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Saturday, May 28, 2022

Previously-Owned Vans...My Humble Collection


 I have more pairs of shoes than my wife. I think, except for my daughter, I have more pairs of shoes than my wife and my sons. This is not something I actively pursued...it was more of a passive activity.

Shoe collecting.

Now, I'm in no way a big collector. To say I have more pairs of shoes than the rest of my family is not a big deal. Some of them only have a couple of pairs of shoes. Plus, of all the shoes I bought, only a few I paid retail. Almost all my shoes were bought at yard sales or thrift stores. And the shoes I find myself gravitating toward lately, are Vans.

Years ago, I used to buy dress shoes. I have several pair of Allen Edmonds. Once I recognized the brand, I found them quite regularly. Fast forward a few years and since I work at home, I almost never wear dress shoes. The luster has faded. Now that I'm home almost 100% of the time, I'm looking for comfort, casual footwear.

I think I had a pair of Vans when I was in high school...hard to remember, it's been almost forty years (still can't believe that...). It's not that they're the greatest shoe ever produced, but they are comfortable. I found a pair a few years back, unicolored, black. I wore them a lot, so much so, I wore a hole in the toe of one shoe. I still have them. The next pair was a teal and black combo with laces. I prefer laceless shoes, but when you're shopping at a thrift store, choosey is almost never an option.

Last year, a new thrift store opened up in our town and that's where I've found two of my favorite pairs of shoes, the black Vans with a white stripe, and the classic black and white checkered Spicolis. 

I wear those all the time now.

Each time I visit a thrift store, I check out the shoes. It's not the first place I check, but before I leave, I make it a point to scan the racks. I like wearing shoes out and considering my age, there's no way I'll ever wear all out the shoes I own. I don't need another pair, but if I spot another pair of Vans (or Converse, for that matter...) in my size that are not completely falling apart, I'll probably pick them up. Then, my biggest decision will be (as it is today...), which pair to wear?

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