Wow, I am struck by the fact that the entire chain gets poor reviews. I have had good experiences…read moreeach time I have dealt with one or another of the stores.
I took two trips to the area pre-Covid and each time had a successful experience. The shoes were expensive, but now I buy from this family-owned small chain online and have never had a problem. They have very good sales and if you are concerned about a large outlay upfront, they do take one of those pay by month apps, so you can enjoy your shoes without breaking the bank short-term.
That said, what I like about the place is the large variety of designer shoes they keep in stock at each store. The staff is not ultra-friendly. My very first time there, in Westport, I spied a gorgeous pair of Pliners for around $600. I asked for my size and it wasn't in back. So, as always happens, I checked the size of the floor sample and it was my size (6). I tried that one on and it was perfect, so I asked them to find the matching shoe. With a bit of grumbling, they did, got the box, and then, I said quite innocently, since this is a sample that presumably may have been tried on, is there any small discount for buying it? Nope! End of discussion. Since these were quite unique (black suede with marcasites) and the soles looked perfect, unworn, I went ahead and paid full price.
My second trip was to the Greenwich store about 18 months later. There I got a friendly reception and found another stunning pair of Jon Joseph shoes (grey velvet with leather tassels), paid full price and was quite happy.
After that, I watched (and still watch) for sales online. Their entire inventory is available that way and one can take advantage of the dozen or so brick/mortar stockpiles. They almost always take 20-40% off. The shoes are usually made in Europe and will last a lifetime (I have Pliners that are 30 years old and wear them weekly, just once having them re-soled; they are all made in Italy, thank the gods).
They even now carry my latest obsession, beautiful, comfortable, affordable Marc Fisher shoes!
Shoe-Inn ships immediately, they have great and responsive customer service if you call or email them and the quality is incomparable. So, if I were to go back, I would still brave the frosty reception here and there, would go when they have clearances, preferably, and appreciate the fact that these shoes are not only fashionable and beautiful, they are a sound investment, foot-ware-wise.
(Far left Pliner pair are over 30 years old!)
