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Earth Shoes are Back


I've been buying what I thought were Earth shoes from my local super center the last couple of years. Imagine my surprise when I discovered last week that what I was buying were not the real thing, only a similar sounding brand.

I purchased my first pair of real Earth shoes in the mid 1970s. Calf high, lace up boots to wear with my Gunny Sack dresses. It took a few days to get used to my heels being lower than the rest of my foot, but once I did, I found out that they were the most comfortable shoes I had ever worn. I wore those boots everywhere, with jeans and with shorts for day hikes along the Appalachian Trail. I think I ended up with about eight years use out of them, before the soles finally wore away.

After the boots, I purchased two more pair of Earth shoes during the next five years or so. Those also lasted eight to ten years with almost continual wear. I went to replace them only to be told that the unique and comfortable shoes were no longer being made.

It took me quite a wile to get used to wearing normal shoes again. Shoes where my heel was even with the rest of my foot and I never quite mastered high heels at all.

So, when I discovered Earth Shoes at the local super center, I was ecstatic. No, they no longer had the recessed heal, but they were still made of leather and were now reasonably priced. I purchased two pair of flip-flops that day, went back in the fall, and bought ankle boots. The flip-flops lasted about a season and the boots are still in good shape.

Last week while surfing the net, I came across the real Earth shoes once again. Still high priced, but they appear to be made in the same high quality tradition. Digging around on the net for a while, I found a place that had some styles on sale very reasonably. I've already ordered a new pair of flip-flops for summer and have my eyes on the perfect pair of boots for winter.

I am a happy camper. Sure, I'll have to learn to walk all over again, but I know my back will thank me after a day or two. Now all I have to do is rediscover Gunny Sack dresses and I can be an old hippie all over again.

My biggest question is this - what is the super center selling? And how many people think as I did, that they are purchasing shoes from a trusted retailer of the 70s and not something made in China? When the store chose these particular shoes, were they capitalizing on a proven brand name and customer loyalty? I've got to admit, I feel a bit deceived.