Moccasin Musings

New blog

2011-04-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

We've created many memories on Moccasin Musings, but the time has come to move. In one week we will be pointing our blog link on our webpage to: livebare.org. Please subscribe on our new blog. We look forward to seeing you there!

Just in Time for Spring Holidays!

2011-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I love our Soft Star Buttercup mocs almost as much as my Easter basket. I've had this basket since I was a baby and it always makes me smile when it comes out of the closet to signal Spring is Here!

Check out these ultra-soft lambskin mocs in 7 pastel colors - surely you know some little bunny needing new kicks? Design-Your-Own options are free for the Buttercup mocs.

What's Your Vote? A Sneak Peek at New RunAmoc

2011-04-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

The new 2011 RunAmoc is almost here... just a few more tweaks! This is a sneak peek at the new version which will debut in May.

We are trying to decide on the in-stock color scheme. Which do you prefer?

Mostly Black? or Metal? (Silvery/Grey)

Soft Star Featured in Barefoot Running Book

2011-03-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

We were tickled this week to learn we are featured in Michael Sandler's top selling book: "Barefoot Running - How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth". Michael and co-author Jessica Lee were kind enough to send the Elves our very own autographed copy - very cool.

Michael also has a website: http://www.runbare.com/. Check out their site for some great articles - a recent favorite of mine addresses barefoot walking vs. running.

New 2011 Colors have Arrived!

2011-03-30T12:14:00.001-07:00

The Elves are hard at work making our new line of 2011 stock shoes! Check out our website to see the full line of new styles. We have many fun colors, including the youth sized pewter Rambler and the sunset colored sandals featured here.

RunAmoc Fans-- no changes yet - but our updated version of RunAmoc is due out in May... and will feature some new perforated leather color options, as well!! Right on the heels of the updated RunAmoc will be a new - even more minimal shoe, as well... so stay tuned.

Pictured below are Tim and Matt... who took a break from making shoes to put up new shelves and pegboard for shoe storage. We were running out of room in the workshop and are now back in business - thanks guys!

Holy Scrap!!!

2011-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ricky Nunn wins the "most efficient" and "biggest" use of scrap leather with his mosaic quilt. Made entirely from Soft Star Shoes leather scraps, the quilt measures 6 feet by 6 feet and weighs 15 lbs. Ricky made it on his home sewing machine - it took just 2 weeks of spare time to finish. Each piece is jigsawed together and then zigzag sewn to each other.

We have plenty of scrap leather for you, too. If you can pick it up locally - it is free. If you would like us to mail it to you - we just charge the cost of shipping. Let us know what you create!

The Cutest Office Assistant Ever!

2011-02-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder who is behind your Soft Star Shoes? Meet the youngest "elf" - Baby Olympia! Olympia spends some time each day with Mommy at the workshop - and she loves all the action. Other than having to talk to her about drooling on shoes, she has been a model elf!

Crafty Scrap! American Girl Club

2011-02-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

Lizzie and Torie, members of a local American Girl club stopped by to show us the beautiful leather pouches each girl made for their doll. The leather was from Soft Star Shoe scraps. Maybe we are looking at future elves? Great work Girls!!

Local Roots - Global Reach: NPR Radio Feature

2011-02-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

We were tickled to have NPR journalist Laura McClandlish stop by our shop to write a radio feature on Soft Star Shoes. The story was part of an Oregon KLCC radio series on "Jobs and Economy". You can click here to read the feature. There is also a nice video with pictures of our workshop and the Elves...

New Shiny Colors!

2011-01-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

At the end of last year we came across the most amazing shiny leathers. They are buttery soft and come in great colors. We couldn't help ourselves and are now carrying all the available colors!

Since they are so soft, they can be used on moccasins... something we couldn't offer with our previous shiny leathers. You will find them on the DYO Smooth Moccasin pages as well as the kids DYO Classic, DYO Playtime, and DYO Sandal pages. We have even had a few customers put a little bling on their DYO RunAmocs!

The only problem with them is that they are almost impossible to photograph!

Josie the Dog in the Shop

2011-01-28T14:42:00.001-08:00

We have been lucky to have Josie spending time in the shop lately. Her human had to bring her to Soft Star when workers were in their house fixing broken pipes. Now that the pipes are fixed, Josie just likes to visit.

The elves love having her in the shop! And we knew she liked us when she dragged her bed into the middle of the workshop where she could keep an eye on all that was going on.

Coming Soon - Barefoot Running for Beginners

2011-01-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Due out next week is a new book by Dr. Craig Richards and Thomas Hollowell which covers the rationale and techniques for both barefoot running and running with minimal footwear.

We were excited to learn that Soft Star RunAmocs are included in their reviews of minimal footwear and given 10 out of "10 Toes"!

Dr. Craig Richards is an expert of the barefoot running revolution. His work has been widely reported by the media via major newspapers such as the New York Times, The Washington Post and London's Daily Mail, in magazines such as Running Times and Popular Mechanics, as well as in the recent best-selling book, Born to Run. Thomas Hollowell is a full-time author, USAT triathlete, international marathoner, and a prominent barefoot runner. His work on health, fitness, and lifestyle has appeared in notable publications worldwide. He uses his barefoot running expertise to coach runners in a triathlon club abroad.

Contra Relógio reviews the RunAmoc

2010-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Brazilian based running magazine, Contra Relogic, did a review of minimal running shoes including the RunAmoc LITE. Luckily Elf Val comes from Brazil so could translate the Portuguese for us! According to Val, the feedback was very positive and once the reviewer got over how the shoes look (he said they look like something Shrek the Ogre would wear!) he found them very comfortable and functional.

Sneak Peek At 2011 Colors

2010-11-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

Elf Hava has been busy working on our 2011 stock colors and here is a quick peak at her cart in progress.

Hope you see something that catches your eye!

Stretchy Elves

2010-11-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last week we invited Jane, a massage therapist, to come in to talk about how to keep our bodies healthy and limber when we are making all those fantastic shoes. It's pretty easy to get locked in one position and start to feel pain when sewing... Who would want that sort of bad vibe in their shoe?

Jane went over some basic stretches to get the blood moving and then she went into some deeper tissue massages to relieve pain that can build up in the arms and shoulders. She also brought a couple of tennis balls in socks that you can use to massage sore spots on your back... WOW! They really do the trick!

We really enjoyed her visit and are much more aware of how we are using our bodies. Hopefully our new and improved stretchiness will result in happier shoes for your feet.

The Newest Little Elves

2010-11-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

October was a joyous month at Soft Star Shoes as we celebrated the birth of two new elves...

Trish and Sal had a baby girl in mid-October, and Naomi and Val had a baby boy on Halloween. Grandpa Tim could not be more proud of his first Grand baby!

Love this photo of the new little tootsies~

Happy Tuesday

2010-10-19T11:16:00.001-07:00

A budding cartoonist, Mark, recently join our Soft Star family. Some of you may have seen his handy work on your receipts. As well as making happy pictures on your invoices, he has been inspired by his new surroundings and created a few cartoons about daily life here in the shop. Here is my favorite to date... enjoy!

Oprah Magazine features RunAmocs

2010-10-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

The November issue of The Oprah Magazine is now out. The "Adam Says" feature on page 90 introduces the concept of barefoot running. One of the minimal running shoes pictured is a custom Soft Star RunAmoc in lime green and ultra blue. When asked for samples, the Elves included custom pairs for both Oprah and Gayle... hopefully they have given them test runs, as well!

Winter Running / Walking Shoes - Updated

2010-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we posted the blog below asking for feedback on a Winter running / walking shoe. Thanks to everyone for the great comments!

We have spent a lot of time considering your feedback and testing the shoe only to reach the conclusion that our design is not ready yet. To do this "right" and provide you the best quality and value we can - we need more time to overcome some design challenges and create a better solution. Unfortunately this means no new winter running/walking shoe this fall. If you want more details why - please keep reading.

We want the new shoe to incorporate your ideas about ankle coverage and removable innersoles - both of which are important for keeping snow out and feet dry/warm. Over this same time period we were aggressively testing the shoe pictured below and had a few other concerns that led to our decision to go back to the drawing board. The snow-and-ice sole we were proposing is simply too heavy for a minimal shoe. (Great for a warm winter casual shoe, however - see the Keita .) We will continue to test for a lighter weight, snow-and-ice sole. Another testing concern that came up was ensuring consistent sizing with the sheepskin lining as natural sheepskin is highly variable. On comfort shoes we have many ways to accomodate this, but in running shoes an exact fit is more critical.

The great news is work on a new RunAmoc as well as another exciting new minimal running shoe style is moving ahead full steam. We are continuing to focus our efforts here and hope to delight you with some new options in Spring of 2011.

-Original Post -
If you live in a part of the world where winter cold and ice are a reality - do you have a need for "warm" minimal running or walking shoes? There's not a lot of snow and ice in Oregon right now, but we are already thinking about the upcoming winter and would love input from our minimal footwear or barefoot running fans on a possible new stock shoe for this fall.

Tim made a some modifications to our RunAmoc design and lined the smooth grain leather uppers with genuine sheepskin. He also added a non-slip "snow and ice" sole to the bottom. We are wondering if :

A. You have a need for "warmer" running /walking shoes in the winter - or if your feet are already warm?

and

B. A shoe of this ilk would be of interest to you - what would you like to see?

Note that the "snow" sole and sheepskin on this prototype would add about 3-4 ounces per shoe. The snow and ice sole is also slightly thicker: 7mm compared to the 2mm street sole and 5 mm trail sole - but still is flat and very flexible. The price point on this shoe as currently prototyped would be around $120. As we are looking for customer input - this is all subject to change based on materials / design.

Who is that elf?

2010-08-20T09:50:00.001-07:00

Recently we have seen a new elf running around the shop. We usually spot her / him first thing in the morning after a quiet night. I was lucky and caught the elusive elf on film this morning. We are hoping we have a new shoemaker setting up camp!

The problem is we don't know what to call her / him. Please leave your suggestions here!

Recycling Update

2010-08-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

A few months back we had Julie from our local garbage disposal company come talk to us about ways to reduce waste in our shop. In general we are doing the right things, but we asked her for ideas on the leather and soling scraps. She gave us a couple leads and we have been following up.

For the leather scraps we started donating them to the SCRAP organization in Portland. They are very excited to get the leather as they have lots of teachers, students, and artists that can use the leather for projects.

For the soling we have had a tougher road. We tried really hard to get Nike to take our soling through their Reuse-A-Shoe program, but we were firmly turned down with a form letter. We also contacted a local tire recycling plant, but legally they are only allowed to work with tires. So we were at a lost and were tossing the soling into the trash again. But SCRAP came to the rescue! They told us they would love to take the soling scrap as well. It is a cool material that could be used in all sorts of art projects. So if you see a fantastic sculpture at a Portland area elementary school fair, don't be surprised if Soft Star soles are holding it up.

Another cool development in our efforts to reduce / reuse / recycle is with our packing materials. A couple months ago one of our local independent book stores, The Book Bin, told us they are always looking for ways to get rid of the paper their books come shipped in. We told them we would be happy to help out! We now use their waste paper to pack your beautiful shoes and keep them from getting beat up in the mail. It's good for everybody involved.

Boots on the Beach

2010-07-25T17:45:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Ugg boots were made popular in the 80's by Australian surfers? They are great at warming your feet after hours in the ocean. I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that the friends and children of one of our favorite customers (professional photographers Ted and Debbie) use our Soft Star Phoenix sheepskin boots when surfing.

Being raised in the Midwest, I must admit I was still surprised as I've always considered Soft Star boots for snow and slush. Surfing is still (in my mind) a cool and exotic sport - so I really enjoyed these photos and had to share - enjoy!

Customer Profile: Eco-Runner

2010-05-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

We have very cool customers at Soft Star Shoes - but some are simply off the scale. Meet Sam Huber - founder, editor and on-the-move promoter of "Eco Runner". Since 2007 Sam has been promoting the concept of combining recreational running with collecting litter along the way. Simple, right? But he goes way beyond his philosophy of personal responsibility by raising awareness on an international scale. In other words - with passion and perseverance, Sam has taken it to "the next level".

Eco-Runner actively seeks race sponsors to co-host events. Sponsors implement events in more environmentally conscious ways, including earth friendly course markers, hydration stations, waste reduction ideas, etc... incorporating eco-consciousness themes as part of the race philosophy. In this way, Sam spreads his message to thousands of runners annually. Sam has caught the attention of Runner's World, Fitness Magazine and People's Health and has helped sponsor Eco-Runner races in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Mauritius. Click here for eco-friendly race ideas or even co-sponsor suggestions for race sponsors.

In addition, Sam has an Eco-Runner Kids program with participating schools. This program combines physical fitness, environmental awareness, eco-conscious behavior, and green living habits as part of a healthy lifestyle curriculum. For information on how your children's school can participate, click here.

So who is an Eco-Runner? Says Sam: "Eco-Runners know they can make a difference. They add environmental awareness and sustainability to their list of running goals. They beautify our world while they run." If you are wary about your small, "insignificant" impact, consider this: last year Sam averaged 5 bags per run, or 1200 bags of trash in just one year. See Sam's website, Eco-Runner for more information on how you can contribute.

Ultra Marathon in RunAmocs

2010-05-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our friend Donald surprised us over the weekend and ran the 50M Quicksilver race in his RunAmoc Lites! (Actually it was a bit more than 50 miles, but you'll have to read his blog for the full story at http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/05/50-miles-in-moccasins-quicksilver-50m.html .

The best part of the article (from our point of view) is that after a grueling day of running, Donald didn't kick his shoes off to relax... they were so barefoot-like that he kept them on! WhooHoo!!

Barefoot Tour!

2010-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Barefoot Ted whisked in last Thursday for a workshop tour and a walk along the Willamette river. "El Mono" was one of the most energizing visitors we have had come by this year! We went out for dinner and he warned us he eats a lot. YES, Ted DOES... but a lot of salad... even salad for dessert! Ted tried on a range of Soft Star products and we tried on his handmade huarache Luna running sandals. It was fun and informative to exchange what we know, love and dislike about minimal shoe designs.

It was a treat to hear his perspective and passion about how beautiful, strong and wonderful FEET are! Thanks Ted for sprinkling your positive energy around the workshop - we enjoyed your visit!

(Pictured: Larkin and Barefoot Ted in the Soft Star workshop)

Workshop Tour with Barefoot Ted McDonald

2010-04-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Barefoot Ted McDonald will be stopping by Soft Star next week for a tour of the workshop. We are busy making some extra wide RunAmocs for him to try on while here.

We are thrilled he could squeeze us in between his busy speaking appointments and hope we can treat him to some Corvallis sights and a good meal while here.

For more information on Barefoot Ted - click here.
Photo by Luis Escobar

SCRAP-ing our leather

2010-04-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I dropped off our first leather donation to the SCRAP organization in Portland. They were excited to get the leather and sheepskin scraps and I was thrilled to give it to them. They said leather is always a popular material with the teachers and artists that make up much of the SCRAP clientele.

SCRAP was started in 1998 by teachers that couldn't bear to throw out good art supplies at the end of the school year. they found a way to store the supplies and then made them available to other teachers for new projects. Eventually they began to solicit materials from businesses. In 2008 they helped divert more than 65,000 pounds of materials that would normal be landfill bound. Since the materials for sale are all donations, every trip there finds different and interesting items.

When dropping off the leather, I took a quick peek at the what was available and couldn't help but buy these beautiful photograph note cards for ten cents each! And the most interesting item I saw as OPP... Other Peoples Pictures... boxes of old photographs. For some reason I suddenly felt like making a collage.

If you are in the Portland area, it's definitely a fun place to stop and browse. Or visit them on-line at scrapaction.org to find out more about what they do.
And if you are a crafter who would love to get your hands on leather scraps but you don't live in Portland, don't despair! We will continue to sell leather scraps on-line for the price of shipping. Please contact us if you are interested in larger quantities.

What happened to Minimal Packaging?

2010-04-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

Soft Star has always had an option for customers to choose"minimal packaging" as part of their checkout process on the Internet. This meant that instead of having your shoes packed in a branded Soft Star gift box AND a mailing box, your shoes would simply be put directly in the mailing box (like this picture). In both examples, if there is extra room in the shipping box, we fill it with recycled paper that is reclaimed from our local newspaper printer to keep things snug and safe in the box.

A few weeks back, the "minimal packaging" check box disappeared from the website and we immediately started getting emails from concerned customers. What happened?! The great news is the reason the check box came off the website is because we internally made the decision to change our default shipping to MINIMAL, and only to include the Soft Star gift box if requested. We felt it was more important from an environmental perspective to have minimal packaging as our default and to simplify decisions for customers in the shopping cart then to ship our branded box with each and every children's pair of shoes. You can imagine we had some concerns... would we be losing opportunities with new customers to re-enforce our brand name? Would new customers think it was "tacky" to have their shoes arrive just wrapped in paper? etc.... but after some good discussions we decided that minimal packaging was more important than the concerns raised. The not-so-great news is we didn't communicate this information with our customers and therefore raised concerns that minimal was going away. No, no, no... not going away but here to stay! Should be a jingle or something! We actually were really excited that people noticed the check box went away - this further confirmed that our company goals and efforts to minimize our ecological footprint are in line with our customers.

The second picture here shows an example of our Soft Star gift box which can be requested for children's shoes sizes 13 or smaller when the shoe is placed in the shopping cart. Many customers like this box for storage or for gift giving - so it is still an option - just no longer the default.

What's Your Vote? Running Shoe Update

2010-04-10T23:46:00.001-07:00

We have had a lot of great suggestions for names for our new minimal running shoe - thank you!! We narrowed it down to three and would love a vote on your favorite:

A. Barefleets (submitted by "ainulindale")
B. RunAmoc (submitted by "nathan")
C. Mocathon (submitted by "ainulindale")

It was hard to narrow the field to just three... there were so many creative ideas. (The choice was made slightly easier only because some names had already been trademarked for other products/companies.) Let us know what your vote is!

The shoes will be available on our website starting April 28th. They will be available with two types of soles: street (2mm) and trail (5mm). We have tested approximately 10 different soles and chosen them based on the user feedback we have received. The soles are new and different than those we currently use on the Rambler or sandals, and are made in the USA by Vibram.

The shoes will be available in ventilated (pictured), smooth leather perforated uppers, or for colder winter climates we will have breathable suede uppers. There will be in-stock colors of black and brown as well as the ability to design-your-own for the more adventurous. We are working on a vegan option as well, but it may not be ready until a few weeks after the launch. You can wear them both with our without socks - although most testers preferred socks for longer trail runs.

The closure on the shoes is elastic with integrated lace to offer the ability to optimize to the desired tension. Once you have the shoes adjusted to where you desire, it is possible to slip them on and off without unlacing.

Finally, thank you to all of you who offered to test the shoes for us! We really appreciate the offers and regret we did not have the resources to expand our testing base. For some sneak peeks at reviews by two of our testers, check out the following links with two different perspectives:

Donald - A minimal shoe trail running / ultra enthusiast
http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/03/soft-star-run-moc-running-shoe-preview.html

or
Matt - A newer convert to minimal shoes
http://mattnahorniak.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-new-favorite-shoes.html

Our sincere thanks to Donald, Ted, Mick, Matt, Tuck, Emily & Jay for testing and feedback, and to all our readers with great comments and questions via our blog and email.

What do you call that funny looking running shoe?

2010-03-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Elves have been busy working on our latest product... a minimal running shoe. This has been an exciting project that has brought us in touch with an amazing group of people - barefoot enthusiasts!

We have prototypes of "the shoe" on the feet of a few runners. They are putting some serious miles on all types of surfaces so we know how this shoe will perform. Based on their feedback, we are fine tuning the design and expect to launch in April.

Here at the shop we have been referring to this new shoe as 'the running shoe', but we think this name needs a little work. A couple names we are considering are "Run-A-Moc" and "Phidippides". What do you think? Please reply to this post or send us an e-mail to vote or suggest a new name. We can't wait to hear your ideas!

P.S. Here is a quick peek at what it looks like as of today...

Reducing our Environmental Footprint

2010-03-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

The Elves got this certificate in the mail this week. It made us feel good about participating in the Blue Sky program offered through Pacific Power. According to this certificate, we kept over 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere last year. YEA!!!

Batman Visits the Elves

2010-03-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

We were VERY luck to get a visit from a superhero today. Batman and Robin stopped in at the shop to make sure there were no bad guys hanging around. After checking that all was ok at Soft Star, they zoomed off in the Batmobile to fight crime at the toy store down the street.

Batman, thanks for keeping our streets safe!

The Elves want to go green(er)!

2010-02-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

This week we had Julie from Allied Waste come talk to us about recycling. Julie was impressed with our shop... everything from using reusable cups/plates to us sorting our recycling. We had a handful of items we asked her about... can colored paper go in 'office' recycling? Or should it go in co-mingled? (It can go in 'office' if it's lighter than 'golden rod' color.) We also talked to her about our two biggest trash/recycling challenges... soling and leather scrap.

Two ideas for the soling scrap were around recycling. The first was taking our scrap material to the tire recycling plant in Salem. The second idea was getting in on Nike's shoe recycling program. Even though it would be better if there was a way to reuse the scrap soling material, we would LOVE to begin recycling so that we aren't throwing it away.

For the scrap leather, Julie suggested the SCRAP organization in Portland. This group collects 'throw away' office and schools supplies from teachers and businesses and makes the materails available for other teachers and artists to purchase at LOW prices. The scrap material can then be used for class room projects and art work. We are hoping they will see some potential artistic value in our leather scraps! (And don't forget, you can purchase scrap leather on our site.)

We are very fortunate to live in a community where recycling is valued and encouraged. It was great to have Julie come in and spend a little time with us. Over the next couple weeks we'll be following up on the leads she gave us and, if all goes well, we'll soon be requesting a smaller trash can!

What's in a name?

2010-02-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Describing colors is the second hardest thing we try to do over the phone and on our website. Several years back we had a customer suggest using Crayon colors to help people figure out what the leather colors look like (you can read that post here: http://moccasin-musings.blogspot.com/2007/07/color-o-crayons.html) .

Another 'trick' I often use is comparing the color of the leather to a common object - usually some type of food. For example I've often said our smooth Brown looks like coffee with cream in it. This usually helps folks visualize the color.

We have taken this approach to heart and are trying to get more descriptive with our colors. You will no longer find 'brown' listed as a smooth leather color... there are just TOO many browns! Now you will find Dark Chocolate, Caramel, and Nutmeg. Well, Dark Chocolate and Caramel are pretty good a creating a visual image... Nutmeg may need some work.

By the way, the hardest thing we try to do over the phone is help people pick out the right size without having them try on a shoe.

Soft Star in Parents Magazine

2010-02-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Soft Star Shoes were recommended in the March 2010 Parents Magazine as a good shoe that mimics barefoot walking. The Goody Bag feature reads:

"The theory that going sans kicks is healthiest for feet was popularized when runners ditched their sneakers and found they ran faster and got fewer injuries. Now this way of thinking is taking off in the kid shoe biz with styles that mimic barefoot walking. Some to try on your tot's toes are Pediped, Terra Plana, Soft Star Shoes and Sanuks."

Thanks to our friend Heidi for bringing this to our attention. I guess Soft Star was only 25 years ahead of the curve on this fad....

Biking with Coffee...

2010-02-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

We recently added a new benefit at Soft Star Shoes where we provide employees who use bicycle transportation a monthly bike maintenance allowance. I have always been impressed with how dedicated Hava is to biking to work each day, but yesterday she really surprised me when I saw her pull up with a full cup of steaming hot coffee snapped to her bike frame. THAT is one cool accessory!

Welcoming Notes...

2010-02-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Here is one heart-warming example of how wonderful it is to have integration of our work and family life. This chalkboard welcome sign was made by Elf Sherilyn's son to greet customers as they come up the stairs. We love that our children are welcome and frequent visitors in the Soft Star workshop

Custom Baby Moccasins for Baby Olive

2010-02-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Elf Hava designed these adorable baby shoes for a friend with a new baby named (you guessed it) - Olive! They were soooo cute, had to share! They feature our newest suede color in the back - moss green. We plan on using a lot of this color in our new 2010 moccasin colors - coming soon!

Rocket Ships!

2010-02-12T19:15:00.001-08:00

Elf Tim has been busy traveling, and we decided he needed some fully lined moccasins to for his trip. This pair of custom mocs had the honor of being the first to feature our new rocket ship button! Hava also jazzed up the back and front with the space motif.

New Design for My Cozy Valentine!

2010-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Elves are busy working on our new 2010 styles - and one of our favorites is this fully lined sheepskin slipper - mmmmmmmmmm! Same great sheepskin sole as all our moccasins, but genuine sheepskin lined uppers and cuff, as well.

The other difference is there is no elastic cuff on this slipper - you slide it on and off you go! (Or off the couch with a good book - that is the mood they are inspiring right now)

Below is another photo in our in-stock color: chocolate brown with a stony-tip cuff. We do not have a name yet for this newest style but would appreciate suggestions for either this slipper or the new minimal running shoe we are working on. Send you your creative ideas! And if you like the idea of these red slippers for your Valentine - please give us a ring on Monday as it is not available yet on our website. Have a great weekend!

All the Hype...

2010-01-31T22:13:00.000-08:00

We have noticed... and shared... a lot of information lately about barefoot running. It seems this topic has really taken off in the general media. I just did a quick search on 'barefoot running news' and found that CBS News, ABC News, and WebMD have all posted articles on barefoot running in the last couple days. And that is not to mention the NPR article: Humans were Born to Run Barefoot that several friends forwarded to us this week. (By the way, this article has a great video showing how differently people run with and without shoes. You can see some of the difference in the above photos.)

We were a little hesitant to forward this informative NPR article along as it seems "barefoot" is all we are sharing these days. But then we decided it is important to take advantage of the buzz out there when it is something we believe. We really think spending as much time barefoot as possible, especially when feet are growing and developing, is important for your overall health. And when you can't be barefoot, you should wear minimal shoes that are barefoot-like in design.

So while it may seem we are 'bandwagoning' all the media hype about the benefits of going unshod, just consider the driving factor behind all of our designs... to us barefoot-like design means no arch support, lightweight, and flexible. Sounds like a Soft Star shoe to me.

Soft Star Running Experiment - Final Notes

2010-01-13T14:22:00.001-08:00

After wearing my Soft Stars exclusively to work/play in all of 2009, a few months ago I started to experiment with running in my "minimal" Soft Stars on the advice of our customers... (most recent post here). After 4 months of trying out both moccasins and ramblers, I'm happy to have graduated to actual "running" a few miles at a time several times a week. It has been a great method for getting back into running mode as it forced me to really listen to my body, right down to the toes (and heels and fore foot, mid foot, arch, calves, etc.) ... which would have to be the most notable point - minimal shoes really make you incredibly mindful of how you move.

For those of you wondering what this is all about, the debate of shoes vs. barefoot/minimal is presented in a balanced fashion this week by Runners World author Amby Burfoot - click here to for a great summary of pros and cons . (I get a kick out of someone name "Burfoot" specializing in "Barefoot" articles - thanks Bruce!)

I've discovered running in my Soft Stars is "funner" (as my six-year old would say). On earth trails, the moccasins make me feel like a kid again. My almost-new pair of sneakers I purchased last summer to motivate me are languishing at home. Wearing the sneakers now make me feel a bit clunky, and because I've changed my form running in Soft Stars to land more on my forefoot, the running shoes are a bit uncomfortable now as well. As versatile as we elves are, I'm sure it would just take a few weeks to get acclimated to them again - but why? As an elf I can make my own beautiful running shoes, and "funner"works in my book. The ramblers were definitely the easiest transition given the extra layer they provide on gravel, whereas the moccasins require more easing into / running shorter distances at first - but both have been serving me well.

Thanks for all the supportive comments via phone, blog or Facebook. The Elves are looking to introduce an even more "minimal" and durable Rambler style this spring or summer for adults - stay tuned.
(Illustration by Edel Rodriguez)

Video - Meet the Elves of Soft Star Shoes

2009-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

Happy (almost) New Years! We hope you enjoy our new video (click here) which shares our history, values and a window into our workshop.

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous New Year with Family and Friends! Thank you for a wonderful 2009!

Soft Star Airport Sighting

2009-12-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

It's a small world! I dropped my daughter Corinna off at the Portland airport yesterday and was startled to see a life-size advertisement in the elevator that featured a little girl wearing our Soft Star sandals. Sorry the photo's not so good - suffice it to say the feeling of happy surprise was very good.

A Helicopter Landed on My Foot - Soft Star to the Rescue!

2009-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here is our favorite customer story for the week, courtesy of Surya from San Diego, California:

"My dad had a helicopter land on his foot during his miltary service and has had problems ever since finding footwear in his size (size 12!) that make his feet feel good. His feet still trouble him, so his grandchildren, Olivia and Evan, would love for him to have a pair of Soft Star moccasins. Soft Star elves could make him mocs that would make his feet so happy. My dad was stationed in Germany during the Vietnam war where the Army trained him to be a helicopter mechanic. This is how a helicopter came to land on his foot. It was a malfunctioning helicopter, during a test flight, that landed on his foot. (I'm sure that some sort of safety regulations were being ignored here but that was not included in the story.) His foot was broken, but not crushed, and did heal but, his Army issue boots became the bane of the remainder of his service.
He was a good and loving father of 5 and now, at nearly 70 years old, is an involved and loving grandfather of nine. Thank you Soft Star for making his feet so happy with a pair of your elven-made mocs. Soft Star is so much more than shoes, it is shoes with love infused. :)"

Veteran Day Giveaway - My Dad will Rock!

2009-11-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

We received so many wonderful entries for this giveaway - thank you to everyone who participated! Of all the submissions we received for veterans and active military personnel, the lucky winner (randomly chosen) was Wilson, Lt. Commander Retired, US Navy. His entry was submitted by his daughter Theresa who wrote this lovely entry:

My Dad would enjoy a pair of mocs because....
not only did my father serve his country for more than 20 years of active duty, he also helped raise 10 wonderful children (of which I am the youngest). He taught us to appreciate the simple things in life, to see the unique details of everyday things, and to ask questions and wonder about how things work. My dad is in his seventies and I know he'd wear a pair of Soft Star Elves shoes with a great big smile on his face, telling everyone he saw that his daughter submitted his name into a drawing for free mocs and he won! My dad would rock your mocs!

Congratulations Lt. Commander Wilson!!

What is your vote?

2009-11-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

Soft Star fans have been requesting a more "boyish" option for their moccasins and shoes.

Here are a few options we are considering - what is your vote?

Plane - Rocket Ship - Car - Truck

A big thanks to Caroline M. for the lovely car :-)

Update: Thanks for the great comments! I certainly did not mean to offend anyone with positioning these as "boyish" motifs - certainly these motifs work great for all. As a parent I always try to avoid gender stereotyping but this was a good reminder to me. The first sentence should have read: "...fans have been requesting more options..." My apologies!

To Halloween and Beyond...

2009-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Halloween is fast approaching and I've been hard a work on our Toy Story themed costumes. The Buzz space boots have been done for a while and now the Woody cowboy boots are done too. I just hope the rest of the costumes can keep up with the amazing boots! And while the Buzz boots are crazy colors, Kahlil loves them and I expect they will get lots of wear this winter.

Which comes first, the running or the fun?

2009-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Like the proverbial chicken and the egg, is it the barefoot running that makes people happy, or are naturally happy people the type to experiment with barefoot running?

Thanks to our friend Dalit for the heads up on this recent article in the New York Times: "Is Running Barefoot Better for You?". In a nutshell, the author, Gretchen Reynolds positions it as a trendy new fad which has little scientific basis for or against... but that it can be "a lot of fun".

Personally I enjoyed the reader comments - I was even inspired to leave my own insight that Soft Star Shoes customers tend to be very fun, positive people.... is it their happy feet that makes them this way, or are happy people just attracted to comfortable, barefoot-like shoes? Hmmmmm....

Photo credit: Paul Glamou / Getty Images from NY Times article Oct. 21, 2009.

Post Office plays Ping Pong

2009-10-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

At Soft Star Shoes, we love the Post Office... they are reliable and fast. However, once and a while errors do happen, ... and this one has us all scratching our heads.

Check out the tracking information on the package we are trying to get to a customer in Brooklyn, NY. The shoes arrive, get sent back to Portland, go back to Brooklyn, then back to Portland, then back to Brooklyn... and apparently are still playing coast-to-coast ping pong a month later!

The Post Office also does not know what is happening! My guess is a programmer with a penchant for mischief hid an "Easter egg" in their bar code tracking software so that someone with a lucky bar code gets caught in the paddles of it trap.... hmmmmm. Your thoughts?

Even Santa likes Bare Feet!

2009-10-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

At Soft Star Shoes we have many barefoot runners as our loyal fans for when they "have" to wear shoes... but we never knew Santa was a barefoot runner... Who would have guessed his feet get claustrophobic in those big black boots?

From the Associated Press:
Santa O Clause from Australia runs in bare feet in the heats of the 80-84 year-old class of the men's 100 meters during the Masters Games, in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009.

(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Space Ranger Boots!

2009-10-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for Halloween and 4 yr old Kahlil has been wanting to be Buzz Lightyear since March! Lucky for him, Mom can whip up a pair of Space Ranger Boots to complete his costume. The Elves LOVE EM!! He recruited all of the family into being his entourage at Halloween - stay tuned for Woody, Jessie, Zurg and Buzz.

Barefoot Walking - Update

2009-10-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

It has been 4 weeks since my last post where I shared my intent to try out barefoot walking. I decided to give it a try after talking with our many customers who are quite devoted to barefoot running - and who love Soft Star Shoes for when they "have" to wear shoes. My goal was to ease back into exercise and to try and do my daily walk in my "Roo" suede moccasins which are basically a soft, glove-like covering with some nice sheepskin in the bottom. Aside from the cushioning of the sheep, my foot moves and flexes as if it were completely barefoot. You can feel the ground through the sole - all the bumps, stones and sticks.

The initial verdict is a bit of love, a bit of hate, and a bit of ambivalence. Definitely I have not given it a fair shake yet - more trial is needed -so I'm going to give it another month. For now, here are some initial observations:

Dislikes: Landing full force on BIG sharp pieces of gravel. Maybe my barefoot enthusiast friends will tell me my feet just need more time to toughen up -- but at this point all I can say is - it hurts :-) The good news is most gravel roads I walk on have normal, ground up gravel which is fine and landing on the big chunks only happen a few times during the walk... it wakes you up, in any case.

Love: I LOVE wearing my mocs on dirt woodland trails! I even ventured running (instead of walking) this past weekend through the woods simply because my lack of shoes made me feel so surefooted, so grounded, and so... CHILDLIKE. I loved it- my feet loved it - I felt so coordinated and light. I also love seeing how much punishment our shoes can take. I rode down our long gravel driveway on my daughter's little bike dragging my mocs as brakes all the way down... and the shoes still look fabulous. I wouldn't recommend this as a good use of your mocs-- but I sure enjoy product testing!

Hmmmm: What am I still ambivalent about? The mechanics of how I walk/run is quite different when in mocs vs. standard running shoes. With my running shoes, I walk heel-to-toe. With my mocs, I walk more consciously and tend more towards toe-to-heel, especially when I start running. I'm not sure if this is good or bad... just different. My husband thinks my running "glides" more when I'm running in my barefoot-like mocs... but it feels quite strange still at this point.

More next month when I wrap up this experiment. Until then, any suggestions are very welcome!

He Just Won't Take Them Off!

2009-09-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

As an owner of a shoe company, I often have people taking extra long looks at my kid's shoes. I try to always have nice Soft Stars on their feet. This was a problem when Kahlil was little as he always kicked his shoes off and ran around barefoot no matter the conditions... 100 degrees on hot concrete or 35 degrees on wet grass. Luckily he out grew this phase and is now a good model for our shoes.

But Langston (17 mos) has another problem. He gets attached... VERY attached! He has been wearing the same pair of mocs for months now and is busting out of them. I made him a super cute new pair, but he will have nothing to do with them. It's fine that he loves his old pair, but it's a little embarrassing when somebody looks down and sees his toes smashed at the end of his shoes. I'm not sure I would trust someone giving me tips on shoe fit when their child obviously is wearing a pair that are too small... and dirty... and... loved.

I guess I'll just have to grin and bare it. Who am I to say he cant love his Soft Stars until they fall off his feet?

Proverb: "The shomaker's children go barefoot"

2009-09-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

There's an old saying, "the children of the shoemaker go barefoot", meaning that the shoemaker is so busy making shoes for other people that his/her kids are neglected. This being back-to-school season, we elves have indeed been busy making classroom slippers as fast as our hands can sew. Six year old elf Tivi started school on Thursday without her front teeth or her classroom shoes... true to the proverb. I hope someday she'll see the humor in this.

Barefoot Running....errrr... Walking

2009-09-11T15:27:00.001-07:00

Soft Star has a growing contingent of barefoot runners knocking on our workshop door looking for footwear. Who are barefoot runners, you ask? Athletes who run either completely barefoot, or with some type of minimal shoe. Check out Donald's blog entry titled "The Barefoot Revolution" for a great overview (see his 8/27 post). Donald is an ultra-marathoner and journalist who has decided to take the plunge and try barefoot running. Is footwear for barefoot runners an oxymoron? Again, see Donald's website for a great discussion of naked, minimalist and naturalist modes of the "barefoot" movement.

Over the last year I have had so many wonderful conversations with barefoot runners from all over the world that I have decided to take the plunge with Donald, as well.... kind of. As a Mommy of two who is pretty out of shape, it is going to be a long dive into barefoot walking, instead. (Alas, ultra-marathoner, I am not :-)

I already spend my working day in Soft Star mocs. (What a GREAT job I have!) Now I'm going to try and add morning workouts walking in my Soft Star mocs. I live in a rural area, so this means a combination of gravel roads, dirt paths and some asphalt. My goal is to do 2-3 miles three times a week. Why? I'm curious to see what it is all about. I LOVE our moccasins and am excited to try them in an "exercise" mode as so many of our customers already do. Besides, I'm trying to get motivated to get up earlier in the mornings and walk - so committing to this blog is one way to make sure it will happen. More later....

Workshop Postcards

2009-08-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

Workshop tours are part of the daily fun at Soft Star Shoes. We try to send our guests home with mementos or (at the least) leather scraps - but now we can offer another fun option - postcards home! If a visitor would like to send a Soft Star postcard to their favorite friend or family member - they just fill one out, leave it in our trusty, rusty box in the showroom, and we will stamp and mail it for them.

Many thanks to our most senior elf - "Chava" (my father-in-law) for this new installment, as well as countless other jobs he helped with while visiting us this summer - we miss you!!

Smells and Sounds of Summer

2009-08-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite additions to the workshop shop this year are the two gorgeous pots of honeysuckle outside our front door. The littlest elves love to pull off blossoms and suck on them, and they do smell sooooo beautiful! Tivi says they smell "like summer" - plain and simple.

New Neighbors - Musical Treats for Feet(s)!

2009-08-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

We have new neighbors!! Our workshop is on the upper floor of a 100 year old coffee warehouse. A fabulous music store (The Troubadour Music Center) recently moved in downstairs... so now we are treated to strains of violin, piano, flute, accordions, drums, harmonicas, guitars and even singing throughout the the day. They also have a workshop for instrument repair, so we are enjoying some great neighborly synergies. LOVE it!

Here is a view from the stairs as you head up to Soft Star Shoes. Now your shoes are not only made with love, but with wisps of music, as well!

Color Your Own Shoes - an Experiment...

2009-07-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Inspired by an idea we came across in a book, my 5yr old daughter Tivi and I decided to try our hand at creating shoes with our own personalized drawings. Armed with 18 different colored Sharpie markers, we each designed a pair. Tivi initially started thinking she would do a full color fill.... but after one back on one shoe... she opted instead for a unicorn and flowers on one foot, and geese on another.

I decided to make a pair for my son who is ALL ABOUT trains. My dear friend Melissa helped me out with a train stamp to start with, and then I colored it in while my son watched intently. We will try this again when we need the next size up and possibly try colored leather instead of a white leather... although the colors really POP on the white.

The next day Keita sewed the shoes together for us and the kids were delighted! My son can't wait to put on his "choo-choo" shoes... although he DID decide to subsequently add to them himself with the markers a few hours later. (ooops). I guess I shouldn't have made them in front of him... either that or lock up the Sharpies next time.

Let us know if this is a project you would be interested in... perhaps we could add it as a product option?

Fourth of July Shoes

2009-07-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

We got a special request in to make some patriotic shoes for the upcoming holiday. Our newest elves - Hava and Sherilyn - took up this challenge and created these great little shoes.

Sherilyn made these sweet little Roo moccasins - Royal in the front and Red in the back. The button is a special double star inlay and the cutouts on the upper have a bit of a firework pop to them!

Hava created these special Ramblers. They have a Shiny Blue front and White back. The front is sporting multiple star inlays - including a special star button. The back has a few little stars so you know they are patriotic even when walking away.

Thanks Hava and Sherilyn for making somebodies holiday special!

Soft Star at the Waldorf AWSNA Summer Conference

2009-06-28T23:50:00.001-07:00

We were luck in that the Associated Waldorf Schools of North America held their summer conference in Portland Oregon this year. Since Portland is just a hop and skip away, Soft Star decide to participate as a vendor.

We had a great time introducing many teachers and administrators to Soft Star Shoes as well as putting faces to some of the names that have endorsed us over the years. The conference was held at Portland Waldorf School, an absolutely beautiful campus.

Over all a lovely way to spend a couple days.

The Great Flood of 2009

2009-06-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

It was a dark and stormy... day... which is strange since we are in Western Oregon. Two weeks ago we had a couple days of dark, muggy, thundery weather. Definitely not standard fare for the Pacific North West. Then on Thursday all the built up weather came to a head, the sky opened up, and buckets of water came pouring down.

At first it was fun and several of the elves were enjoying the spectacle on our back porch. It's not often that we get to see with rain come down so hard the pressure on the down spouts is causing water to shoot three feet in the air.

But then I decided to check the windows at the front of the shop.... "What's that I hear? Water? Must be on the roof outside our window... NO!!! It's water pouring INSIDE OUR SHOP!!!" Needless to say I was stunned. There were major four leaks... but 'leaks' is not a sufficient word for what was happening. Each of these 'leaks' was basically the equivalent of a fire hose turned on full blast and aimed directly at the floor. Not something I was expecting when I came to work that day.

Once I snapped out of it and sounded the alarm, the other elves jumped into action. Keita jumped up on a table and began to throw hides of leather out of harms way. Sherilyn and her son, Sage, started to grab every container available and put them under the leaks. Scott quickly put the red wagon into service and began to wheel full containers out to be dumped. Tim and I jumped on the phone to call in more help. It was quite exciting.

After about 15 minutes of major turmoil the rain began to ease and the clean up began. By that night, all our shoe-making materials were safe or drying out and the only concern was the carpet. Luckily we were able to get big vacuums and fans going right away so no permanent damage was done. What a crazy few hours!

According to the paper the next day we had one inch of rain in an hour, but most of that came in about 20 minutes or so. It was amazing.

In all the chaos, I did not snap any photos of geysers, but here is one of the stairs coming up to our shop with all the buckets trying to catch water that was leaking down.

The reason for the leaks is now known and will be fixed before we head into the rainy season... we hope!

Expanding the Workshop!

2009-06-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

This month the Elves have been moving, stretching and growing.... WIDER. And in this case, it is a good thing. We took down the wall that formerly framed our workshop and expanded for a little more breathing room.

Here is Larkin putting the wagon to work moving sheepskin

Tim and Scott built new walls, storage and work tables

If only we could keep it this clean!

Thanks "A TON" Tim, Scott, Jay, Oti & Michael for moving the clicker!

Taking down the old walls

Sharing...

2009-05-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I came across Kahlil (3yrs) and Cruz (2yrs) sharing the chalk board together in the Soft Star workshop. One of those sweet "Aawwwwhhhh" moments when having your kids at work with you feels like heaven!

(OK... so a scuffle DID ensue shortly after this "aaawwhh" moment was captured on camera and we DID have to resort to drawing a line "down the middle" of the chalkboard... but it was great while it lasted :-)

Do you have a Superhero in your house?

2009-05-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Kahlil, my oldest son, is now three and he has been picking out his shoe colors for about a year now. Much to my husbands chagrin, Kahlil LOVES shiny red and blue shoes. They are flashy! And they work great with Kahlil's cape and superhero mask... he zooms around the grocery store and saves strawberries in distress like no one else.

So when we were developing our line for 2009 I had to add a little sparkle for the boys. That is why the new Saddle Shoe is a bright Ultra Blue with a Shiny Blue saddle. They will keep your superhero-in-residence flying high!

Elvis spotted at Soft Star

2009-05-11T16:13:00.001-07:00

One of our very special customers recently designed these bright silver moccasins to fill out her closet....Elvis would have been proud.

Black suede fringe on the back, shiny silver smooth leather on the front and a trio of rhinestones on each button! They ROCK. (Thanks Nancy!)

PS... Before you get too excited about shiny silver - we sadly must say that this type of leather does not generally work well on moccasins as it can be too stiff... but this was an exceptional case. If you need a pair of celebrity shoes, let us know.

Tax Man, oops! Tooth Fairy Cometh...

2009-04-15T21:09:00.001-07:00

Big news - Little Elf Tivi has lost her first tooth~!

We are going to use her new Tooth Fairy pillow (love, love, LOVE it!!) tonight to keep this little treasure safe until the Fairy can come... although she's too excited to fall asleep! I came across these adorable pillows at the Portland market and just had to get some for Soft Star Shoes. If you have a little one who could use a tooth fairy pillow, click here to view.

LED Lighting for the Workshop?

2009-04-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Today we started our trial of new LED lighting trial... and we are so far, pleasantly surprised! We swapped out the fluorescent tubes above our finishing table with 2 high power LED tubes, one "warm" and one "cool"... and the resulting work light was a bright natural color and incredibly bright work table.

LED lighting uses very little power in comparison to incandescent, fluorescent or halogen options. Living in one of the "greenest" little cities on earth, we are lucky to have a local distributor who specialize in high power LEDs. We had read that the LED technology is still too new, casting eery colors and very directional light... however the combination of the warm and cool LEDs in the same fixture eliminated the strange LED "look" and the lumens put off are much brighter than our traditional fluorescent lamp. If the trial works well we might replace our overhead lighting and reduce our annual power consumption by 50-70%.

Other great things? The LED lights we are looking at can burn for 100,000 hours -- which means it might be 60 years before we have to get up on the ladder and change a bulb. And, unlike currently available energy-saving bulbs, LEDs do not contain mercury so disposal is less damaging to the environment. (Not to mention that the LED will last 50-60 years vs. 18 months... a lot less "stuff" in the landfill.)

(Photo of Malcolm putting in new LED light over finishing table. Note older fluorescent lights in background)

Sandals at the North Pole

2009-03-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes customers confuse us "shoe elves" with "Santa's elves" from the North Pole. Actually we have never been to the North Pole... but our shoes have.

Today we shipped an order to our friend Julie from Fairbanks, Alaska. Her mailing address is at the North Pole... pretty distinctive Post Office! Even more bemusing is that we sent a pair of sandals - hope that means some warm weather in Julie's future.

Ever wonder about why elves make shoes? There is a great story to be found about the shoemaker and the elves by clicking here.

Product Testing by Grandma

2009-03-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Little elves Tivi & Cruz were delighted this past weekend to have Grandma visit from Wisconsin! Here they are on the way to American Dream for pizza.

While visiting the workshop - Grandma / Mom / Judy tested out all our new adult boot styles and sandals we have in development for this summer and fall. She gave the new Soft Star sheepskin boots a big thumbs up and thinks we are really close to done with the sandal design... yeah!!

Come back soon!!!

Soft Star Shoes - The Bottom Line

2009-03-26T14:01:00.001-07:00

Author Bruce Wolk recently published his resource book directed to USA parents looking to purchase locally made products. Soft Star Shoes was featured as one of 400 companies in the book - which you can learn more about by clicking the photo to the left.

The current economic issues have led people from all countries look at economic and political stability more critically. In the USA, many Americans are questioning if our nation has become too vulnerable by outsourcing the majority of our manufacturing over the past 30 years. Some USA citizens are looking to purchase "Made in USA" products for political or patriotic reasons, others for environmental reasons, and still others for ethical / fair trade concerns. And then there are the myraid of other value considerations besides origin to consider. Price, service, quality, features, availability, social responsibility, and for me, the ability to personally connect (even electronically) with the person making or selling the item. Ultimately people will purchase a product for the value it provides, and the definition of value is as unique and personal as there are combinations of "Design Your Own Shoes".

Soft Star Shoes is featured in the book as we are one of a few children's shoe manufacturers in the USA, down from thousands in the 1960s. At Soft Star Shoes we make our shoes in our USA workshop not as an act of patriotism, but because we love what we do and enjoy handcrafting beautiful and healthy products. (Healthy for your feet and for the environment!)

Green Tootsies for St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

Little Noah and friend stopped by last week on St. Patrick's Day all decked in green to pick up their custom sandals for a warm weather vacation. Green must have been on his Mom's mind the previous week when she designed them... I couldn't resist a photo! Tim is looking on.

Soft Star says Goodby to Elf DeAnn

2009-03-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

February was Elf DeAnn's last month at Soft Star. She decided it was time to get started on the next big adventures life has in store for her.

DeAnn worked for Soft Star, on and off, over the last nine years. She cut the leather for almost every pair of shoes Soft Star shipped in the last three years. DeAnn was always thinking of new designs and how to improve our products. She kept the shop lively with the music cranked up and her big laugh. The kids loved her because she was always ready for fun and gave great hugs.

We are very sad to see her go but we wish her all the luck and know there are big things in her future.

...In His Moccasins.

2009-03-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

I recently got in touch with an old high school friend. When she told her 9 year old daughter about Soft Star, her daughter remembered the Native American proverb:

Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins.

Of course she thought of it because we make moccasins, but it's also a wonderful reminder that we should always reserve judgment until we really understand somebodies situation. Just a little tidbit I wanted to share.

100% Solar & Wind Powered!

2009-02-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Soft Star Shoes is now proudly 100% powered by solar and wind! Actually, we have been for a full 5 months now - but it has taken me a while to get around to writing this blog entry. I got a little nudge to write it this week when an EPA report was issued ranking our little town of Corvallis as #1 in the nation in green power use. It is rewarding to see how together little things can add up to a bigger vision. (Must be all the shoes we make that pushed our town over the edge :-)

Corvallis green energy purchases make up 13 percent of the city’s total purchased electricity. According to the EPA, this is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 13,000 passenger vehicles per year, and enough electricity to power more than 9,000 average American homes annually.

To see other things the elves do to make environmentally responsible shoes, click here.

Oregon State Basketball Mocs for Coach Robinson

2009-02-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

It is so fun to live and work in a college town. Right now the town is buzzing with the great team work by the Oregon State Basketball team, coached by Craig Robinson. As a new coach, he is creating a bit of Cinderella story - going from no conference wins last year to a competitive season this year and a possible berth in the tournaments.

While the town is busy painting itself "Beaver" orange and black, we decided that Coach Robinson should have some orange and black mocs himself, complete with orange T-Rex soles (very cool - and VERY big). Tim is off this afternoon to deliver them before the big Cal game this weekend.

Why not a little color?

2009-01-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

When I open my closet I find one pair of white tennis shoes and scads of brown and black every other kind of footwear. If I was more fashion-forward, there may be more color in my closet. But I'm not and all the black and brown means my shoes "go with everything". That works for a mom on the go. But what about for kids?

I often help parents who are trying to decide what colors to choose for their children. Occasionally there is the daring parent who wants bright purple and fuchsia for their baby's moccasins or is ok when their preschooler chooses orange and green sandals. But more often than not, parents decide to go with tamer, gender neutral colors that "go with everything", i.e. versions of brown and black.

But why? I think a splash of color on kids feet is fun. So what if it doesn't match all their outfits? Who says your shoes have to match when you are 15 months old? People really enjoy seeing kids in shiny red shoes - it brightens their day and the kids LOVE showing off their eye catching kicks. Besides, once your kids hit about 12 years old, matching will be more important to them and colorful footwear will probably be a thing of the past. They will join the the ranks of the practical with closets full of brown and black shoes that "go with everything".

So if I'm helping you decide what color to chose for your babies first pair of little moccasins, don't be surprised if I suggest turquoise and red (like Langston's pair above). They may not match all her outfits, but people will notice them... and smile.

Save Handmade!

2009-01-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

We have received a lot of worried calls and emails from customers over the past few weeks wondering if Soft Star Shoes will be shutting our doors in response to the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This new legislature goes into effect February 10th and requires anyone who makes children's products to provide independent third party laboratory testing (and official certificates) to verify that their products do not contain lead or other harmful chemicals. While the spirit behind the law is great, the actual implementation of it is ill-conceived and will result in the shut down of countless small businesses, including most home based craft business who simply cannot afford the thousands of dollars needed to test their products. As for Soft Star Shoes, we are working on obtaining the certifications by February 10th and unfortunately it will take a big bite into our ability to grow our business this year. Ironically, this law is dis-proportionally hurting the small eco-friendly businesses who have always been passionate about safe, chemical-free and fair trade products in the first place. The law was created in response to the large influx of lead painted toys that were discovered in the 2007 holiday season imported by multinational toy companies. Overall, the intent will ultimately lead to safer products across the market - but hopefully the law can be improved to save handmade, safe children's products.

If you enjoy handcrafted products and/or appreciate home-grown small businesses, you will be interested in this law and its impact, as well as ideas of what you can do to help. Many of the products we carry on our accessory page are made by small, eco-friendly home businesses which may be forced to close and have their products pulled from stores, websites and even E-bay. Click here for more information.

Soft Star in Kiwi Magazine

2009-01-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

It is always so much fun when you find your shoes featured in magazines! I came home to find a new issue of Kiwi magazine in our mailbox and when I plopped the pile of mail on the kitchen counter, the magazine flipped open to the page below with our little white sandals. My first thought was "Wow... those look just like our shoes..." and then I realized they WERE our shoes! Fun, fun!

This Kiwi magazine article features eco-friendly fashions. Click here to view other recent Soft Star Shoes press.

Little Elf, Big Help

2009-01-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

Now that our littlest elf is crawling around well, the exploration of the shop has begun. Langston is following in the footsteps of his older elf siblings and has started to pull out all the totes and shoes at knee level and below. He is also a big fan of the vacuum. And the sewing machines. It takes a little time to put the shop back together while he is taking a nap, but I don't mind.

The Day Soft Star Stood Still

2008-12-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

Corvallis had a bit of snow last night, and while it might not mean much to you all in the North, it has slowed down life here. Since we don't get many days like this, when we do it's best to stay off the roads and get your snow play in. So that is what we are doing today!

We had a great time playing in the snow wearing our Soft Star boots. But our play was cut short because of cold fingers... maybe Soft Star should consider making fully lined gloves!

And no worries for those of you who have ordered holiday shoes. The Elves will be back in the shop tomorrow, working twice as hard to get your orders in the mail.

Whole Foods - Wholey Nostalgia!

2008-12-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

23 years ago when Soft Star Shoes were being made out of Tim and Jeannie's home in Texas, one of our very first wholesale accounts was a small grocery co-op in Austin. At the time it was just a hip small store called Whole Foods Market. Tim would drive over a carload of moccasins every month or so.

Obviously things change... Soft Star packed up when the family moved to California and then later settled in Oregon, while Whole Foods Market... well, they GREW. (Last count they have more than 270 stores in the USA, Canada and U.K.) When we approached Whole Foods this fall with our product, we knew it wouldn't be as straightforward this time as driving up with a trunk full of shoes. Good news is that somethings never change - happy feet being one of them. Whole Foods decided to try out our shoes in a few stores in the Pacific Northwest and even designed their own exclusive vegan moccasins shown here. Click for store locations.

It felt really nostalgic - like reuniting two old acquaintances who hadn't seen each other since their childhood days. Just for a fun- above is Tim back in '85 making some of our early vintage shoes. I don't think Soft Star has changed too much since those early days, we still store our inventory in the same cardboard boxes.

Congressional Seal of Approval

2008-12-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Planning a visit to Washington, D.C. in the future? Newly open is the Capitol Visitors Center - an underground facility located under the east front end of the plaza which provides a "welcoming and educational environment for visitors to learn about the unique characteristics of the House and the Senate as well as the history of the U.S. Capitol. " Then center took over seven years to build and covers the area of five football fields. The visitor center is free and open to the public to the tune of 20,000 visitors per day.

Why does Soft Star Shoes know so much about the new visitor's center? Earlier this year we were contacted by the gift store within the visitor center explaining that they were looking for gift items that were 100% made in the U.S.A.. As you know, Soft Star Shoes fits the 100% made in U.S.A. bill. Well, it was a large order for the elves who worked on it most of July. (Elves usually enjoy their leisurely Oregon summers.) When it came time to send the shipment, we had a minor heart-stoppage moment when we were told Congress had to approve all items before opening day! We had to wait for "Congressional Approval" first.... seriously. Luckily Congress quickly approved the shoes - our boxes shipped - and the gift store was happily stocked in red, white and blue for opening day last week.

Cozy Boots for Big Elves

2008-11-13T11:35:00.001-08:00

Look what the Elves are up too... Adult Boots! All the requests to make sheepskin boots for adults did not fall on deaf ears. The pair pictured here are our very first prototype. We just finished them up two days ago and have been showing them around town. So far most folks seem pretty interested - let us know what you think.

If all goes well, we will be introducing a new boot in adult sizes by the start of fall 2009. In the mean time, you can order a pair for you youngster to keep their toes warm this winter. However, please don't try to stuff your feet in their little shoes... we're hurrying as fast as we can!

P.S. An adorable baby will NOT be included with each purchase :-)

Pumpkin's

2008-11-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

It feels like winter has arrived in Corvallis... it's gray, chilly, and wet.

But don't try to tell Tivi and Kahlil that! They are still enjoying fall. A couple days ago they put together several pumpkin sticker faces and decorated the door to the Soft Star workshop.

So while it may be gloomy and the rain is dripping from the sky, local customers can't help but smile as they open the door to Soft Star.

Election Day!

2008-11-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

Another great thing about living in Oregon is our vote-by-mail system. Here is Tivi dropping my ballot off in the neighborhood ballot box- she is so excited about election day! In Oregon your ballot is mailed to you a few weeks before election day, along with thick pamphlets where candidates and measure supporters can promote themselves in an open forum. You have time to sit at the kitchen table reading about all the positions, candidates, ballot measures and make informed decisions. This is a nice change from my past voting experiences of standing in a booth feeling frustrated that I did not know many of the ballot items. You can mail in your ballot or drop it off in designated ballot boxes anytime leading up to election day. The only downside is that you need a No. 2 pencil and have to color in the dots on the ballot - brings back memories of standardized testing / exams... ugh.

Halloween at Soft Star

2008-11-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

At Soft Star we are lucky in many ways... one of which is that we live in a great community. For Halloween most of the businesses in downtown Corvallis open their doors for trick-or-treating. It's a great, safe way for the kids of the community to enjoy Halloween. And the businesses love seeing the kids and their creative costumes.

Above is a picture of Trish in here witch costume handing out treats to a group of kids. At Soft Star we gave out kazoos, whistles, and stickers this year. But when the bucket ran dry, a quick candy run to pick up four bags of sweets saved us from tricks!

Woolies (and Woolie Models) Really are Cute!

2008-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Our youngest Elf, Langston, just turned six months old and to remember his adorableness, we had photos taken. I couldn't resist putting him in his super cute and cuddly Woolies. Soft Star didn't have Woolies when Kahlil was a baby and I'm sorry we didn't. They have become my favorite baby shoes... they are quick to slip on, easy to tighten, and the sheep sole and cuff keeps Langston's toes warm. Personally I love the ones with the Tiger-Strip cuff... but even the more conservative Cream cuff version is hard to pass up. One of the Woolies biggest drawbacks is that it's hard to get a good picture of how cute they are... maybe this photo will help over come that problem.

More Vegan Colors!

2008-10-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last year we introduced vegan shoes per customer requests for shoes without animal products. After some trial and error, we have found two great vegan fabrics for our customers - both machine washable, to boot. This past month we added many new colors to our Roo and Elf vegan styles - including cocoa brown, apple green, and ginger snap... stop! I'm getting hungry :-)

Design Your Own Shoes - Soft Star on Television News Segment

2008-10-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

This week our shoes were featured on a TV news segment featuring "Design Your Own" products. Click here to view (or if that doesn't work, copy and past this URL into your browser: http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=58&sid=4493544 ) Studio 5 is a news channel broadcasting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Kiersten Blanchard did a series on design your own products, and was thrilled not only with the pair she designed above, but the "unimaginable" -- that we actually take exchanges and returns on a custom design-your-own shoe. For the elves, shoe making is not only a creative art, but having happy healthy feet with well fitting shoes is equally important.

Elves Bowling

2008-10-13T19:07:00.001-07:00

You all have kept the elves pretty busy the last couple months. So to take a little break we headed to the bowling alley for a few games. As you can see the littlest elves enjoyed themselves. And while we usually recommend Soft Star Shoes for young feet... there are exceptions!

Patriotic Tootsies

2008-08-30T12:24:00.001-07:00

Last month we recieved a special requst from a new customer in London. Andrew was looking for a personalized gift for a baby-to-be and requested one shoe to represent USA and the other to represent South Africa.

Hope that the new little person they are destined for will enjoy the cozy sheepskin inside! Who knows? He/she may be embarking on a diplomatic career - bringing the world closer together.

Almost Famous...

2008-08-08T16:29:00.001-07:00

We were looking out for the Summer issue of Toddler magazine as we heard our shoes had been used in the photo shoot destined for the cover. We were excited to find the issue of Toddler on the magazine shelf..... until we pulled it out and realized the legs had been edited off! Don't they know they cut off of the cutest things in the picture??! (Reffering to this little guys cankles, of course!)

Flat Feet in Children

2008-08-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Flat feet are soooo maligned! People who have them often have an accompanying complex that something is "wrong" with them... in fact, for many years the Army wouldn't even take recruits "handicapped" with flat feet. "Flatfoots" of the world - take heart. Not only will the Army take you now :-), they actually have found that flat footed soldiers may suffer the fewest injuries due to an improved ability to absorb the impact of running. (Archives of American Medicine, 1993, July, 21:64). In actuality, the topic of flat feet is a bit more complex... whether flat, average or high arches are good/bad has a LOT more to do with the stiffness vs. flexibility of your joints than the actual height of your arch. Improving overall muscle tone and flexibility of your feet for any type of arch is the best you can do to improve your balance, posture and avoid injury. See the earlier post on "Exercises for your Feet" for some great examples.

When it comes to toddlers - flat feet should not be a concern. Nearly all toddlers are flat footed and this is considered quite normal at this age. (As someone who trys shoes on little feet all day, I can personally attest to this---!) The arch on the inside of the foot is something that develops naturally as the child grows. Modern podiatrists agree that the best shoes for children protects their feet from environmental hazards (nails, scorpions, sharp objects) yet is as close-to-barefoot in footwear function. This modern view is based on large scale anthropological studies which find almost a complete absence of foot problems in cultures where barefoot mode is most common. The fastest runners of the world today from Kenya spent their childhood without shoes. Walking barefoot theoretically gives the foot a wider range of motion and a better base for toning and strengthening foot muscles and building balance as compared to walking in stiffer, molded shoes.

Soft Star in August Parenting Magazine

2008-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Soft Star is featured in the August 2008 issue of Parenting Magazine! Our Laguna Sandal in Pink with Star laces graces the feet of "Little Picasso" in an article called "Waiting Games".

It's always fun to have your creations pop up in public faces. Thanks to Ted & Debbie Photography for this!

Working with Baby

2008-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Baby Langston and I are back in the shop. We aren't quite full time yet, but we are here every day. He seems to be taking to the work environment pretty well... especially when he can sleep in the sling while I work!

It's been a couple years since I had an infant at work with me and I forgot how low your productivity drops. But I'm getting some work done and it's hard to bemoan the lost work when Langston flashes one of his amazing smiles. I'm so lucky to be able to work in a place where I don't have to miss out on those special moments during the day.

Adult Sandals?

2008-07-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

It has been HOT in Oregon the last few weeks which has prompted us to create some prototypes for adult sandals.

The purple one is actually an exact replica of our kids style as we have had MANY requests from customers to make them in adult sizes. The chocolate is another style we are playing with. We actually sold this shoe to a local customer 5 minutes after it was made... kindof fun.

Let us know if you like either of them. We hope to get patterns and dies made this fall so next summer we will have more options for our "Big Kids" to choose from.

Exercises for Happy Feet

2008-06-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Coleen Schwartz is a certified Pilate's instructor with a passion for healthy feet. In addition to her doctorate in Podiatric medicine, she does national lectures with the medical community about the use of Pilate's in rehabilitating feet. This week NPR produced an excellent short video with Coleen on stretches and strengthening exercises for your feet. Click here to view - you will need speakers to hear the audio portion. The video also provides some great time saving tips on how to incorporate these healthy habits into your daily activities by doing while in the shower or even still in bed in the morning.

Minimal Shoes for Maximum Health

2008-06-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

Tue Jepsen is a 26 year old runner from Denmark with a passion for "minimal shoes". When Tue called last month for some Soft Star Shoes to test out the Elves were happy to send him a pair. He ran over 60 miles in the shoes and loved them... a high compliment given the minimal shoes he keeps company with. Tue publishes a well-respected website with a guide to minimal shoes of all types. If you are interested in shoes that let your feet do their job - check out his interesting articles and shoe reviews at http://www.tjepster.com/shoereviews.html.

(Pictured: Soft Star mocs after 60 miles of running on asphalt)