Saturday, May 22, 2010

Browsing J.L. Coombs, Freeport




Freeport holds one of my favorite shoe stores — J.L. Coombs. Two weeks ago, when I stopped by on my way to Bar Harbor, I came mighty close to buying these sweet AndrĂ© Assous, Judie black nubuck, comfort sandals.


SCORECARD!
PLUS: Sleek lines, soft leather, featherweight outsole.
PLUS: Price! 50% off price on box, which I didn't notice because I would have paid it. Current deal for all clearance shoes in basement.
PLUS: Shoe brand trivia. Andrè Assous is known in the footwear industry as the "King of Espadrilles."
PLUS: Shoe store trivia. J.L. Coombs claims to be the oldest shoe company in the United States, founded in 1830.

MINUS: Peep toe window was so small, it pushed my big toes into scary, pre-hammertoe position.
MINUS: Bright white strip of insole exposed by peep toe. Can you say "dirt magnet"?
WILL DEFINITELY RETURN to J.L. Coombs for its rare selection of stylish comfort shoes. If you (and your boyfriend / girlfriend / husband / wife / driver) are patient enough to sift through the rows of boxes, the basement can offer up various gems. In fact, the Wolky shoes I wore in to the store were one such gem from several years ago, and for some reason I've been getting lots of compliments on them recently. My lovely brique Wolky Dion's with the nubby rubber traction outsoles and rubber toe bumpers!