2025 - A Nostalgic Year at Softstar!

Top 5 Hits for 2025

Twenty years ago, I wandered into a quaint workshop on Washington Street in Corvallis, OR and was greeted by a lone shoe elf making the cutest baby shoes I had ever seen. As a new mom with a toddler, I was enchanted with the soft leather children sandals, moccasins and shoes that seemed to tumble out of every corner, the loud, smooth churn of sewing machines, the bubbling aquarium and (of course) the intoxicating smell of leather. I never would have guessed that a few months later I would become the owner of Softstar Shoes and spend the next 2 decades working there!

2025 marked the 40th anniversary of Softstar Shoes. The first 20 years were led by Tim, the next 20 by my friend Larkin and me, and next year (teaser alert!) will bring in another exciting ownership change. We are looking forward to sharing some great news in January how Softstar will continue its legacy of local employee-centric and sustainable practices going forward. Here are Softstar's Top 5 Hits from 2025:

#1 - S'mores and Switchbacks

This year we baked up some nice new additions to our footwear offerings—cozy S'more slippers, lighter versions of our Camino sandal and an updated version of our popular Switchback boots. Developing new goodies is a big part of what we love to do, and it is always fun to deliver customer requests for new styles to their mailboxes.

"The new rubber sole makes them extra convenient too, perfect for nipping out to the bins or over to the neighbour without a second thought."

Brittany, S'more Slipper - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I bought these for my son but I have stolen them! I love the width and shape of the sole. Softstar is one of the few companies that acknowledges that the big toe needs to move towards the body’s center."

Ms August, Camino Lite - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Basically the perfect all around hiking boot if you love flat minimalist shoes with flexible soles, but need a tough upper with the water resistance and breathability of high quality leather."

mbrewer, Switchback Boot II - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#2 - SOM Footwear Acquisition

In April of 2025, Softstar acquired SOM Footwear. After years of building a beloved brand, SOM Founders Olie and Nathalie were ready to move on to new adventures and looked to Softstar to continue their high-quality USA-based production and sustainable practices. We worked hard to learn this new style of soling attachment and are proud to carry on the tradition of these foot-friendly shoes. Look for new variations of SOM Footwear in 2026.

#3 - More Goats!

Softstar has a 20 year history of donating 100% of Playful Pancake cat toy sales to Kids for Kids. This organization provides milking goats to families in Sudan for a sustainable and meaningful way to combat hunger and poverty. The good thing about goats is they multiply … we estimate the Softstar herd to be over 1,000 goats as of this writing. Each toy is a one-of-a-kind creative endeavor, and cats love them! In the last 20 years, I am proud of the many donations we have made to support schools, charities and foundations like this.

#4 - Top Green Oregon

Softstar ranked #5 in the top 100 greenest companies to work for in Oregon! We have consistently made this list over the last decade, but being ranked #5 was a huge honor. "Walking Lightly on the Earth" is one of Softstar's core values. We are passionate about our environmental initiatives: from the materials that go into our products to the daily activities and processes used by our staff, the infrastructure of our building, our involvement with our community, and many other seemingly small changes that all add up to make a big impact. Softstar is proud to have earned B Corporation certification, a third-party audit confirming our environmental and social responsibility.

#5 - Shoe Sheriff Retires

Elf Tim celebrated his 40th anniversary with Softstar this year before he officially retired. His fingerprints are all over our Softstar DNA, from the original Moc pattern dies, to the recycling center in our workshop, and the sharpie drawings his baby girls scribbled on the legs of workshop tables over 3 decades ago. Fortunately, he still visits us regularly, so we get our Timmy-fix. Tim earned the title "Shoe Sherriff," as he personally inspected each and every shoe for quality for most of his long career.

Thank you for your continued support of our business! We love the work that we do and look forward to serving you in 2026. Happy New Year from the Elves!