Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Stompers: Best Darn Boot Shop

Stompers Boots of San Francisco is by far the best damn boot shop in the world. While that's the owner's statement, I agree with it (though I prefer not to use profanity.)

I posted about Stompers on this blog often -- in fact, this post is a repeat of one that I posted back in 2008.  Stompers has suffered through the global recession with many challenges, yet has remained in business because of the owner, Mike's, dedication and commitment.  I am repeating this post because I think it's important that the Bootmen Community support this "Institution of Bootdom."

Over the years, I have purchased about 30 pairs of boots from this fine establishment in San Francisco's SOMA district. While I would like to have purchased all of the boots I got from them in person, since I live 3,000 miles away, most of my purchases have been via the phone, the store's website, and email confirmations.

Why, to me, are they the best? And why do I link from dozens of pages on my website, including my home page, to them?

My website is visited by bikers often. Bikers ought to know where to get decent motorcycle boots and stop wearing sneakers and shorts when riding. But I also have these reasons for endorsing Stompers so strongly:

Stompers has a great selection, particularly of biker boots. Dehner, Wesco, and Chippewa boots that they carry have found their way onto my feet, as well as a pair of Sendras, which Stompers carries too. They usually have most everything in stock, or can get it quickly. That isn't true for many other boot merchants.

Stompers is particularly good about working with customers on custom orders. Most of my tall biker boots are custom, including most of my Dehners and all of my Wesco engineer and harness boots. Chippewa Boots aren't available in custom sizes, but Stompers knows how to get me fitted correctly in Chips.

Mike, Stompers' Owner, offers great personal customer service. He wants his Bootmen customers to be happy. He ensures that the order is right. He also has a wickedly funny sense of humor, and has been fun to talk to and exchange email with. I am honored to enjoy his friendship, and to have thrown hundreds of referrals his way, knowing that many have resulted in sales.

Stompers' prices are competitive, and there is not a shipping charge for domestic U.S. orders. I haven't found the quality boots that I have wanted at a lower cost elsewhere. And Stompers is really good about getting custom orders to me as quickly as possible by working with its suppliers. Price-wise, I have saved about 20% off of MSRP when ordering through Stompers rather than from the manufacturer, such as Wesco, directly. The tall brown Wesco Harness Boots custom-made to my size (calf width being the issue) shown to the right were ordered from Wesco through Stompers, among others. I have gotten a lot of compliments on these boots. They look great! I often wear them proudly with jeans or leathers tucked in when I ride my Harley.

Stompers really knows how to display boots well in excellent photography of the boots the store sells. The boots are not only displayed, but shown on guys wearing them. You can see how a certain pair of boots would look on your own feet through the images offered on the Stompers Boots website.

I was honored to see that, with my permission, Mike has featured one of my photos with my Chippewa Firefighter boots on his website, here and here as well as joining the rotation of photos that appear when the home page is refreshed. Wow! Thanks, Mike!

If you have been thinking about getting some new boots, visit Stompers Boots, either in person while in San Francisco, or on-line. You will be happy that you did.

Life is short:  support the "Institution of Bootdom": Stompers Boots!

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