Nobody’s paying us to write it. We don’t even like gambling. Atlantic City New Jersey is a great place to shoe and sneaker shop why? Because there are so many stores clustered within short distance of each other. There are great assemblages of brands N’ shoppes in New York City yes. Philadelphia, DC-Maryland-Virginia and Boston have spots—agreed. You could never visit as many outlets in such a short time though, and the traffic is way less clumpy here.
Peep the gull jam
You could hit Nike, Puma, Crocs and Clarks before your hungover friends even get coffee and still have another shortlist of brands to see. Shoe heads know factory shops tend to have the latest offerings from brands as well as random accessories you wouldn’t normally come across. If your favorites don’t directly yield anything, there’s an Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse around the corner with a gigantic selection and fruitful clearance racks. For those into rarefied pairs of sneakers there’s a buy/sell/trade/consignment shop called Swapz AC on Arctic Ave.
Tons of Shoes
On a pleasant day, it’s quite a nice stroll—especially compared to the average stress of the northeast locales mentioned above. If you find yourself near the Sheraton Hotel near the convention center you can get a post-shopping drink at the Shoe Bar on the second floor (drinking establishment decorated with fancy shoes in glass cases).
Gambling may be a tax for people bad at math, but it’s a safe bet that if you’re in need of a fresh pair and want to see what most of the popular brands are dangling, AC NJ may deal out a winning hand for your feet.
For our modern purposes there are two kinds of footwear shopping: Need-shopping and want-shopping.
NEEDSHOPPING
From “my shoes got lost” to “I need workboots for a job that starts next week”, assuming you have “A” pair of shoes, everyone finds themselves shopping essentially because they NEED. The need-shopper is in need of a two-footed solution pronto. They may even leave the box at the store and walk directly into oncoming life.
WANTSHOPPING
Food-clothing-shelter perspective: Shoes can be both clothing and shelter. May your shoe’d-up feet go and get the food. We hope you have at least ONE decent, properly-fitting pair. “Our fundamental shoe needs are taken care of, now I want some _____________”. This way, any shoe beyond one’s needs can be a luxury and you may keep the box as a memento*.
empty shoe boxes make great storage for spare computer, phone and TV cables !
AN HONEST TAKE ON WHAT THE BIG AMERICAN STORE HAS FOR FOOTWEAR ENTHUSIASTS
Coming from Boston Massachusetts, and living in New York City where there are no Walmarts, I had no idea what to expect when I accompanied a relative to WM store 2904 in Brockton Massachusetts on a quick mission to fill their levothyroxine prescription.
LOTSA LACES
I lied in the previous paragraph. I remember places like Caldor, Bradlees, Ames, Jamesway and Zayre and expected Walmart to be a jumbo Voltron of those.
I was impressed by the shoelace endcap – two actually filled with a wide variety of colors, lengths, and styles (think: dress, round, flat, oval, workboot, etc..). I got me these Kiwi 72″ leather laces ($4):
Kiwi leather laces (made in India)
These leather laces need no aglets could be cut to any size with a good pair of of scissors. At 72 inches, you could half them and end up with two pairs of short laces.
The trouble with ordering never-seen shoelaces online, is you might not be aware of the actual color, texture and stiffness. I find most of my favorite shoe-shops do not have a great selection of laces. I often scout the Duane Reade, CVS or Walgreens-type places for the randomly located shoelace endcaps; You know the ones. Walmart shoelace endcaps are Texas-size versions of those. I dug the big selection at Wal. I also bought some 45″ grey athletics ($3).
MANY SOCKS
Men’s socks at Walmart
I’m a man who loves buying quality made-in-USA products, and the mart had enough basic styles to hold me. I ended up picking up a six-pack of white made-in-USA Starter no-show socks ($7). I was surprised at the amount of USA-made options there were- at least in the men’s sock section. They also had a wide selection of diabetic friendly soft cotton socks by brands like MediPeds.
The women’s sock isle at Walmart
Keeping in mind many socks are unisex; some even listed as such, the ladies have their own sock section that is bigger than the guys’- it’s like a whole street. There weren’t as many women’s socks made-in-USA here; Even the American flag stockings on the rack below were made in China. To be fair, elsewhere in the store Walmart had some tee-shirts with a “Made in the USA” graphic on the chest which were in fact made in the USA.
Novelty socks at Walmart
Rubber Dotted Slipper Socks at Walmart
AS SEEN ON
Far away from the other shoes and socks, this Walmart had a small section displaying all kinds of products that are “As Seen On TV” – stuff advertised on television in the form of commercials or infomercials. I spotted these Miracle Copper Socks that I do remember seeing the ad for. The descriptive language used on the packaging is abjectly far-fetched. Metal used in fabric construction is nothing new. Some astronaut underwear contains silver. Miracle Copper Socks hit you with line after line that make it seem like their product will heal injuries.
On the back of the box there was a random Caduceus– the snake-pole insignia that I suppose is meant to give the impression that these socks are endorsed by a professional medical organization which they are totally not.
Endorsed by Dr. Who? (Pardon the blur)
Non-profit consumer watchdog group Truth In Advertising, Inc. says it best. “Miracle Copper offers no clinical data to back up the claims that their product reduces swelling, boosts circulation, or massages achy legs and feet”. The odor control claim has some validity, as copper may ward off bacteria, but Miracle couldn’t leave it at that. I’m sure they’re not the worst socks in the world, but the snake oily packaging kept me from copping a pair, although I’d happily accept a test pair from the company for a fair review.
WAL-o-SHOES
Shoelaces, socks, TV miracles- what about Walmart’s shoe selection? I’d venture a guess that If you’re reading this blog and other online content about shoes, you’d probably be into footwear more substantial than what Walmart offers.
Shoes hanging out at Walmart
One theme is that most of the shoes at this Walmart are boxless and hanging on racks priced around what you’d pay for an appetizer at P.F. Changs. It’s as if shoeboxes are banned from the store.
Faded Glory Slip Ons
I noticed a lot of the shoes were inexpensive versions of familiar name brands; like these (above) Faded Glory slip-ons which one could cynically call Canal Street Vans.
Inexpensive Avia sneakers at Walmart
Although designer footwear for kids is now a thing, I can see not wanting to overly spend on children’s shoes which they’ll likely outgrow or ruin before even grasping the abstract concept of fashion. Not for nothing, you could walk out with the whole cart pictured below with mostly Starter and Avia for under 200 bucks.
W-mart also had a decent insole and accessory collection, including plenty of Shoe-Goo, which I have fond memories of seeing my skater friends using to repair ollie damage back in the day.
Insoles and footwear accessories at Walmart
Based on my visit to this one store; Sneakerheads and shoe-freaks may not find any kicks to fall in love with at Walmart, but it may be worth a visit if you’re hunting down your dream laces, and want to stock up on some trooping socks.
I think I overhear much “debate” about Walmart in the papers and on the web. I can say walking around this particular store, I noticed nothing out-of-the-ordinary or outrageous. I was probably the weirdest cat in the building taking pictures of socks with my camera phone. To comment on socio-political aspects of Walmart is way beyond the scope of this blog. I spent 14 bucks and my relative got their script filled.
As a nod to baseball great Yogi Berra who died last night at age 90, allow me to offer my own version of a Yogi Berra-ism to end this piece:
Nobody likes Walmart because everyone shops there.
Not far from the Brockton border in the Massachusetts south shore town of West Bridgewater lives a fantastic brick-and-mortar footwear store called Asacks.
Red Wings and Chips for days
The family run footwear shop has been providing a personal touch to shoe-selling since 1974.
Rather than the newest, hottest products from your favorite brands’ catalog, Asacks is filled with factory-seconds, slightly irregulars, and selections that just may have came out of a time capsule.
ZIG-ZAG slip-ons, what?
They have more workboots for sale at a decent price than you can shake a Brannock at, and also plenty of slippers, sandals, sneakers and dress-shoes.
You never know what you’ll find on their well-stocked racks.
Browse stacks and stacks of (mostly) Chippewa and Red Wing footwear wall to wall, including many of those brands’ made-in-USA offerings.
Along with multiple widths, Asacks also has a fine selection of sizes over 13.
Dear Bigfoot, they have your size.
A size 20 pair of Red Wings
The shop itself is industrially decorated with mostly handwritten, and hand-cut signage.Sock and lace displays offer a unique selection unmatched by your average mall-style footwear shop.
You’ve got to love a place that uses a last as a paperweight.
No one manufacturer dominates Asacks. yet around the store you’ll see novelty/promotional items like Reebok chairs, Chippewa lights, this All-Star neon sign, and that supercool Asics clock.
I’ve been coming to Asacks since before cell-phones. I’ve scored various New Balances and even a pair of made-in-USA Sauconys there (many years ago).This time I walked out with a pair of American Handcrafted Chippewa 25262s in my favorite tan rodeo color for 99 bucks (reg. $150 at least). They’re labeled imperfect because of some scratches on the side, but boots are going to get scratched up anyway.
Thank YOU!
Asacks Footwear, 265 N Main St, W. Bridgewater, MA 02379
They also have a second Cape Cod location on Main Street in Buzzard’s Bay
I hope you all had a happy International Fluevog Day last Friday. Pardon the sneezes; the pollen count has been high in the northeast this week. Heavy boot season is about done and I’ve been wearing sneakers a bit more along the northeast corridor. What about you?
Doug from Jersey City, New Jersey tipped me off to this swell video that went around on the webs heavy last week:
I’d been wondering about that extra set of holes lately, and since I’m not a runner (I just walk a lot), never bothered to look into it. I’m sure there are a google ways to use the extra holes. My New Balance 498s have this extra set, and I usually skip it, or obtain some 45-inch laces that don’t leave as much tip. I did lace up as instructed in the video above and it felt pretty solid, but I found this lacing a pain to untie quickly. Locking might be preferable for competition runners, but I’d avoid using the technique while air traveling or going on dates.
Speaking of New Balance, they opened a new factory outlet shop on April 4th in Avon, Massachusetts*. As a former Bostonian who’d been visiting the main NB outlet in Brighton, (Boston, Massachusetts) since it was located on North Beacon Street, I was curious to see how it would compare. The regular New Balance running shops, like on 5th Ave in New York City or Boylston St. in Boston are fun to visit for the latest and greatest New Balance, plus customization stations, but at an outlet we expect to see older models, deadstock, and totally random oddballs that you can’t even find on the Internet.
The new new is located on Stockwell Drive, and is definitely stocked well. They did have plenty of brand new older models, with a split down the middle for women and men.
You had your insole and accessory endcaps, with some try-on benches toward the back, lots to look through. Hockey players could even get gear from NB’s Warrior brand.
There were a couple Brannock foot measuring devices at the store. When I’m considering buying a shoe, I like to try all sizes above, below and wide to make sure I’m getting the best fit. Some irregularities could be in sizing, and that could be the reason the sneaks ended up at an outlet anyway.
Chock-full clearance racks lined the back walls. This is where you find the oddball randos. I ended up purchasing some Minimus MX20v3s for $40 out of said racks.
I first tried them with socks, and proceeded to break them in later that day via a batting cage session, some field frisbee, and even a turn playing drums. Remember that cartoon Laff-A-Lympics?
I ended up preferring wearing the MX20v3s without socks; much less squishy-feels, more sure-footedness. The shoe itself can nearly be compared to a padded sock with laces. The MX20s have no removable insole and feature antimicrobial treated inners much like minimalist offerings from Vibram and others.
Vibram actually provides the outsole under a thin layer of foam attached to the uppers. Sporting some bug-screen style mesh on the heel-sides, these measure a 4mm heel-to-toe drop and are made-in-USA from imported components.
#ImpulsePurchase
What else at the store? In line I spotted some sweet skull ‘n’ crossbones flat laces en route to checkout. The Minimus’s came stock with black 54″ athletic (oval) laces which I did try lace-locking and felt it was too constricting for this type of shoe. Without the extra holes laced, the tips sometimes swiped the ground (A Popdiatry no-no). I swapped them with the 45″ skulls and I’m a happy urban camper.
Rule of Toe: NB Minimus, no socks, 45″ laces
I use the Minimus’s for handball and other hard-ground excercises. I wouldn’t choose these to walk around all day in a big city, but I can definitely see packing them in luggage for use at a hotel gym. They’re definitely less attention-getting than toe-shoes, and I’d consider wearing them in close-range coffeeshop or foodshopping situations where I wouldn’t wear FiveFingers or SkeleToes.
HEADS
Elsewhere off the path, thanks to Michael from Cambridge Massachusetts for sending us pics of this ridiculously fresh made-in-USA “Birds” snapback.
If you’ve never seen the original Birds by Alfred Hitchcock, put it in your queue.
* Thanks to Kathy from Brockton for the tip on the New Balance store.
