Bare Feet Shoes 425 South Street Mon-Fri, 11a.m.-10p.m., Sat, 11a.m.-11p.m., Sun, 11a.m.-8p.m. (215) 922-0488
Don't be fooled by its name. Bare Feet Shoes is not conducive to kicking off your shoes and running around naked in the bushes. In fact, as soon as you walk into the store's big space, don't expect to browse and find a cute pair of pricey heels. Oh no, come to power shop and buy excessive numbers of shoes just because they're cheap.
You've all walked on South Street a million times to see Condom Kingdom or to pierce something Mommy and Daddy would never approve of and will probably never see. And you've all passed those gigantic shoe stores with knock-offs of every shoe in god's name, from Uggs (hello -- so last year!) to those cute rain boots they sell at Urban for outrageous amounts of money. Bare Feet Shoes is no exception. The store resembles a big shoe outlet with shoes that you never knew you wanted or needed until you looked at the $25 price tag. The store also carries jackets, sweaters and dresses that the models in the store's window wear with as much pride as they do their pink and white wigs.
The store managers claim that the three year-old store "has the best stuff in Philadelphia for the best prices, and we get new stuff in every day." Oh, and they also said, "Everyone should come here." When talking to the managers, you feel as if you're watching one of those cheap local commercials for furniture, where the owner screams everything because he thinks it'll make you want to buy his couches more.
The name of the store, Bare Feet Shoes, connotes an atmosphere of hemp and hippies. Instead, you're greeted by posters of the brands Bare Feet supposedly stocks -- from J.Lo to Kenneth Cole. Of course, these brands weren't available when we last checked (but their knock-offs were). However, ambience and storefront models aside, the store carries some hot women's shoes -- and when it comes down to it, Bare Feet Shoes, with its flower-child name, is all about business, baby.
