Maybe its all those liberals in SF have tiny feet to match their tiny minds. But I've cruised Mission and never found one either. I have been paying attention over the years and most shoe makers rarely make over a size 11, and almost never over 12 without a special order. But outside of payless - and count me as one who doesn't like their quality much - I'm not finding a big shoe store.
We were talking about it one night at a social gathering and of all the answers I think that the person who blamed it on ethnic demographics. Having such a large % of the population of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino decent, where a size 12 woman's shoe is almost impossible, cuts down on people who would bother to carry inventory. Perhaps that's why the mythical Great Big Woman's Shoe Store would be in Oakland, where a high % of African-America women live, a population group that has larger than average feet. (Yeah and I hear my AA coworkers going "That's right Kat, and you know what else we have that's larger than average?")
So its always made sense to me that such a shoe store would be in Oakland, if it exists. But even then, with so few models that are even made in the sizes I think the net is the best to shop the net, you just more choices.
You know who makes some very nice real-world Woman's shoes that I hear are out of this world comfortable for walking is Rockport, might check out their site.
What we ought to do is contact Madame First Lady Michelle Obama, cause she's got some gunboats and still finds Jimmy Cho's for them. (She is a size 12 BTW). So where is she shopping?
