Letellier Shoes sells higher end shoes that I would describe as "comfort over fashion". I mean some…read moreof the styles are cute, but comfort is the priority, fashion is secondary, lol. Brands include Mephisto, Ara, Pikolinos, Naot, Taos, Reiker, you get the picture. No sexy stilettos nor cute espadrilles here, haha. They do carry Sorels but none of the fashionable wedges or heels. And they carry Clarks, but again mostly flats or really low heels. I personally feel that the majority of their shoes are a bit "mature" looking (aka matronly, lol), but that's just my opinion. Prices are high, even when they have sales. I'd say most pairs are over $200. Service is satisfactory. Staff aren't super friendly, but not as snobby as I feared they would be. Letellier does not sell online. Right now Ottawa is in lockdown due to the Covid Pandemic, so Letellier Shoes is closed for indoor shopping, but they do have curbside pickup. Letellier Shoes was an independently owned shoe store that actually opened in Ottawa in the 1890's (!) It remained that way for 4 generations, but in 2014 it was sold to East Lake Limited, a company that owns several footwear stores across Ontario. If you like shoe stores like Solea Glebe Trotters, and Tanda Shoes, you'll like Letellier Shoes.

So...I have very wide feet for a girl and I find it difficult to find shoes that fit and shoe…read morestores that provide them. Other than Payless, Letellier is the only shoe store that I know of in the city that provides wide shoe varieties for their customers. This store actually has a huge selection of formal, casual, outdoorsy, winter, summer, mens and womens shoes. They usually stock about 15, 000 shoes at one time. They carry brands like Clarks, El Naturalista, ecco, Birkenstock, Rockport and Mephisto. Their prices are fairly high, but they often have sales. This store has also been in Ottawa for over a century, so that's saying something.

I went to Sports 4 College Square to buy a pair of New Balance running shoes, but they did not have…read morethe model I wanted. The clerk suggested I try another brand. I asked if I could try them at home to make sure they were comfortable, and the clerk assured me that I would be able to return the shoes. Today, I brought them to return to the store, as I found that they were a bit narrow in one of my insteps. When I went to return the shoes today, the clerk went to the back of the store where only staff can go and spent a long time talking with, I assume the manager or store owner. When he returned, I asked what the problem was. I was told that there was a note on our name that said we were only allowed to get an exchange or get credit. I asked why and was told that over the past six years, (since 2018) my husband and I had bought 9 pairs of shoes and returned them. I was then told by the person from the back of the store that we were banned from buying any shoes from that store because it takes up too much of the staff's time to deal with people who buy and then return goods. Wow! I am not a person who goes and tries things on in stores and then returns them and buys online after. I rarely buy anything online. I felt very violated by the attitude of the staff people in the store. Instead of talking to me about why I returned the shoes and maybe trying to get to the bottom of why the shoes had been returned, instead we are told we are banned from buying in that store. What a shocking way to treat your customers! I will definitely let others know the customer service policy of this store. We have at least 6 runners in our family and many friends also. Looking forward to buying from a store that respects and values its customers.

I was diagnosed with metatarsalgia and knew that I needed new shoes. I had been walking everyday…read morefor more than 5K for 90 days since we were in Florida and chose not to rent a car just for that reason. We had to walk everywhere. It was all hard surfaces and by the end of the 3 months I had a very sore foot. A friend of mine recommended sports 4 where she said she always bought shoes. When I walked in Nathan greeted me. It was really busy and he started to serve 3 customers at once. I have never in my 50 years of living in Ottawa and now at the age of 80 had such outstanding service. Nathan measured my foot and then brought out a pair of shoes that were a miracle. He wanted to make sure that these were the best so he brought out two more. He gave me time to walk in each pair and then choose. Although not a super athlete we have walked every day on many trails in the small towns within an hour of Ottawa. I was one of the featured trails in The best trails of 2021 on the Alltrails.ca website. Today I went to my zumba class and I didn't have any pain in my sore foot in my new shoes. Nathan is a super star salesman and has saved my life. Thank you Nathan and Sports 4. Roz L.

Pretty much unobjectionable if you're willing to pay the high prices for the quality. (They aren't…read moremarked up, the store just doesn't seem to sell shoes below ~$100 unless you're looking at the sales rack). It's a small selection to go with the small store, but they carry a variety of shoes and have a lot of nice brands, including some Canadian-made, ethically manufactured, and/or eco-friendly ones if you tell them that's what you're looking for. The staff are both friendly and knowledgeable, and will actively try to help you find something you're happy with.

This is my favorite shoe store in Ottawa. They have a pretty quick turn on product, so if I find…read moresomething I like, I don't do my usual think-about-it cooling off period, I just get it. I've loved every pair of shoes I've gotten from them, all great brands. Service is great in this family owned store. Though not inexpensive, the brands are all well thought of, and current. I get great value and lots of compliments on the shoes I purchase here.

I still have the purse and the Shoe Box bag from 30 plus years ago and just loaned the purse for…read moreher to use at a wedding she's attending soon.

The Shoe Box has a moderate selection of shoes that's worth checking out if you're on Sparks…read moreStreet. The staff is consistently helpful and they're honest about which shoes are best for you. Their shoes are excellent quality and they have many styles that are comfortable and fairly stylish. They mainly have women's shoes, but there's a small selection for men.

Irving Rivers holds iconic status in Ottawa as one of the 4 corners of the actual Byward Market…read more Their slogan reads "We corner the market". Basically, Irving Rivers has some military surplus goods, as well as some lower priced boots and such. If you find yourself in the market, it's definitely worth the two minutes to walk around the maze of stuff: It hangs from the walls and the ceilings. BTW, I think Peter Jennings got his Gulf War hat here.

I was lured into this store the other day by the great rubber boots they had outside. I have been…read morelooking for a good, but original pair of rubber boots to get through the slush this winter and saw several options here. The prices are pretty good, not cheap, but definitely not outrageous. The rest of the store is kind of strange. As previously mentioned, it is full of Army things, and when I say full, I mean literally full. There is stuff hanging everywhere! I always thought it was just the outside that looked like this, with items hanging, but it is the whole store. Go here if you have the time to browse, you will need a while!

I had a wonderful experience working with Shannan at White Satin. She listened and was extremely…read moreknowledgeable about their selection of dresses. The store and dresses are so beautiful and I felt that they went above and beyond to make me feel special. 100% I would recommend.

White Satin was probably one of the most beautiful bridal salons I visited while trying on bridal…read moregowns. It was well lit with racks of dresses down either side, organized by designer and price. The owner was bright and cheerful, and greeted us immediately when we entered. There was a large selection of different styles of gowns and designers, and the gowns were extremely pretty and of high quality. Unfortunately, most of the sample sizes were 10-12, whereas I am a size 16, so I was unable to fit into most of the dresses. The owner was able to find a few gowns in my size in the back, but none that entirely fit with my vision. i would recommend this salon for anyone who is a size 10-12 looking for a wedding dress as it is a beautiful studio, has beautiful gowns, and the owner is wonderful.

I was so stoked when Fluevog opened in Ottawa over a year ago. They have the coolest shoes that…read morehappen to also be oh so comfortable. I love their funky heels, and quirky designs. Prices are high though, with regular prices from $299. However, they do have sales here and there where you can snag some Fluevogs for as low as $149. Now my beef with this one and only Ottawa location is that the smallest size that they carry is a 6. The sales people confirmed that they don't get 5's and 5.5's which usually go out west or to some Toronto stores. Well, I'm a 5 so that makes me sad :( That being said, the sales people here are really friendly and nice. So if you have small feet like me you'll have to buy online or go to a store in Toronto or the West Coast. However, it's nice to be able to go to this brick and mortar store to at least look at styles in person and feel the materials before buying online. I would totally up my rating if they carried my size. Oh and for men with size 13 feet, you are in the same situation as me for Fluevogs in Ottawa. The salespeople there told me they don't carry men's 13's either.

If you're on the hunt for amazingly unique, upscale shoes, then you need to visit this store…read more Located right in the heart of the Byward market (right beside Beavertails - yum!), John Fluevog is a super hip and fun shoe store that caters to fashion-forward men and women. This place used to be another shoe store for the longest time, so it's cool to see the building being used to the same purpose. The interior is super awesome. They have really fun and cool artwork everywhere and a huge neon lights sign that says "The House of Uncommons". There's fun little touches like tiny robots and dinosaurs all over the store as well, and although the shoes may be high end, this place is certainly not snobby or uncomfortable. Staff are happy to sit and chat shoes, and let you try on whatever you like. They're happy to make suggestions and are basically just awesome people. The shoes are a bit on the crazy side (John Fluevog is a Canadian designer with a fun and quirky eye), but there's absolutely some more everyday shoes there as well. The heels are super comfortable, and I like how much personality you can show with their shoes. They also carry a fantastic men's selection as well as handbags, socks and messenger bags. If you've got a love of shoes, or are looking for something unique, make sure you check this place out. It may cost you a pretty penny (bags are $200-$400, shoes are anywhere from $90-$500), but the experience and the quality is worth it.

If you are looking to start running and don't know where to start, come here. Everything you need…read moreto start running can be found here. I have always found the employees here to be friendly and knowledgeable. The first time I went, the sales person spent a lot of time helping me get the right shoes for my running goals. The great thing about Running Room (this and others) is that they have running clinics. If you have never run this is a great place to start. If you are searching for a race, you can find them on their website. The store has everything a basic to advanced runner would need. I find that their online store is good, nothing special, but good. Overall a great place for a runner.