Scott’s Shoes

Well, first off, it is no longer Scott’s Shoes. He sold it to Sole Desire and is now managing the store in the same location. I have never understood the wonderful reviews regarding the superior customer service at Scott’s Shoes. I bought shoes here in the past, but as for great customer service, I don’t think that I have ever had anything close to that. Which is why I have chosen to rarely shop here. My daughter and I stopped in today, to check out the new store. No one greeted us or asked if we needed anything, even though we heard him greet other people after us. I am a firm believer in supporting local businesses, but I just can’t support this place. For me personally, it’s been one time too many — being treated like he was doing me a favor, rather than appreciating a customer that chose to stop by and shop at his store.

Shopping at Scott’s Shoes is always a pleasure. Scott is super friendly and helpful and knows his customers by name. I came in today and Scott knew what I wanted and even remembered my shoe size. I got a great deal and a token for a free Tucker’s ice cream. Thanks Scott for the excellent customer service!

Scott is the man. He’ll help you find exactly what you’e looking for, and if he doesn’t have it he’ll order it for you. Got my favorite socks and shoes from here :)

BEWARE. They have a ONE WEEK return policy. The financial burden of keeping this business afloat is on its patrons.
For so many reasons I want to support our small, local businesses. I live in the Oakland hills so travel to shop Alameda is not usually convenient. Somehow I decided I liked Scott’s and for 15 years bought all my shoes there. I’m not too picky about style so I would select from their very limited inventory of what would fit my foot. I could never take advantage of coupons I would receive in email since it was usually out of my way.
Scott and his staff used to tell me to wear the shoe around my house to be sure it would work so sometimes I would buy 2 – 3 pair and return 1 – 2.
No longer their customer.

My wife and been buying our shoes here for many years. Scott is always helpful and has a great selection of quality shoes. He has occasional sales via email which is nice.
I had a problem with a pair of ahnu shoes and he went way out of his way to make it right.

Service here is tops. Scott treats his customers like treasures. My dog ate one of my favorite Orthaheel sandals. I called to check that they had my size before going to get a replacement pair, and Scott put them aside for me and gave me $ 5 off to take the sting out of having to buy them all over again. It’s not the $ 5 that has me smiling, it’s the fundamental niceness of the gesture. Nice store, nice merchandise, very nice people!

I don’t really get the fuss. I was really looking forward to my first visit based on the glowing reviews. I am in the market to buy three or four pairs of shoes and was ready to spend some money. But the selection is really, really limited. For instance, women’s running shoes? There were only four models. Hiking shoes? Same. Dansko clogs? Same. You get the idea. All of these were over $ 100 a pair, as well.
The store was nearly empty when I came in but the owner (I presume) continued a lengthy personal conversation instead of engaging me. I left shoeless. Back to online shopping for me.
IF you live nearby and Scott’s selection just hits that sweet spot for you, then I can see why you would shop here as he gets rave reviews for service. But if you need a lot of different styles, this is not the place for you.

Bought a pair of Taos shoes here several months back. Best shoes EVER. … My shoe got a little rip in the side. Scott had it fixed quickly for me and didn’t even charge me. … Good selection, nice & helpful staff. And if something goes wrong with your shoes, you know you are in good hands!

I’m just your average fella that has been exclusively wearing grey New Balance M990s for the past few years and I only buy a pair when the last pair has worn out, and when I need that new pair I always make the trip from Berkeley down to Alameda to see Scott and his crew.
Why make the trip to Alameda? Why not just shop on Amazon?
— Scott and his crew’s number 1 priority is to delight every customer that visits their store, these folks know customer service inside and out
— The selection of shoes may appear a little limited compared to your oversized shoe warehouses, but that’s because they only sell top quality products. You won’t find those cheap $ 20 BOGO deals that fall apart in just a few weeks. You will enjoy what you get there.
— This is a way to support a great local business. Scott’s shoes embodies that friendly local mom and pop shop. The staff is great, the product is great, and you’ll leave happy with a smile.

Excellent service, great selection and Scott is quite funny. After buying a pair of Dansko clogs and heels there, the heels needed to be stretched and widened, which Scott did true to form. I purchased another set of heels off a web site, and they also needed to be stretched. Scott offered to do so even though I didn’t buy them from his store. I foresee a pair of flats in my future, and you can bet I’ll but them at Scott’s Shoes.

I want everyone to know that if you are old enough to remember the true meaning of customer service than you will be a fan of Scott’s Shoe Store in Alameda! I remember when you could walk into a shoe store and the owner would remember your name and some important detail about your last conversation. I remember when you would sit in a shoe store and the sales person would actually offer to measure your foot. I also remember when they would offer at least two maybe three selections of shoes based on you foot type, style and color. Believe it or not, Scotts does all of that and more. I honestly say that if you want to re-​live the shopping experience, go to Scott’s. He will treat you like the king that you are! I don’t mind paying top dollar if I find value in what I’m purchasing. This place has a modern twist on the «old School» principles! The way shopping for shoes use to be…

I used to drive all over the Bay Area to shop for shoes. No more! Scott’s gets practically all my business because he’s convenient and has a great selection for such a relatively small store. He usually has some nice surprise, like a 10% discount, free socks, or free shoe polish thrown in or some other token of appreciation. When he doesn’t have something you’re looking for, he’s happy to order it for you or tell you where you can get it, even if it’s at a competing store. When I’m downtown Alameda, which is about every weekend, I have to stop by to see what’s new. Love this place! (And it doesn’t hurt that your dog is welcome!)

The shoes here are pricey, but top quality and with service to match. I brought back a pair to return after the 7 day limit — Scott wouldn’t take them back, but he refunded the difference between what I paid and the most recent sale price. I walked in with shoes, and walked out with shoes and cash!
It’s places like Scott’s Shoes that make Park Street so great — not the Subway and the upcoming Walgreens. Shop with businesses like Scott’s and keep Alameda awesome!

We recently visited Scott’s Shoes. My fiancé was desperate for a pair of work boots or sneakers and, after reading Unilocal reviews, we decided to give Scott’s Shoes a try. The store is located on Park Street. The store is small and, as a result, offers a small selection of shoes. But, despite that, my fiancé was able to find exactly what he needed and is absolutely happy with his purchase!

This store has an excellent selection of stylish, fine quality shoes. The service is fantastic, too. I will go out of my way to shop here over other stores.
Love my new Danskos, too! You can find parking in their back lot if Park Avenue is crowded.

The owner is awesome. He’s funny, honest, and down-​to-​earth. You know you can trust a seller when he tells you not to buy his products. My mom was looking for a specific type of shoe, and once she mentioned that the shoes were hurting a certain part of her leg, Scott immediately told her not to buy them. Wow. Talk about unexpected! He straight out informed her that «if it hurts now, it probably won’t get any better.» Initially, I thought he was joking. Then I thought he was just plain pessimistic. But he’s right. The Achilles tendon is a sensitive spot. Many other sellers will urge you to buy their item, no matter what. They’ll usually make up some phony excuse of how your current complaints are temporary or not a big deal. But not Scott! He’ll tell you the truth and offer recommendations based on his many years of experience, and that alone deserves 5 stars!

Just had the most amazing experience at Scott’s. They had ordered me some shoes which for some reason hadn’t arrived today, two days after the eta… I’m leaving tomorrow on vacation, so I was a little stressed about not having my shoes… even though it really was my fault for ordering when I was under a deadline. Scott actually offered to go BUY me some shoes at another store and DELIVER them to my house. Seriously!!!
Instead, I ran into the store and he pulled together a bunch of alternatives, I found a pair in seconds since they had already measured me well the last time I was in there… and I was out of there in about 5 minutes.
However…I had idiotically left my credit card ON THE FLOOR! I went off to my much needed exercise class, only to come home to TWO messages on my voicemail, as Scott had been frantically trying to figure out how to get my card back to me. Mind you, this was TOTALLY MY fault, but he went way out of his way, AFTER closing time, to fix the problem for me. He finally came to the idea of leaving it at a neighboring restaurant, correctly deciding that that would be much better for me than having to get back to Scott’s during business hours tomorrow.
I will probably never buy shoes anywhere else again!

I love this store. I wish they had a larger selection, particularly of dressy shoes, but the styles they do have are really nice. You won’t find super-​high heels or very strappy designs here, but you probably won’t find bunions or a broken ankle, either, so that’s ok.
I’ve tried buying New Balance shoes at Big 5, and there was some weird, terry-​cloth like nap in the fabric inside the shoes, which seemed to grab my socks and scootch them down around my heels. Very irritating. So I took those back and went to Scott’s for higher-​end New Balance shoes. Scootching did not ensue.
I have weird feet. They’re wide, with short little toes, a peculiar Achilles tendon, high arches, they roll out a little … Scott ALWAYS comes up with something that fits. Can’t wear clogs or Danskos at all, but such is life.
Unfortunately I don’t have a huge budget for shoes. Which is sad, because I LOVE cute shoes, and I usually just have to get walking shoes. Yes. Very pedestrian. I buy sneakers — usually Merrells or New Balance — about every 6 to 8 months.
For about $ 100 you can get a really nice pair of cute shoes that will LAST and remain comfortable. One happy day, I bought a pair of leather mary janes at Scott’s, and with quite regular wear, they lasted me 4+ years. This is way better than buying cheap pleather shoes that don’t fit, and that fall apart after a week.
Scott and his staff are friendly, fairly efficient, and super helpful, and they’ve even given me a cup of water, because shoe-​shopping is thirsty work.

Scott’s Shoes is one of Alameda’s treasures. Scott, who has known Better Half since they were both in high school here on the island, has been selling clothing and shoes ever since, and his expertise shows in his shop. Scott’s inventory isn’t the broadest, but he seems to carry what many Alamedans want and I’ve never seen the store empty.
Last weekend I was in search of good walking shoe. After getting more and more confused by reading online shoe reviews, I went to the expert. My size of the shoe Scott recommended wasn’t in stock, but it was later in the week and Scott promptly called to let me know it was in (just has he had earlier called to let me know it hadn’t yet arrived).
While waiting for the shoes to show, I do admit I did some online price comparison. The shoes I bought would have sold for about the same price as I paid for them at Scott’s. I found a cheaper source, but I had an online coupon from Scott’s that brought the price right in line with the online offering. And if I ever did find a discrepancy when shopping for shoes, Scott is the kind of guy you could be honest with and just tell that to and see how it plays out.
Alameda is gifted with a group of great retailers who have found balance between offering goods and services at prices locals will pay and making an honest profit. Scott falls right within that category, which has earned it a loyal local following.

Five stars for the service when I bought my shoes.
One star for the service when I returned my shoes.
I bought a pair of Dansko clogs that I worn inside for about ten minutes. They made my ankles roll & they were super uncomfortable. I bring the shoes back two days later — completely within the store’s return policy — and this is how it went down.
Me: Hey, I’d like to return these shoes.
Scott: Why?
Me: They made my ankles roll.
Scott: So?
Scott: … Okay. Would you like to exchange them for anything?
Me: Not today.
Scott:… That means no. Okay.
Me: Thanks — I’ll stop back in when I have more time.
Scott: No you won’t, but that’s okay.
Made me feel totally uncomfortable. I know it sucks when people return merchandise, but if you don’t want to accept returns, then just say so. I’m fine with stores that don’t allow you to return stuff — I’m just more careful when I shop there.