yarbiedoll tells me that they're pretty hip, too. The boots are also comfortable -- and they look better than just plain work boots, so I can wear them for more than "work boot" type situations. This past weekend, I wore the boots for some hiking and they held up really well -- very comfortable, good ankle support, all that stuff.Why am I going on about all the characteristics of these shoes? Because they only cost $10 per pair! I'm going to try to keep an eye on them and write about my experiences with them. Hopefully, they're going to wear well and I'm going to love them. If I do, I'll be writing about it here as a recommendation for everyone else. If I don't, I'll be writing about it here as a warning.
It all started a few weeks ago when I first heard about Starbury shoes on the Clark Howard radio show. Clark was talking about a line of shoes that cost only $10 or $15 (depending on style) and were endorsed by Stephon Marbury (of the NY Knicks). Supposedly, Marbury was tired of hearing people fight over $150+ Air Jordan and similar shoes and wanted to offer an alternative shoe. He's wearing these shoes all season long, so at least he's confident that they're good enough to wear for pro basketball games. I really admire the idea of selling shoes this inexpensively -- I hope the idea holds.
The shoes are only available at Steve & Barry's. In North Carolina, there are only a couple of stores -- fortunately one of them is pretty close to my house. A few weekends ago, I headed out to look for some shoes. I was able to find one pair of boots that fit and one pair of sneakers that fit. Since I bought them, they're the only shoes I've worn. So far, I'm very impressed with them, especially considering the price. They don't do anything fancy for me, but they're comfortable, the boots seem to support my ankles well, and I like the way they look. In short, they do exactly what shoes are supposed to do.
Anyway, I'm planning on picking up another pair of the boots (so I can have a "work" pair and a "casual dress" pair) next time I'm in High Point, and a pair of the crossovers (if I can find a pair) that would be good for general wear. And I'm planning on being in High Point again Saturday morning, so hopefully they'll have some styles that I like in my size.
Google around for them if you want to read more -- there appear to be a handful of articles and columns about them (here, here, and here, e.g. There's a slew of them over on Google News, too.). If anyone reading this has any other experience (positive or negative) with these shoes, I'd love to hear about it.
