Recently we have seen a new elf running around the shop. We usually spot her / him first thing in the morning after a quiet night. I was lucky and caught the elusive elf on film this morning. We are hoping we have a new shoemaker setting up camp! The problem is we don't know what to call her...

A few months back we had Julie from our local garbage disposal company come talk to us about ways to reduce waste in our shop. In general we are doing the right things, but we asked her for ideas on the leather and soling scraps. She gave us a couple leads and we have been following up. For the leather...

Did you know that Ugg boots were made popular in the 80's by Australian surfers? They are great at warming your feet after hours in the ocean. I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that the friends and children of one of our favorite customers (professional photographers Ted and Debbie) use our Soft Star Phoenix sheepskin boots when surfing. Being...

We have very cool customers at Soft Star Shoes - but some are simply off the scale. Meet Sam Huber - founder, editor and on-the-move promoter of "Eco Runner". Since 2007 Sam has been promoting the concept of combining recreational running with collecting litter along the way. Simple, right? But he goes way beyond his philosophy of personal responsibility by...

Our friend Donald surprised us over the weekend and ran the 50M Quicksilver race in his RunAmoc Lites! (Actually it was a bit more than 50 miles, but you'll have to read his blog for the full story at http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/05/50-miles-in-moccasins-quicksilver-50m.html . The best part of the article (from our point of view) is that after a grueling day of running...

Barefoot Ted whisked into the Soft Star workshop last Thursday for a tour and a walk along our beautiful Willamette River. "El Mono" was one of the most energizing visitors we've had in a long time. Barefoot Ted with Soft Star Co-Owner Larkin Holavarri We went out for dinner and he warned us he eats a lot. YES HE DOES, but...

Barefoot Ted McDonald will be stopping by Soft Star next week for a tour of the workshop. We are busy making some extra wide RunAmocs for him to try on while here. We are thrilled he could squeeze us in between his busy speaking appointments and hope we can treat him to some Corvallis sights and a good meal while...