In grade 6 I wore a size 10 shoe.  I can remember crying in the department store when my mom took me to buy shoes.  The salesperson coughed back a chuckle as he mockingly asked, "What size?" and then told my mother that they didn't carry many shoes up to that size.  The options?  Ugly, big and beige.  Not a 12 year olds dream...that's for sure.  So I did what any normal girl would do.  I picked out the style that I liked, tried it on in a size 9 and claimed it fit perfectly.  And then I hobbled around school with painful toes.  Isn't that what you would have done?  I could not go to school with those "other" shoes. 

So I proceeded through life, feeling like Cinderella's ugly step-sister with my big feet and too small shoes. Living with in-grown toenails, blisters, and painful feet became the norm.  At some point the world began to take notice of those of us needing bigger shoes and size 10 wasn't so hard to find.  That is for those who were fully grown - I on the other hand had just started so my feet continued to outgrow the norm.  In high school I wore a size 11.  Once again faced with the issue of finding shoes "that big" was all consuming.   My mother's days of shopping with a very grumpy child were far from over.  I recall the torture she was put through as I lamented over crazy ideas such as not being able to get married because "no one would marry someone with such big feet".  I began to deal with my frustration with the shoe world by only wearing men's shoes.  Shopping at a store where someone spoke to me was out of the question.  I preferred outlet stores where I could pick shoes off the shelf in the men's section, try them on, and then pretend to be buying them for someone else.  No one would have to know my plight.  NO ONE.  Of course, the guy-shoe-thing prevented any form of dressing up.  An upcoming wedding would throw me into a state of panic.  Flip flops became my dress shoe of choice. 

Fast forward a couple of years, a husband, and 3 kids later.  (Yes, I did find someone to marry me who didn't even notice I had big feet until I pointed them out.  What a sweetheart!)  After being pregnant 3 times my feet have turned into the lovely duo they are today.  A beautiful, BIG size 12.  What is a girl going to do with such a problem but open a shoe store? 

And so we come to the present.  A problem, turned passion.  I love helping people find shoes that fit.  From little to big and everything in between you have come to the right place.  There will be no snorting, chuckling, or secret sharing here.  I am not shocked by any feet that walk through the door.  I just love to help find that shoe that is the "perfect fit".  I cannot think of a better feeling than having someone tell me that they can't find shoes anywhere, and then helping them find them at Sole Obsession.  It's what I do and I love it.