I had been a loyal Michele's customer, but tried out Shoe Strings after Michele's closed. The store itself was nicely laid out, clean, organized, and not at all cluttered. The staff was extremely friendly and they were great with my toddler who wasn't too keen on trying on shoes. The selection was pretty good, but not quite as good as I hoped. Still I was able to find shoes that I liked. The service was good overall, but I didn't feel like they had the expertise that I was accustomed to at Michele's. The fitting process at Michele's seemed more extensive. They always had my son try on a couple sizes of the same shoe to see which one got the best fit. He might be half a size up or down from one style to the next. They also seemed to have a better knowledge of which styles tend to run wider or a bit more narrow at Michele's. At Shoe Strings the measured his foot and then told us the size he would need across the board. They also didn't give me an idea of when I should expect to return for a new fitting (though I admit I forgot to ask). The prices were fair and comparable to what I had seen online. You aren't going to find the great deals that Stride Rite might offer, but it is nice to support a local family owned store and I did get more attention and personal service than I have gotten at Stride Rite in the past.
Overall it is a nice store. If I wasn't used to the level of service and expertise that Michele's offered I probably would have been very satisfied with my experience here. I was pretty happy with the prices and I think the service and fitting is superior to chain stores like Stride Rite. Although they had a pretty decent selection, it is somewhat limited. I would recommend this store if it is close by, but I don't think it is worth a long drive if you are looking for an expert fitting. read more