Where does your money go after it leaves your hand? Does it stay within your community? Does it benefit those responsible for the goods or services you enjoy? The love of a good deal can overshadow the effects of a dollar spent. Just as a pair of barefoot-inspired shoes can empower the entire body, so too is the life-altering reach a small business purchase has on its community.
Where does the money go?
When we shop at Walmart or place an order from Amazon, we understand the range of our transactions: To quickly find what we’re after from a place that carries everything. But how much of our money circles back to the creators, designers, and tradespeople that brought the items into existence? It can be difficult to reach those directly responsible, when the levels of big business, shareholders, and corporate hierarchy complicate the path of appreciation for quality products. The larger the company, the more challenging it is to know the impact our purchase has in its success.
Getting Back What You Put In
Revenue from small businesses, like SOM Footwear, stays in the business and with its employees. Purchasing a pair of our wide toe-box shoes from our online store or in-person at our factory in Montrose, Colorado, supports the talented team of seamstresses and shoemakers who make what you are about to wear.
When we say, From our hands to your feet, we mean it.
We design, cut, sew, shape, sole, lace, and box every pair of SOMs. Our hands are always involved, and our eyes are ever-present for quality assurance. If we spot something wrong, it is fixed or restarted no matter how far along it is in the process. We want you to be as proud to buy American-made as we are to make it.
We are nothing without our community, both in the surrounding mountains that have been our home for over eight years, to the inspiring customers who have grown with us, shared with us, and strengthened us into what we are today. SOM is as much your business as it is ours, which is why we strive to be as transparent as possible when there are changes, additions, or new policies implemented.
We want the lines between customer and company to be direct and uncomplicated. This not only improves our products, but the lives of our workers who make them and the satisfaction of our community who enjoys them. You get what you put in, and the end result is worthwhile when both sides are involved in the process.
A Balanced Purchase
Walmarts and Amazons will always have their place, but balancing larger retail chains with smaller, independent businesses helps direct resources and support back to the people and places most connected to the products and services that make them invaluable.
They may not have next-day free shipping, or half-off storewide prices, but time and money goes into quality, customer care, and the goal that whether you’re buying our shoes or crafting them, both sides deserve happy feet and happy lives.
