When I was about 6 years old, my parents bought me a pair of black patent leather shoes for Easter. I couldn't wear them out to play as they would get dirty, and besides, I had to save them for Easter. So, each day I would put them on and parade up and down the hall in our house, not only to break them in, but to experience how wonderful I felt wearing those pretty new shoes.

- Lorraine, NewHartford  NY

Almost every story became an outdoor story when I got involved in rescuing abused, abandoned, or unwanted Saint Bernards. Almost every story also became a shoe story when Molly Brown came to her forever home with me—she has a habit of leaning against people and literally "knocking them out of their shoes." I am a small woman and I need shoes with lots of traction and stability to hang on when a 100+ pound dog decides to change direction. Walking with a Saint Bernard is always an outdoor adventure!

- Etta, Athens  GA

Since I spent most of my childhood going barefoot (not always a smart move!) on a farm, comfort is now my first priority when choosing a shoe. As a teenager, Earth shoes were a wardrobe "must" for me. Later as a working woman, Softspots' Caspers became my favorite shoes of all time because they were so comfortable, looked great, and lasted forever. Well, at least the tops did; the soles didn't fare as well but I didn't care. When the soles finally wore out, I'd buy a new pair. And rather than throw out the old ones (the tops were still in great shape), I'd remove the laces and voila! They became my outdoor garden slippers. They'd serve me well for at least 2 more years (except for the pair with the Sept 11th "dust" on them - wiping them down with a wet cloth only turned the dust in the crevices back into concrete and shortened their lifespan). Sadly, Softspots no longer makes Caspers, and my last pair are beginning to show their age, just like their owner.

- Denise, NY  NY

I just turned 65 and have always had "bad" feet. I had stopped all exercise walking because of the problem with my feet. I decided that my feet were not going to get any better, so I went in search of a pair of walking shoes. My husband has always liked Saucony for himself, so I decided to give them a try. I can now join my husband on his walks. We get up at 5 A.M. so that I can walk before work and we change clothes and hit the streets as soon as we arrive back home. We are walking about 2 1/2 hours a day, 7 days a week. My husband tells me that he had really missed the time with me and he loves the fact that I can join him once again. I had even given up going to festivals because of my feet, but we recently went to one and I stayed in my Saucony's ALL DAY. (I even noticied someone at the festival wearing the same shoe and said to her "how do you like your shoes?" She said "I love them", then I showed her mine and we had a good laugh. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.........

- Lynda, FortWorth  TX

I went to a pretty well-to-do school, but my mom was brought up in the Depression. She had no problem paying for school but not for shoes that were not going to last. I had to wear saddle shoes for years and years. You know the ones, they were black and white, and lasted forever. I can recall thinking I'd never be able to be in fashion. Then the saddle shoes came out with fringe on them. You would have thought I won a million dollars. My Mom let me buy them and they lasted just as long. With that said, you could not catch me in them again.

- Karmen, MountlakeTerrace  WA

I have very narrow feet and did not have a lot of shoes when I was a child. My twin sister always had the most stylish sandals in the summertime. Living in Florida, that is very important! When I started buying my own shoes, I would spend large amounts of money and time driving to larger cities to find stylish narrow shoes. Thanks to the internet, I have now been able to develop my shoe fetish. It feels wonderful when someone comments on what beautiful feet and shoes I have! Strangers have even approached me and asked where I bought my shoes! I've come a long way from the black & white oxfords I had to wear as a child for being pigeon-toed with narrow feet! Onlineshoes.com has such a great selection of narrow shoes, I know I'm hooked!

- Cyrena, Lakeland  FL

WEEKS BEFORE MAKING MY CONFIRMATION, MY MOM GAVE ME $10.00 TO BUY A PAIR OF WHITE SHOES. IT WAS MY FIRST TIME SHOPPING FOR SHOES ALONE. GUESS SHE THOUGHT THAT I'D GO TO THE BIG SHOE STORE WHICH, AT THE TIME (50s) WAS MILES AWAY. I LOOKED THERE BUT DIDN'T SEE WHAT I HAD IN MIND. SO ON MY QUEST TO FIND MY CONFIRMATION SHOES, I WENT TO A SMALL FAMILY OWNED STORE AND SAW A CUTE PAIR. ONLY THING WRONG WAS THEY HAD STRAPS AND I WANTED A STRAPLESS SHOE. I ASKED THE SALESMAN IF HE HAD THOSE SHOES IN THE WINDOW WITHOUT A STRAP? HE SAID "LET'S TRY THEM ON FOR SIZE FIRST." I DID AND THEY FIT. HE SAID, "ARE YOU SURE YOU LIKE THEM?" I SAID YES. HE SAID "THEY WILL BE $10.00. DO YOU HAVE THAT MUCH?" I SAID YES. HE SAID, "I WILL BE RIGHT BACK." HE COMES OUT WITH THE SHOES AND I COULD SEE HE HAD CUT THE STRAP OFF. I WAS SCARED BUT PUT THEM ON. AS HE WAS GOING TO THE REGISTER, I RAN FOR THE DOOR.

- DOTTIE, CROTON  NY

I wore a lot of hand-me-downs from cousins and my older sister. It was a big deal to get new clothes or shoes, and the new items were reserved, mainly, for the before school shopping trip. So when August rolled around, I would get one new pair of shoes. I was so proud of them that I would wear them all the time in the house. I had a special chair that I would sit in the middle of the family room, just staring at my new kicks. I would look at them from all angles and admire how beautiful they were. I would cross and uncross my legs, stretch my legs out to get the "top" view of my shoes, and I would constantly check out the "heel" which was never more than say, 1/2 inch! That began my shoe fetish which still continues today!

- Donna, Sammamish  WA

Back in the early sixties, girls' plain white tennis shoes or "sneakers" were in style. I was always slightly artisitic, creative, ok, "kooky." I decided to transform my plain "whities" into saddle shoes. I colored the center section black on one pair and brown on another. A few of my girlfriends followed my lead. Within a year or so, I saw Keds made and sold with the center section of varied colors. Too bad I wasn't more business-minded.

- Sara, Elmira  NY