Leather Soul

 

15

58

Landon Y.

Foothill Ranch, CA

I'm not sure what Alan B. has going on, perhaps a personal vendetta against all high-end purveyors of leather shoes...or just frustrated about walking into a store that did not have the same philosophy as he does...whatever it is, it does not reflect the many experiences I have had with Tom and the staff at Leather Soul.

Here are the highlights of Leather Soul. (IMHO, and experiences)

-Personal shoe fitting, which most men rarely take advantage of.  (men, you need to do this, and if the size is lower than you thought, be a man and accept it, don't let your pride get in the way of a good fit shoe)
-Solid selection of top shoe craftsmen brands. (Alden, Edward Green, JM Weston, Paraboot, Island Slipper, and Rimowa Luggage)
-Leather Soul editions of Alden selections.  Some even custom designs only available at Leather Soul Hawaii.
-Relaxing shopping atmosphere, comfortable leather chairs, and at the times i have visited, dating back to the original days in downtown Honolulu, a nice LCD TV to watch...

So ultimately, yes, Leather Soul is incredibly pricey compared to a traditional men's shoe store.  However, these shoes and the store itself serves a specific market, and a high percentage of which are Japanese tourists and local business executives.  Believe me, I don't have tons of $$$ floating around, but i know a good investment when i see one.  A pair of Alden's leather will last a lifetime, and just needs to be re-soled.

They must be doing something right, because in 4 short years the business has grown to a flagship location in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.  

So Alan B., if you want to bargain or find things on sale, check out Macy's, or better yet, Aloha Stadium swap meet has lots of vendors that are willing to discuss deals with you.

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Elite '08

8

126

Alan B.

Fremont, CA

After visiting their website, I give the store two stars.  They sell mainly Alden and Edward Green shoes.  Well-made shoes, but boring and way overpriced.  I don't hold these lines against them.

What does bother me about Leather Soul is the attitude of the store.  On their website they ask that customers do not "hurt their integrity" by pinning them against other retailers.  They go on to say that if you are looking for a deal to go elsewhere.  Leather Soul, they claim, builds a "relationship" with a customer.

You are a retail business.  Expect to be questioned about price for it is a legitimate subject.  I'll pin a retailer against another one if I want to.  Remember, I'm the customer. If Leather Soul actually made the shoes themselves, then I might think differently.

You can be certain that  Leather Soul's arrogance and subtle bullying tactics work with middle class buyers who are pretending to be old school British gentlemen.  There are a lot of them out there.  

I think that I'll take their advice and look elsewhere.  It's good advice!

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