Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Uyeda Shoe Store

I'm getting too fat. I need to exercise. The only form of exercise that I'm capable of doing lately is walking. But I needed new shoes. I first went to Sports Authority. They got uku jillion shoes to select from. A few of you may know from my earlier blog post entitled jalna's Lazy Man Strawberry Shortcake, that given too many choices I will get an anxiety attack and end up not choosing anything, which is precisely what happened. I left.

I decided to go to family-owned Uyeda Shoe Store in University Square at the corner of King and University. They've been around since 1915 and specialize in comfortable footwear.
Do you remember back in the day when the shoe salesman would measure your feet, bring out some shoes, sit on the floor , use the shoe horn and slip your foot in the shoe? That's how it is here. I got this really homey, nostalgic feeling being in the store.
This is Claire Takashima, third-generation owner of the store. She was just what I needed . . . someone who would decide for me what shoe I needed. I told her that I was looking for walking shoes and slippers. I complained that the shoes I currently use made my feet hurt after only a few minutes of walking. She asked what kind of shoes I use. I said, "My mom's hand-me-downs." She said, "Ohhhhhh." She asked me what kind of slippers I use. I said, "Ones that my son's ex-girlfriend left behind when they broke up." She said, "Ohhhhhh."
Claire was wonderful. She brought two different shoes for me to try . . . . perfect. I can easily choose between two pairs. I chose this Brooks . . . veeeery comfortable. It was $120.
I asked to see arch supports and she showed me these. They were 40 bucks!!! I thought oh well I guess it's about time I spent money on some good foot gear.
So since I was already dishing out the big bucks, I also got these Teva slippers - $50! I'm still keeping Taryn's rubber slippers though . . . just in case I gotta walk on the beach or in mud or something.

14 comments:

K and S said...

I like this shoe store but not the parking!

jalna said...

Kat, you're right about the parking . . . some days are better than others.

Leslie's pics said...

holy cow! I guess you can't buy cheapy shoes for your feet...I learned that lesson a long time ago. So funny that you actually admitted that you wear your mom's and Taryn's hand me downs!! hahahaha!

jalna said...

Les, I'm just a swap meet kind of person.

Betty Townsend said...

Funny! Jalna, you have to take better care of yourself, including your feet or you will pay a price later on. I like these Teva slippers. I need some new ones too for just running around now that good weather is here. I hate closed up shoes unfortunately in the winter it is a must. I'm going to check these out. I wonder if REI carries them? umm??

jalna said...

Hahaha Betty, I hate closed up shoes too. I usually wear sandles to work, but I wanted to test out the shoes so I wore them all day yesterday. As comfortable as they were, I couldn't wait to get them off so that my feet could breathe. You must have Hawaiian feet like me!

Randism said...

the service may be old school style but the prices are definitely up-to-date! auwe! but no can help, yeah?!?

u eva heard of these shoes?
http://www.zcoil.com/
sounds interesting, yeah?!?

jalna said...

Rand, I was prepared to spend some bucks on good shoes, but "ouch".

My father-in-law has those shoes. They're neat. Check out these Vibram Five Fingers . Uyeda Shoe Store carries them.

Randism said...

hmmm. that's interesting but after reading this article (http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/ it's a link from your link), i'm just frustrated cuz it's not clear to me which option is best! sigh....!

jalna said...

Interesting article! Too many words though . . . I had to skim.

Randism said...

i personally really like the idea of getting footwear that is good for your feet but it's definitely not clear to me what products are good and which are just snakes oil. i'm surprised that there isn't a general consensus on this one or maybe i'm not looking in the right places. with sunglasses, for example, i think there are very clear, universally agreed upon ideas: polarized lenses are really good; uv protection, generally dark, don't allow light from the sides of the frames to get in, etc. the particular brand doesn't matter; just that the sunglasses should meet those (and other) criteria. maybe i should go to uyeda's and ask or see a podiatrist!

Betty Townsend said...

Hahahaha!! Yup, I may live on the mainland but I'm an island girl through and through. When you were raised being able to walk on hot sand barefoot, shoes are a pain!!

jalna said...

Rand, I so know where you're coming from. I think I should go see a podiatrist too.

jalna said...

Hahahaha, Betty, so true!