Birkenstock Shop steps into city

The old saying goes, "If the shoe fits, wear it."

Earl Slavens disagrees. He feels if the shoe fits, it should fit properly.

Slavens has been modifying shoes to properly fit the feet of Springfieldians for more than 30 years and knows a good-fitting shoe when he sees one. He and his wife, Linda, own The Pedorthic Center at 1320 W. Sunshine.

"Eighty-seven percent of the population's footwear doesn't fit them," Slavens said.

Slavens hopes to do something about that and has brought southwest Missouri's first Birk-enstock Concept Shop to Springfield. The Slavenses held a grand opening for the concept shop at The Pedorthic Center Aug. 25.

Birkenstock Footprint San-dals Inc. is a German, family-based shoe company especially known for its sandals. Its history goes back to 1774.

The concept shops are authorized retailers that each have a dedicated Birkenstock area in their stores and can order any sandal, clog or shoe from the Birkenstock line. According to Slavens, there are a total of 165 concept shops, including the Birkenstock brand name stores.

Slavens said that, as a concept shop, he is required to carry 600 pairs of Birkenstocks on hand in at least 60 different styles and colors. Typically, he will have more than 700 shoes in stock. "Being a concept store," he said, "keeps you up on the latest styles."

There is also an annual monitoring of physical inventory that is conducted to make sure the store meets Birkenstock's standards, he said.

Slavens' history with the shoe company began in 1984. "We were the first people to carry Birkenstocks in southwest Missouri," he said.

This relationship was a natural fit, he said, because of the nature of his business: modifying footwear and making orthotics, or shoe inserts that assist the curve of the foot.

"(Birkenstocks) are anatomically correct, and most people in the beginning bought them for health reasons," he said, adding that they were originally sold in health food stores. "They just became popular because they are so comfortable, and now they have some style."

The Novato, Calif.-based company that's become popular for its cork-bottom foot beds has recently added enclosed shoes and boots to its lines that already included sport, casual, dress and professional footwear, he added. Slavens said he thinks this will help his winter sales. The usual sales peak is in July, he said.

Similar to the way he modifies shoes, Slavens had to modify his business to keep up with the times.

"We started out (in 1969) just modifying shoes and found out that we really needed to make orthotics to go with that. Then we decided that we were going to have to start carrying shoes," he said. "We did it out of necessity."

Now, The Pedorthic Center carries several kinds of orthopedic and specialty shoes. Yet, Slavens said he still thinks too many people wear shoes that aren't healthy for their feet.

"So many people are wearing improper shoes and there are no trained people in shoe stores anymore," he said. "You just go in and they say, what size?' and hand you a shoe."

According to Slavens, Birkenstock salespersons must be trained to properly size a person's foot. He has four employees in all.

"With Birkenstocks, you have to be fitted for them, and the people who are fitting them have to have some training," Slavens said. "They fit differently. It's a different concept than an ordinary shoe."

Customers are fitted in an open-toe sandal in their bare feet. "The toe crest ... and arch have to be in the right place," he said. "As you wear them, they get shorter, so you've got to have ample length of room. All shoes do."

As the Birkenstock shoe is worn, he explained, the cork sole curves to the wearer's natural step a feature that makes Birkenstocks unique, Slavens said.

"Birkenstock's are a little more critical, you have to have a little more room at the toes. That cork starts forming to your gait pattern and it will stay in that position," he said. "It doesn't flex like a regular shoe does ... and it will stay in that position even at rest. That's what makes it feel like you're walking on a sandy beach. The cork will actually mold to your gait pattern."

To the question of whether Birken-stocks have a lifetime guarantee, as be-lieved by some, Slavens said it's not so.

"That's a myth. A lot of people think that they have a lifetime guarantee, but I think where that came from is the fact that they wear for so long and they're repairable," he said.