From guest blogger and personal friend, Kim Navarro.
My love for Sole Desire grew out of a misconception. I had become aware of the store in high school when one of my best friends started a job there. I would tease said friend because I thought she worked at an “old lady” shoe store. Not really knowing the store but knowing my friend, it seemed right; my friend was and is one of those old soul types and I knew that Sole Desire sold comfortable shoes. I put those two things together and figured, yeah old lady shoe store.
Well, I was wrong. How did I figure out my error, you ask? Two things happened (and no, not one of them being that I became an old lady). First, I began to understand the importance of well-made, comfortable shoes. As a competitive figure skater, I have spent more than too many hours with my feet in restrictive ice skates, so to wear anything that doesn’t feel like a slipper is out of the question. Second, and most importantly, I went into the store for the first time. You could say that this was key in discovering that my friend did not in fact work at an old lady shoe store. What I found inside the doors of Sole Desire was a ton of cute shoes. Shoes I wanted to wear. Shoes I wanted to wear then and there, as not an old lady.
(Photo: Kim Navarro and partner Brent Bommente 2010)
Ever since that fateful day, I have been a devout fan of the store. It is such a relief to walk into a shoe store and know that every (very cute) shoe has been made for comfort. You don’t have to spend hours finding that one pair that you’ll exclaim with some force are “actually pretty comfortable!” only to admit days later are not comfortable at all.
I might add that it is icing on the cake to know that when I shop at Sole Desire, I am supporting a family-run business and a family near and dear to my heart. The friend I naively made fun of in high school, Michele, is now married to Dave Astobiza, who together with his brother Danny, have followed in their father’s footsteps to run Sole Desire. Both Michele and Danny’s wife, Anicia, work at the company and I’ve seen first-hand the close-knit family-run business they operate. It’s really sweet. Add to it the fact that Michele and Dave lost their home in the fires—something they certainly do not advertise (sorry guys)—makes the store and company an even more obvious business to support, as if there needed to be more reasons.
Because I am such a fan of Sole Desire and the people behind it, I am happy to bring to you some blogs about some of my favorite shoes from my favorite store. Be on the look-out as I test run some of the best shoes and do all the heavy-lifting for you, so all you have to do is go buy the shoe. You’re welcome!
*Thanks Kim and yes we are so far from an old shoe store, we have something for EVERYONE! Whether you're young, old or somewhere in between there are so many options to explore to keep you looking as good as you feel. So stop in to your neighborhood Sole Desire or shop with us online and check out all of our stylishly comfortable footwear styles that we know you're going to love!
-Michele