About the Shoes

​Handmade shoes differ dramatically in their construction from a mass produced shoe made in a factory. My shoe designs are manufactured with specialized equipment including a 12 foot long line finisher and polisher (for soling), 1929 treadle patcher (shoe sewing machine), sole cutter (a hand crank to cut rubber soling purchased after numerous knife and razor wounds), my fabulous hammer collection, my cast iron feet collection (all used in construction), eyelet setter, and numerous other small hand tools. 

It takes about 11 hours of ‘hands on’ time to create a single pair of shoes, not including the various drying times in-between construction. It takes a minimum of 4 days to make one pair of shoes due to the drying time.

Small businesses are a bit like gambling on your own strengths and hoping that the skill, dedication and perseverance pay off. So why do I do this? I love looking at the bare materials and at the end of the process seeing that I have created a functional, personal, and comfortable pair of shoes. I find the process extremely satisfying, especially when a customer loves and respects my effort.

-Phoebe