# Oak Street Bootmakers



## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

I think the TRAD Forum gentlemen found *Oak Street Bootmaker* shoes way ahead of me but I'm glad I finally ordered a pair. They are classic, well made (in the USA) and beautiful shoes. I got the Brown Beefroll Penny Loafer. 

Can't have too many Penny Loafers!! These are Horween® (our friends in Chicago), Chromexcel® leather. You can recognize the leather, stitching, and construction quality from across the room!An incredible value at only $270 and made in the USA!


The sole stitching is channeled (the stitches are in a carved chanel but you can see them).

They have this about sizing on their site:

If you plan on wearing thin or no socks, sizing-down one half size from your usual dress shoe size will result in the best fit. If you plan on wearing normal or thick socks, you should find that our footwear runs true-to-size.

The nice folks at Oak Street Bootmakers were kind enough to send me three pair to make sure the sizing was correct. I tried them on carpet! And picked the best fit and returned the others. (a small price to pay for the convenience). And the fit is very, very comfortable. Not sure if that's due to the high quality leather or the style, or both.

*I also ordered the Brazilian Horsehair Shoe Brush, an excellent value at only $10.00 
*

And the Venetian Shoe Cream. I've not tried this before but the site says it's " a well-kept secret amongst fine cobblers and shoemakers everywhere." I think the secret is out - this is great stuff! It cleans,polishes and preserves (all in one shoe cream) and is good for patent leather too.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Nice shoes!

Did you find they ran true to size as the manu. said?


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Hey guys!
This is George from Oak Street Bootmakers. I just saw Andy's post and wanted to drop in to say hello! This is a great community - one that I have personally been an active reader of for several years, and so it's wonderful to see that Oak Street is being noticed here! Please feel free to post any questions - and I'll be sure to answer you right away.

Thank you so much guys!

-George
Founder/Design Director
Oak Street Bootmakers


----------



## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Flanderian:

I've been a US 10.5 D until recently when I started gravitating to a US 10 and UK 9. The Oak Street Bootmakers Penny 10 D fit perfectly!



Flanderian said:


> Nice shoes!
> 
> Did you find they ran true to size as the manu. said?


----------



## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

beautiful, classic pennies. Andy, if you like Venetian, check old threads and you'll get the name of a couple of suppliers who will sell you a one quart tin for under 20 bucks, and you're set for life. and, btw, that Brazilian horsehide brush looks like a "Star" brand. They're the best, another lifetime product.


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

The Rambler said:


> that Brazilian horsehide brush looks like a "Star" brand. They're the best, another lifetime product.


You got it Rambler - ours are the extra large Brazilian Horsehair brushes, and they're an incredible value for a lifetime brush. There are so many others out there with bristles that are tough as nails, or not packed tight. These are soft and full



Flanderian said:


> Nice shoes!
> 
> Did you find they ran true to size as the manu. said?


Flanderian - we do find that they run true to size - just go with what you usually wear in your other dress shoes. With that said, we recommend a snug fit as Horween Chromexcel conforms to the foot, as does true handsewn construction


----------



## Reptilicus (Dec 14, 2004)

George, 
Are you planning on carrying these loafers in narrow sizes in the future?



OakStreetBootmakers said:


> Hey guys!
> This is George from Oak Street Bootmakers. I just saw Andy's post and wanted to drop in to say hello! This is a great community - one that I have personally been an active reader of for several years, and so it's wonderful to see that Oak Street is being noticed here! Please feel free to post any questions - and I'll be sure to answer you right away.
> 
> Thank you so much guys!
> ...


----------



## superpacker (Jul 16, 2008)

How high do these come up on the front of the foot? I have a pair of classic Cole Haan Pinch Pennys and they just sit a lot lower than I would like.

P.S. the Star brushes are wonderful.


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Reptilicus said:


> George,
> Are you planning on carrying these loafers in narrow sizes in the future?


we can do custom widths at no extra charge =) Shoot me an email
george at oakstreetbootmakers dot com




superpacker said:


> How high do these come up on the front of the foot? I have a pair of classic Cole Haan Pinch Pennys and they just sit a lot lower than I would like.
> 
> P.S. the Star brushes are wonderful.


I know what you mean about the short vamp! Ours definitely have a longer vamp. If you click through the photos of each of the loafers on our site, you can see worn photos that depict the vamp quite well. I think you'll be impressed


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

First Allen Edmonds, then Rancourt, and now Oak Street Bootmakers are on here! I like that great American footwear companies are taking an interest in what the sartorial community has to say.


----------



## closerlook (Sep 3, 2008)

^^^ one has to wonder why Alden reps do not make an appearance in the forum.


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Alden has gotten a reputation here (and at other clothing forums) for bad/apathetic customer service. Maybe that's why.

It's one thing to promote American-made, but another to patronise a company just because of that. AE, Oak Street, and Rancourt are all known for their quality standards, fair prices, and customer service. Given what's been said about Alden quality control issues and the way they handle it I'm unlikely to buy from them. I'm also unlikely to buy from Quoddy, who have gouged their prices over double what they were just a few years ago because the Japanese will pay that much. Their defensive response and derisive attitude toward clothing forums when I asked about it didn't help either. "Everyone complains about not being American made anymore but they don't want to pay the price for it." Yeah, well no one wants to overpay when it's not worth what you're asking either.


----------



## oldominion (Dec 8, 2009)

I'm in full agreement with my tradly cohorts that Oak Street's presence here is welcomed, and I offer the following anecdote with, I hope, the gentlemanly courtesy learned at the knee of my forebears: 

Not an hour ago I dropped off a pair of Oak Street full-strap navy loafers at my cobbler's here in Baltimore. I bought them two Augusts ago at Tenet in Southampton. After less than a year of very light but enjoyable wear the sole began to separate. The loafers sagged sideways as they broke in and now fit more like a loose moccasin; I have to wear socks with them, and the thicker the sock the better. 

My cobbler pointed out that the stitching on the sole was done in a very light gauge thread (yes, the bottom of the sole) that he, Stephan the cobbler, was surprised to see on a premium, Made in America, almost $300 loafer. Perhaps I caught Stephan before he'd had his second cup of coffee. On top of that, he claimed, the glue used to attach the sole was 'rubber', which I assume meant rubber cement. Thin thread plus bad glue equals sole flopping open like a mouth after fewer than twenty wearings.

It was my hunch from the start that the dudes at Tenet might've sold me a prototype or very early version of the loafer, for which I paid around $250-275, if memory serves. Perhaps the loafer was a one-off between Tenet and Oak Street, a limited run. A quick glance at Oak Street's web page and no full-strap loafer, only the beefroll...

I've long been a supporter less of 'Made in US, Rah-Rah-Rah' and more of the conscientious and focused craftsmanship that the 'Made in US' crowd purportedly devotes to their products, and it is for these latter reasons that I will continue to support guys like George, who are honorable human beings engaged in honorable pursuits, and who have the guts to represent their products in public fora such as this one. 

However, I remain cautious and perhaps even more wary of the same: If someone is going to charge a premium but not unreasonable price for their product, and to ride the popular wave of 'Made in US' as representative of higher quality, one would be best served to ensure that the quality is commensurably high. 

Oak Street's other shoes and boots look fantastic, and perhaps my loafers were very early in a production run of a discontinued product and the appropriate lessons were learned through the building of a prototype, so I must be clear that I'm not bad-mouthing the company and am simply offering a personal anecdote about my experience with single pair of shoes. 

Obviously, I'm not hating on Oak Street, and I hope none of my fellow posters misconstrue my comments, and I sincerely hope George does not take offense, nor do I want him to feel unwelcome or the focus of undue criticism: I enjoy the shoes enough to pony up the dough to have Stephan resole them, but believe they should not have had to be resoled after such limited use.


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Jovan said:


> First Allen Edmonds, then Rancourt, and now Oak Street Bootmakers are on here! I like that great American footwear companies are taking an interest in what the sartorial community has to say.


Thank you for taking notice! We definitely love feedback and hearing what you guys want to see

We're a small company - when you email or call, you get me on the other line =)

- George
Founder/Design Director
Oak Street Bootmakers


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

^oldominion - we appreciate the widespread love we've received, and in return, we take care of all of our customers - hopefully better than most companies out there! I actually responded to your post on a blog about this, with my email address, but didn't hear back. If there's ever a problem, we take care of it immediately - and of course, at no cost. If you ever need anything, just shoot me an email =)
I can let you know, that as a company who is spending top dollar on materials (like our Horween leather), we aren't skimping on thread or glue =)

Thanks so much oldominion!

-George
Founder/Design Director
Oak Street Bootmakers


----------



## oldominion (Dec 8, 2009)

Now that's what customer service is all about!

Cheers, George. I'm still very fond of the loafers. Thanks for responding so quickly, and, again, welcome to the forum.


----------



## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

I forgot an important feature that came with my shoes! -- the great shoe trees!!! They are high quality, cedar and have the Oak Street Bootmakers logo on them. Now I know which shoe trees fit my Oak Street shoes... unless I get a second pair...:icon_smile:


----------



## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

I've been wanting tassel versions of those exact pennies since Oak St first came to my attention (last yr, I think). Hope the price has stabilized at $270 or so (could have sworn they were 225 not that long ago, but I'm probably wrong).


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
...and they offer some mighty appealing camp/trail mocs for sale! :thumbs-up:


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

hookem12387 said:


> I've been wanting tassel versions of those exact pennies since Oak St first came to my attention (last yr, I think).


Hey hookem! I actually have played around with tassel loafers! I mocked up a pair in a beautiful leather called Dark Olive Bulldog - turned out great and I wore them on vacation this summer, but didn't know if there would be interest to make them for the site...I think I should consider it! Would you be most interested to see it in brown chromexcel?

Thanks so much for the suggestion!


----------



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

OakStreetBootmakers said:


> Thank you for taking notice! We definitely love feedback and hearing what you guys want to see
> 
> We're a small company - when you email or call, you get me on the other line =)
> 
> ...


I love that about Anderson-Little as well. You get Scott Anderson on the line most of the time.


----------



## Scott Anderson (Nov 20, 2008)

Hey George, glad to see you here. Keep up the good work and your shoes are gorgeous. I like people who make things and who make them here, so you're my kind of guy. I also hear what oldominion is saying loud and clear. We had a production issue early on which we quickly corrected based on feedback from our customers. I do believe that the consumer's job is to find the best price on the product that meets his needs. I think he'd like it to be made here but that's a preference and a not one I think he wants or should have to pay a premium to satisfy. I think even with an arguably stacked playing field against US manufacturing you are doing it in shoes and I am doing it in textiles--two industries given up for dead in this country long ago. In my opinion the problem is not that we can't compete, it's that we've been told for so long we can't that no one even tries. Well I am here to compete and it sure looks like you are as well. Keep up the good work and prove the conventional wisdom wrong. We can compete with US made goods the same way we always have--hard work, ingenuity, customer service and superior quality.


----------



## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

OakStreetBootmakers said:


> Hey hookem! I actually have played around with tassel loafers! I mocked up a pair in a beautiful leather called Dark Olive Bulldog - turned out great and I wore them on vacation this summer, but didn't know if there would be interest to make them for the site...I think I should consider it! Would you be most interested to see it in brown chromexcel?
> 
> Thanks so much for the suggestion!


I would think the brown chromexel would look great. I like tassel loafers more than many, though, so maybe everyone else wouldn't think them quite as cool?


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Scott Anderson said:


> Hey George, glad to see you here. Keep up the good work and your shoes are gorgeous. I like people who make things and who make them here, so you're my kind of guy. I also hear what oldominion is saying loud and clear. We had a production issue early on which we quickly corrected based on feedback from our customers. I do believe that the consumer's job is to find the best price on the product that meets his needs. I think he'd like it to be made here but that's a preference and a not one I think he wants or should have to pay a premium to satisfy. I think even with an arguably stacked playing field against US manufacturing you are doing it in shoes and I am doing it in textiles--two industries given up for dead in this country long ago. In my opinion the problem is not that we can't compete, it's that we've been told for so long we can't that no one even tries. Well I am here to compete and it sure looks like you are as well. Keep up the good work and prove the conventional wisdom wrong. We can compete with US made goods the same way we always have--hard work, ingenuity, customer service and superior quality.


Scott - thank you for posting! I certainly agree. Our driving force it to make the absolute best product we can, and deliver it at the absolute best price. That means our margins are super thin, but it gets our shoes on feet, and we couldn't be happier =)


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

hookem12387 said:


> I would think the brown chromexel would look great. I like tassel loafers more than many, though, so maybe everyone else wouldn't think them quite as cool?


Based on the comments and PM's I am going to go for it. I'm playing around with different leathers. I think brown chromexcel is almost a no brainer - will look incredible.

With that said - I think tassel loafers are 'cool' and making a resurgence among younger crowds. Specifically, worn sockless with shorts in the summer. Playing with classics like penny loafers and tassel loafers is a simple way to dress smarter. I wore Oak Street beefroll penny loafers most of the summer with shorts and got compliments quite a few times. Funny how something so simple gets noticed.


----------



## oldominion (Dec 8, 2009)

George, sent you an email through the 'info' address on your site.

I'd love to learn more about the chromexcel and olive tassels!


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

I thought you guys might like this photo showing the beefroll penny in action with some donegal trousers
https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/2a9ab9a0453111e19896123.jpg/
Was pretty excited to see this =)


----------



## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

Looks great!


----------



## brozek (Sep 24, 2006)

Hey George,
Do you guys have a retail location in Chicago? I'm planning to buy a pair before this spring, and it would be great to try some on and see the leather in person.


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Hey brozek - we'll have our shop open (on Oak Street) in Chicago at the end of February. Keep an eye out =) We'll send an email to newsletter subscribers when we open =)


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
That will certainly be worth an hour and forty minute run on the South Shore RR to come downtown and do some shopping! Looking forward to your grand opening. :thumbs-up:


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

Hey guys - our shop in Chicago did in fact open. It is called Independence

47 E Oak Street (above Jack Spade)

We have the entire Oak Street Bootmakers Line as well as a rotating stock of exclusives. Currently, we have a few pairs of Natural Chromexcel vibram trail oxfords as well as peanut suede red brick sole trail oxfords =)

The shop only sells goods made in America - so in addition to Oak Street Bootmakes we carry Engineered Garments, Gitman Vintage, Archival Clothing, Makr Carry Goods, deadstock American Optical sunglasses, etc.

If you have any questions, or want me to post photos just let me know =)


----------



## hookem12387 (Dec 29, 2009)

If those beefroll tassels ever come about, I will jump up and down in delight.


----------



## amemovox (Jun 26, 2005)

George @ Oakstreet is a pleasure to deal with. 

I was in the market for a beef roll penny. I chose the Navy Horween Chromesxcel. Great choice, I think. Wanted to break away from the browns.

I have a high instep and fit was not a problem. Just confirm your size. I recommend you size down at least one size.

Generally, I am an 11 on the Brannick device and chose a 10. Next time, may go to 9.5.

Great service, and George the owner, promptly responds to emails.


----------



## OakStreetBootmakers (Oct 25, 2011)

^Thank you so much for the kind words =) 

Enjoy your beefrolls!


----------

