire Fluevog and their ethics.
Secondly, my admiration goes to their comfort level of the shoes. Although I have never tried a pair on, our guides told us stories of women who wear Fluevog heels but previously were injured to the point where they thought they could never wear heels again. As well, I think it’s fantastic that the shoes don’t give you bunions which is a condition that probably affects half the country (a.k.a all the women).
Thirdly, I admire Fluevog’s creativity. As I mentioned previously, Fluevog releases models in what they call “families” which are essentially groups of shoes sharing a common theme – saloon wild west, for example. So certainly if you want something off the beaten track, go to Fluevog. Although they cost half an arm, their exceptional quality and lifetime are probably worth it.
-Sairah
HOLT RENFREW:
So I thought that going to a fancy shoe store was gonna really really suck, but it actually didn't.
The first thing I noticed was that Holt Renfrew was really clean. I think it might be the cleanest place I've ever been in, and in any case was the fanciest store I've ever been in. Everything was shiny. And the store people were nice. We learned some cool stuff about how the shoes are made and got to see all the weird designs and different kinds of shoes. There was a shoe with a mouse face on it. A MOUSE FACE. Freaking AMAZING. So yeah, I guess I learned something new at Holt Renfrew... that rich people appreciate mouse humour too and that the world of shoes is pretty interesting.
-Claire
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