Many years ago, a flip little teenager told the Consumer that kids shouldn't go around with "dusty kicks." What this wise one meant by "dusty kicks" was dirty, shabby shoes. She was ahead of her years.
People tend to forget they can communicate without using words. The care you put into your shoes speaks volumes about yourself, and dirty, shabby shoes say you are a careless person.
In addition to communicating the inner workings of your immortal soul, your shoes take care of your feet. And most of us wouldn't get very far if it weren't for our feet—all online identities aside.
You've doubtless heard it before: Quality shoes will last a lifetime if they are well taken care of. But quality is not always a function of how much you spend. Quality shoes are available at every price.
If you've ever attempted to do a proper shoe shine yourself, you already know it is a bona fide skill. If you look closely, you will find lots and lots of shoe-shine guys practicing their skills in and around Las Vegas, peppered around places such as McCarran International Airport, all the major hotels (just ask if you don't see them), the Bank of America building Downtown, and over at the Shoe Lab on Paradise Road.
The Shoe Lab isn't just a nice little place to sit and have your shoes shined when they need it. You'll also find the city's better cobblers here, fixing all things leather, as well as shoes day in and out. These guys are amazing. They can make just about anything leather look new again, expanding the life of your shoes, and stretching that spent dollar. And as we all know, shoes can cost a lot of dollars.
The Shoe Lab also is about preventative maintenance. It carries everything: polish, brushes, shoehorns, toe protectors, and of course, a wide selection of inserts for his-and-her shoes.
Shoe inserts are probably the single most important thing you can use to extend the life and beauty of your shoes. They keep the leather or fabric taut to avoid permanent wrinkles the shoe leather naturally creates as you walk. Better shoe salespeople usually will recommend you buy them at the time of purchase. This is not just a ploy to sell more stuff; it is a way to protect your investment from a premature death.
So clean up those damn dusty kicks and shop on.
Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
[email protected]