Sole man

It's tough being a Shoe Guy. You love shoes but dislike most of the ones you see.

from the May 2, 2008 edition

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"Looking at the Campers," Richard observed.

What a salesman. A simple "Can I help you with anything?" would have elicited an automatic "No thanks, just looking."

"I just can't decide on these. There's something about them," I said.

"Yes. Very distinctive," he said.

We stood in dead air for a few moments, both admiring the Campers. And then he said, "They're very collegiate ... Like something Ronald Reagan might have worn in college."

Sold. I would have paid full price just to hear that line. He didn't sell me shoes. He sold me a feeling, an image: A young Gipper with dark, wavy hair combed to the side, wearing his college sweater, and walking around campus in his ... Campers. It sounded so right.

The Campers have since become the standard-bearer on my shoe rack. Their versatility is unparalleled. They work casual or dressy, sporty or bookish, classic or trendy. Unfortunately I have not seen the brand at any store since.

After six years of being at the top of my shoe pile, the Campers are beginning to show signs of fatigue, as if they actually were worn by Ronald Reagan in college.

Once shiny and smooth, they are now faded and scarred. Looking at the balding bubbled soles, you can see my slightly uneven gait, the right heel worn more than the left. A small discoloration remains from a glop of banana pudding that landed on my toe as I sat in the front row of a Blue Man Group performance in Las Vegas.

But in each blemish is a piece of my life, a memory manifested in the tired leather: the first dazzling walk through Times Square, the last trip home for Christmas, the stroll through the French Quarter.

The shoes I cling to in my closet aren't always about style, comfort, or the occasion. There's always that one pair that's not about where I'm going but where I've been. Looking at my Campers is like looking at an old man's weathered face. You just know he's been places, that he has stories to tell.

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