A Letter From Michelle — The Parker
A Letter From Michelle
Getting older shouldn’t mean struggling just to put your shoes on every morning.
On the part of the morning nobody admits to, the six things I would not compromise on, and why they are $69.95.
A woman sat down on the bench by my counter last winter to try a pair on, and first she apologized. For sitting down. In a shoe shop.
I think about that more than she would guess. Nobody warns you that bending to a lace becomes the hard part of the morning, and nobody says it afterwards either, because it sounds like a small thing. It is not, when it happens twice a day.
So look at the side of this one. There is a zipper let into it. You open it, put your foot in, close it, and you are out of the door — no bending, no shoehorn, no cold hands on laces.
Six things I would not compromise on.
The zipper is on the side. That is the whole idea
It runs down the outside seam, with a tab big enough to take hold of without hunting. No laces to tie, nothing to force your heel past. Sit if you want to, or stand against the hall wall, as I do.
“I’m 70 and bending down to tie shoes isn’t as easy as it used to be! The side zipper is a wonderful idea. Simple, practical and nice looking. 😊”
Nancy B., RoanokeThe support is inside, not stacked on top
It is an orthopedic shoe: support set into the footbed, and an ergonomic sole under it that spreads your weight across the whole foot instead of dropping it on the heel. What it is not is thick. The work is inside, where nobody sees it.
“I wore mine for an afternoon visiting little shops with my sister. The low, flexible-looking sole was exactly the style I wanted for everyday wear. Nothing too bulky.”
Diane K., GreenvilleWhipstitched around the whole edge
Tan thread, run right around where the upper meets the sole. It is what makes a shoe look made rather than molded, and the first thing to disappear at this price. The toe is shaded darker, which gives the brown its depth.
“The stitching around the bottom is what caught my eye. It gives the shoes a lovely handmade appearance, and I really like the darker toe detail.”
Patricia W., KnoxvilleIt does not announce itself as a walking shoe
You know the look. White, thick, a wide band around the bottom, visible from down the street. This is a moc toe on a low dark sole, and the only thing it says is that you left the house.
“Bought these for running errands and trips to the grocery store. I wanted something with a sturdy sole that didn’t look like a typical walking shoe. These have such a nice casual look.”
Carolyn R., AshevilleA step up from the sneakers
Most women I know wear sneakers because they go on easily, and put up with how they look with anything that is not jeans. This goes on more easily still, and sits properly under a trouser.
“I usually wear sneakers, but wanted something a little nicer with my straight-leg pants. The warm brown finish and decorative stitching make these look more polished than my usual walking shoes.”
Elaine T., StauntonFive colors, one price, and a word on the sizes
Black, brown, white, khaki and blue, nothing priced above anything else. Now the part to get right: this is a single unisex run, 7 through 16, on the men’s scale, with no half sizes. A woman who takes a 9 usually wants a 7 or an 8 here. Pick the nearer whole number, and send it back inside thirty days if I have it wrong.
“I like the little zipper on the side. Much easier than dealing with laces every time I leave the house. The brown color looks nice with my everyday jeans too.”
Shirley M., LancasterThe Parker, against what else $70 buys
| Most $70 orthopedic shoes | The Parker | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting them on | Laces, and a bend you would rather skip | A zipper down the side, in and out in seconds |
| The sole | Thick, white and visible from a distance | Low and flexible, stitched on in dark brown |
| The stitching | A machine seam, if there is one at all | Whipstitched around the whole edge in tan |
| The look | Unmistakably a shoe from a pharmacy | A moc toe you could wear with straight-leg pants |
| The color | White, or beige, or white again | Five — black, brown, white, khaki and blue |
| Sizing | A narrow run, and never the ends of it | One unisex run, 7 through 16, all one price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Parker was $280, and that number was for support set into the footbed, an ergonomic sole beneath it, a zipper let into the side seam and a whipstitched edge run the whole way around. A great deal of making for a shoe whose entire job is to be put on without thinking about it. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so they are going out at a quarter of what they were.
And the honest reasoning. The shoes that help the most are usually the ones you are least pleased to be seen in, and I have never once thought that was a fair trade. Somebody had to make one you put on because you want to rather than because you have to.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$280.00$69.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 75%
- Orthopedic support set into the footbed
- An ergonomic sole that spreads your weight
- A zipper down the side — no bending, no laces
- Whipstitched around the whole edge in tan
- A low, flexible sole in dark brown
- Five colors — black, brown, white, khaki, blue
- One unisex run, 7 through 16, one price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every color and every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Tomorrow morning, count the seconds it takes to get your shoes on.
Then decide whether you want those seconds back, twice a day, for the rest of the year.
That is all this shoe is selling. Thirty days to send it back if I am wrong.
Go and pick your color.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLOR — $69.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.