Karavel Shoes

After my husbands joint replacement in his great toe, his doctor recommended we get him fitted at Karavel.
We have been customers for over 3 years. Even when they are super busy they treat everyone like you are the only customer in the store. We are very happy with the quality service we receive and live the rewards program!

I’ve been here twice now. It’s really challenging to decide on a rating that works best. The salesman that helped me the first time was very kind and helpful. The second man was equally helpful, but gave me the creeper vibe. As far as shoe salesmen go, I would be very interested to know the percentage of them that have a foot fetish LOL! I’m pretty sure creeper dude from my second visit falls in that category. There was just a bit too much touching of the foot and telling me my feet were pretty… eek!
On to the shoes at the store. Lord knows if you’re shopping here, you’ve owned the fact that your feet freakin’ hurt, you’re old or you’ve had some ankle injuries and need some memaw shoes. I’d like to say that I’m the third category. All those things said, this place actually has a few pairs of shoes that you might see on someone under 50! No, you will not find spiked heels here, but hey, when you get to a certain age, you just know that ain’t in the cards. They have sensible shoes and fairly high prices, but I have been supremely happy with the shoes once I wore them a few times. The great thing about this place is they actually take the time to fit you in the right shoe. Sometimes what we think is right… isn’t always the best in the long run.
Happy customer, and will go back. Just might be a bit more selective with my salesmen. Oh, who the hell cares, I guess if he gets his jollies touching my feet, whatever. Maybe I’ll have a drink before I go in next time so that I won’t notice it, LOL.

First of all, ask for Javier. I’m not saying that the other sales people are bad, I’m just saying that Javier is terrific! He will make sure that you leave with the right pair of shoes every time. I am very hard to fit as my feet are two different sizes and much wider than normal. Once I tell him the style or color of shoes and I’m looking for, he usually brings several different ones for me to try but the first one is almost always perfect. His voice will make you melt and he is very polite. If I had an unlimited budget for shoes I would go in just to flirt with him.

I was on the hunt for some comfortable shoes and after visiting two other stores with no luck, I was getting doubtful that I would satisfy my need. I waltzed my shoppy ass into here and was immediately greeted by the ever so friendly (and helpful) Susan Edwards. She was like «Make yourself at home and let me know if I can help you find something». I thanked her and began my tour. Now this store ain’t all that big so don’t expect to be overwhelmed with selections.
I kicked my shoes off (I was told to make myself at home) and started perusing the offerings. My first thought was that everything was gonna be outrageously expensive. I found that not to be so. It didn’t take me long to spot a pair of Olukai Nohea Mesh Slip-​ons. I pulled the display off the shelf, gave it a go over, and asked Susan for a size 11. She welcomed me to come sit in one of the chairs. She sat on the floor and measured my feet then went to fetch the shoes. She came back and sat down on the floor and put the shoes on my feet all the while talking and explaining this and that!
I got up and walked around for about five minutes and was sold! The comfort of these shoes was awesome! A $ 85 deal. While she was boxing them up I went back to that same shelf because a pair of lace ups had caught my eye. I picked them up and sure enough they were another Olukai brand. I had to try them also as I was thinking how good they would look with shorts. At $ 95 this was another score! Both pairs of shoes are so damned stylish and comfortable and have a drop-​in heel. I have never owned Olukai’s before today, but, I bet I’ll be buying more of their styles in the future!
Karavel thank you for being an «Austin original» and thanks for the great brands and styles for men. And a very special thanks to Susan and the old fashioned service! Spot on! Men if you like comfort and style on your feet come check out these Olukai’s. Ladies and Gentlemen if you are wanting to get your man a nice gift I would recommend these shoes for sure!
**They also have another location by IKEA in Round Rock**

Good reason they’ve been in business so long. I had major foot/​ankle pain after too many years working on my feet. Javier spent over 2 hours with me trying shoes. He knows his stuff. I bought 2 pair and feel like I walked out with new feet.

Living in a world of giants, it’s always been a struggle to find men’s shoes for anyone over size 14. As a woman it seems even more difficult to find stylish shoes over size 10. Karavel has repeatedly «stepped up» to find the solutions each time I walked into the showroom.
This time was exceptional when I had a specific issue with a pair of my most favorite new pair of shoes. Andy was able to modify my shoes to fit that one irritating smaller right foot to match the comfort of the larger left foot. Some kind of magic he did in that back room and again I am again walking in the clouds. Service here is outstanding!
As a flight attendant, when your feet are happy EVERYONE is happy.
Thanks Andy!!!

There people know their stuff! They can tell you which company bought which shoe manufacturer, and which technology crossovers resulted in the merger/​acquisition. After a few failed experiences finding men’s boat shoes for a wider foot (if you have EE width shoes, this review is for you) at a certain popular show warehouse, Karavel saved the day by finding a few options that work well.
Delighted to come back and work with professionals such as Eric. When I went, they had a sale on kids shoes (think elementary school, not babies), all half off– enter at the New Balance and walk towards restrooms on the left.
Come here for a personalized shopping experience, especially if you wear orthotics, have wider feet, or just want to try on great shoes. :)

I regretfully need to leave Karavel with this review. I went in to Karavel with my Groupon to order shoes for work. I wrote down my details and was told I’d be called by Vivian. A week went by, no call, so I called them. I left a message on voicemail and again with a person. The next day I received a callback saying that the shoes would be ordered and that they’d call me when that happened. Another week went by, no call, so I dragged in my family including bored kids, signed up to be seen on a wait list, waited 15 minutes only to be told that … they’d call me tomorrow… That they hadn’t forgotten about my order. I called two more times with no reply. This was a month ago. I’m sure now I have been forgotten about and have now returned my Groupon and won’t be returning to Karavel.

A great place to buy comfortable shoes that fit correctly. Our sales person, Lauren, was extremely helpful. Finding exactly what I was looking for and making suggestions of shoes she thought would work for me. I left with three pair so I think she did a pretty good job! One of my selections was on sale, so that was nice.
Not being able to see inside the store didn’t make it seem very inviting but once inside it was fine.

They must have changed over management, because this place was great! I bought Groupon with Karavel shoes, and was kinda dreading the experience. But hey I needed new running shoes.
Joe assisted me and was AWESOME! Got me in a great pair of Brooks and was very knowledgeable, friendly and a was an exceptional person to buy shoes from. Happy I gave this place another try! Will be back again when I am in need of new running shoes.

We found a new favorite shoe store for those of us challenged to find shoes that fit correctly. Best selection my wife found for wide width shoes. Prices are competitive for the quality shoes they stock. Sales people were friendly, knowledgable, made some great suggestions. Store is clean, bright and comfortable to shop in. The also carry many of the men’s shoes I wear including Keen and Naot. Nice selection of moderate and pricey shoes.

I’ve always had a great experience here. I need a larger sized shoe and it can be a nightmare finding something I like in my size. This place always seems to have the answer! Go and see Jerry, he’ll get you into something comfortable and tailored to your needs.

Came in with a pair of New Balance I bought there a year ago. They were already wearing out on the inside left heal, giving me a blister. I bought them to replace my Brooks which I had for 10 years and where more comfortable. Jerry gave me half credit for the NB shoes and fortunately, they now carry Brooks so I got a pair of Brooks which provide far better support than the NBs. Thanks Karavel and Jerry for excellent customer service!

I can’t believe some of the people on here deducting stars for parking. Are you kidding me? That whole area is «weird» because of the street layout; go complain to the city planners! (what was that saying y’all are so fond of? Keep Austin… something)
Does an online store have a broader“selection” of shoes? Are 90% of those choices irrelevant? Yes.
I know since at least 2011 they have had a prominent sign and clipboard right has you walk in that says «Sign in for Assistance». That’s how you get service, not by just standing by the shoes you want to look at. If they are busy with a customer, they might tell you that they will be with you in a moment. Or they might assume you came to window shop, who knows. My point is: Look around when you step in a shop. There might actually be printed signs that inform you on what to do and how to do it. This is a life lesson people.
I had about the most painful plantar fasciitis of my life and needed shoes that would bring me relief and put my feet back on track. Joe listened to my concerns, showed me how my feet were working and how they should work, and gave me way better treatment than even the podiatrist I went to 3 days earlier! Joe hooked me up with a great pair of Merrell’s with some minimal inserts for support. I immediately felt relief in my foot! $ 180 all said and done. Take it from me; that is a small price to pay to be walking around without pain. If you think about it, we interact with the world way more with our feet than anything else and if you’re feet are messed up, you ain’t walking bruv!
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: This was on a Sunday at 3pm. You think they wouldn’t rather have the day off? Anyone would rather not be at work on a Sunday, but Joe was very gracious with his time and was awesome anyway.
I know I’m leaving some great stuff out, but I just can’t imagine anyone giving this place less than 4 stars. If you want to go stare at a bunch of shit shoes, go to walmart or something, as for me, I will go to Karavels.
Bottom Line: If you care about your FEET, go to Karavel.

This is a real, honest shoe store where they ask you what you want and how your feet fit things, then measure your foot and then bring out shoes you’ll actually like. At least that was my experience.
I’m usually the person who will buy 8 – 12 pairs of shoes on Zappos and then return all but one or two instead of going to a store, but after that failed me for getting a new pair of dress shoes, my wife convinced me to try going here since they had mostly the same brands and might help out.
I walked in and told them that I was looking for a bicycle toe and that I had very long, very flat arches, which made me usually buy wide shoes. They brought out 3 options and the 2^nd of the 3 is the best-​fitting dress shoe I’ve ever tried on. They look really sharp to boot.
To make things even more amazing the price on the shoe is the same as it was on Zappos. Doesn’t cost you anything extra to support a local business. That’s a huge win-​win. Check this place out if you need any form of dress shoes.

The woman was helpful and patient, spent time with me. The shoes cost almost $ 200 but give me blisters. I suppose I can go back and have them stretched out some. I think she should have known I was a real newbie…

I can not say enough good things about Kini (pronounced Kee-​née). I work in the hospitality industry and she found me a shoe that allows me to be on my feet for up to 16 hours without feeling like I’m going to die at the end of the day. She also helped make another pair of previously purchased shoes comfortable by stretching them to the proper width. She absolutely changed my quality of life. Thanks, lady!

Went to Karavel to try and find a pair of Ecco’s I’d been looking for. Another store suggested Karavel’s which I’ve passed by a million times but never stopped in. So, I gave it a try. I won’t be back.
The parking is weird, weird, weird. Hard to get into, hard to get out of. Who designed this wacky space?
The store itself was clean and comfortable and well lit. I only perused the Ecco section, but there are New Balance and other brands there too. Even though it was before lunch on a weekday, the store was struggling to keep up.
There appeared to be only two people working the Ecco section. No one — not a customer or salesperson was in the last area: was that Clark’s? Not sure, but there were several people milling around in the NB section.
The poor Ecco staff was trying to keep up: with two customers already being waited on, and three or four more standing around (including me) they were getting pressed, but — I suppose to their credit — they never rushed their customers. That’s both good and bad.
Eventually someone wandered over from NB and asked if they could help me: I told him what I wanted, and he said something like ‘I’m not really familiar with Ecco’. Uh; why did you offer to help me then?
He wandered away, the sales people never got finished with their clients and after 15 minutes in the store with no hello or goodbye I split. The store seems as confused as the parking.
Wacky.

I’ve purchased several pairs of european shoes at Karavel. I’ve been pleased with the shoes but the service and selection is marginal. I went to Karavel last week to buy a pair of shoes that I had seen on-​line but they did not carry the style (they did have the brand) and did not suggest that they could order them for me. Besides the saleswoman was obviously having a bad day.
These days just being ‘average’ is not good enough for me. I ended up buying the shoes from Zappos where the service and selection are spectacular. I would have pre freed to shop locally. Hence the #2 rating.

Karavel Shoes has turned shoe buying from a horrific affair into something palatable.
Karavel is practically the only place I buy shoes. I have bunions that make my feet really hard to fit, especially in closed toe shoes. But time after time, Karavel helps me find closed toe shoes, sandals, and dressy heels too, that even I can wear.
Some of the styles they have there are funky, yes. Many are also very cute. But for someone with problematic feet, simply wearing a shoe all day with no pain is a huge accomplishment. Most shoes I’ve bought here feel great on their very first day. So there’s some give and take with the style.
When you walk in, you have to put your name on a list for a salesperson. This salesperson will then stick by your side, waiting on you hand and foot, until you find what you need. Some might find this a little oppressive but I’m glad it’s not me that is unwrapping and wrapping pair after pair when I can’t find one that fits. And often the shoe I end up getting is the one that they recommended rather than the one I picked out, because they know how to fit shoes. The gentleman who helped me last time even pointed me to a device that stretches shoes for bunions, sold at a reasonable price elsewhere.
Be prepared to spend between $ 100-​$ 300 on a pair of shoes here. But for those feet-​challenged people who understand they simply have to pay more out of necessity, it’s heaven.