If you're an outdoor enthusiast, like many of our shoemaking elves, then western Oregon is a giant playground. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be within easy reach of mountains, oceans, rivers and moss-ridden forests that look like they belong in Middle Earth. Our location offers us a wealth of outdoor activities, including skiing, snowboarding, surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, camping, hang gliding...

Softstar continues its award streak, ranking 10th among Oregon Business's 100 Best Green Workplaces  Wow, what a spring it’s been here at the workshop! Just this past March, Softstar was selected from over 230 entrants to be named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon”. It was an amazing honor to have one of our core...

Ready for a little trip back to the days of jean jackets, Rubik's cubes and Max Headroom? Crank your DeLorean up to 88, because here we go ... Softstar founder Tim Oliver recently came to me holding an overflowing folder he found while cleaning his house. "You can have these if you think they're interesting," he said, squares of yellowed paper fluttering...

We always know St. Patick's Day is close when we see an influx of green shoe orders come through our workshop! This year is extra special with our limited edition Shamrock RunAmocs, courtesy of Elf Katie's wicked sewing and embroidery skills: While most of the folks in our shop have plans to go out for corned beef, drink green beer...

We were honored by Oregon Business this month to be voted one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon! Of course, this comes as no surprise to us. Between playdays, the ability to bring children to work, occasional trips to the amusement park and general everyday explosions of creativity in our workshop, we know we have a good...

I don't think a single day goes by in our workshop that we don't appreciate the relationship we have with our local community. Our fans are the BEST, and it's touching to see how many customers have developed a personal relationship with our shoemaking and customer service elves. It's an honor and a privilege for our workshop to be located...

Our move date is still many months out, but we're seeing a lot of progress happening on our new workshop! The historic building in neighboring Philomath, Oregon was originally a roller skating rink back in the 1950s, but has turned into a crumbling eyesore over the past few decades. We're thrilled that our new shoemaking workshop will not only give...