I love my Florsheim shoes pretty much the same way some people love their pets. The older they get, the most affection they get from me. This love affair goes back a long time.
I saw a Florsheim shoe for the first time when I traveled to New York in October of 1980. I was being promoted to Sales Supervisor of marine fuels and lubes by Texaco and had to spend 15 days in New York and 15 days in London and Brighton to shape me up. It was be best experience in my life. But that’s another story.
In New York, I was staying at the Roosevelt Hotel; the same hotel where famous musician Guy Lombardo played for thirty years. On a cold Sunday afternoon, I decided to go out and explore the city. It was time to meet the beast face to face. I went window shopping at Manhattan’s famous Fifth Avenue.
The windows displays were gorgeous. It was October and the stores were getting ready to make the big killing in December. In one of those windows I spotted the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a closer look. Only to look I said, since my budget was extremely limited and I was in foreign lands. When I exited the store, my Net Worth had decreased by $50. Plastic money helped me out—Visa.
Since then, I’ve been completely faithful to Florsheim shoes. Not even once have I faltered in my love affair with this leather product. Even as we speak, I have four pairs of Florsheim shoes. They are the only ones I have. Here they are:
Photograph of the original shoes I purchased in New York in 1980. They have been with me for just about 29 years. The same number of years I've been married to my wife.