An Old Fashioned Shoe Store

After falling into the lake yesterday, I faced facts: I had to replace my smelly, ripped walking shoes.  I rose early and drove nearly an hour to the shoe store my doctor recommended.  He was not exaggerating when he said it's excellent.  It's also a throwback to something truly good about the
"good old days."

A family shoe store, Clayton's is now in the fifth-generation of shoe makers and sellers.  Above the rows of new shoes -- contemporary brands like Nunn Bush, Merrell, Drew, Dansko, New Balance -- the trappings of bygone days gather dust.  Photographs of the men who once ran the store look down on the woman who does today.

She listened carefully to the bad news about my feet and my habit of woods-walking, disappeared into the back for a bit while I admired my surroundings, and then returned with five boxes of very different shoes.  We tried them all and agreed on the pair with the best fit.  Even then, she wasn't finished: she gave me a free pair of athletic socks to try and Scotch Guarded the shoes.

We speak the same language -- the value of tradition in a family business with quality products and even better service.  Gone is the foot x-ray machine, but three Buster Brown showpieces remind me of my favorite red shoes of childhood.

 The drive was well worth it.