Tuesday, January 27, 2015

New red shoes!


Commercial break from Camp JillyBenny, Naples, Florida: Ok, frivolous report about online shoe victory for my girl friends anywhere in the world and savvy husbands, brothers, sons, dads, & true loves...as many of you may know, I LOVE red shoes. I've worn them since I was a kid beginning with red Keds. About four years ago, my fabulously fashionable Aunt Edith gave me a pair of red Mary Janes right out of her closet because she was appalled at the desperate state of my red Danskos. I wore Aunt Edith's shoes until they fell apart and were way past the date of shoe decency.

I've been looking a replacement pair for over a year to no avail. I've actually had no less than 10 people scouting for me as well. But it's actually really tricky to find an unfussy red Mary Jane shoe. My friend Ali, who is basically marvelous at everything and who I miss til my heart hurts because she lives all the way in LA, said, "If only we were in the Bali, they could make you shoes right there in the market." 

So I tentatively googled "Custom Made Shoes" thinking there was no way I could afford such a thing. 

That's when I found Shoes of Prey which, I admit, has a terrible name for a vegetarian customer, but you can go on their website and literally build your own shoe -- colors, materials, type of heel, embellishment, even vegan shoes. What does it cost? $115 including shipping from Australia! Now, I am not a person to casually spend $115 on anything. I just bought a $7 pair of slippers to take the chill off these tent-living evenings. That's more my speed. But considering I wore my last pair of red shoes almost every day, I did some math -- say 300 days x 4 years = 1200 days -- and decided about 10 cents a day for shoes was not asking too much.

Now, I don't know if I'll wear these shoes for four years, though they are made very well and can even be re-soled, which my old ones couldn't, but that price hardly seemed outrageous. 

What's more, I got a $10 coupon for signing up on their email list which I put toward my purchase. The shoes were finished in 3 weeks instead of the estimated 4 to six. They sent me another coupon with my order, plus two coupons for friends. They also sent very nice heel & toe inserts in case my shoes stretch over time, care instructions, a nice bag to keep them clean during travel, and a photo of them to put on their shoebox in my closet. 

AND, if they don't fit or you don't like then, YOU CAN RETURN THEM & they will remake them or refund you, no hassle, for free. What!?!?!

How's that for old fashioned good business sense.

And how do I like my new shoes? They are so gorgeous, so well made, fit perfectly, and I think they are worth every penny. I LOVE them. They are not fire engine red and have a bit more pink in them which I don't mind at all, but I think if I were looking for a very specific color, I would take them up on their swatch offer. But, as you can tell, I am THRILLED with my shoes and with Shoes of Prey. 

I get absolutely nothing from them for going on and on about my new shoes except the hope that, if I tell you about them, you'll buy shoes, too, and they'll be around when this pair wears out. 

End of commercial break, back to your regularly scheduled program...its Jeni & Billy singing, "If I ever get $10, gonna quit this railway car, hang up my walking SHOES and stay right where you are..."

https://www.shoesofprey.com

No comments:

Post a Comment

It's so nice of you to take an interest in my blog! Thank you for considering making a comment. I will try to get your comment on my blog ASAP. Thanks for your patience as I moderate it and make sure that it's not spam. Wishing you a wonderful day. Jeni