What's Happening at Village Shoes?

Our A.J. Morgan reader collection is out of control! We have every color, shape, and size known to man. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but we seriously have so many of them. Stop by our store and check them out! (Readers are for sale in-store only.)


We recently acquired this beautiful table from Bali. It's an old wooden door that was given a new life as a table. Because of the rustic look, our Frye merchandise looks wonderful displayed on it.


Oh, my! Who's that beeeaaautiful girl? Oh, wait...that's me! I spent the morning lowering the prices of our sale shoes! We have boots, oxfords, pumps, MBTs, and more, and some of the shoes are over 50% off. Grab a pair now before they're gone!

...and that's what's happening at Village Shoes!

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Elf Mountain Leather Goods at Village Shoes!

Elf Mountain Leather Goods started in 1994 when Dave Summers decided to dedicate his time to leather handcrafting. He initially made his products for friends and family, but thanks to word of mouth, hard work, and dedication, Elf Mountain was officially born in 1996, and has been growing ever since. Dave takes pride in running his company with an old world business philosophy where his customers are life-long because your purchase is meant to last.

According to Dave, finding the leather is half of the art. He looks for unique pieces and typically finds them in Portland and Eugene, Oregon and also uses fine leather out of Napa, California. The leathers are strong and are meant to last a lifetime. He recommends using leather conditioner to keep the bull hide soft, and suggests waterproofing with mink oil and beeswax, and is only a phone call away should you need any repairs. With proper care, your investment in Elf Mountain is something you will be able to enjoy for years and years.

We think these handbags pair nicely with El Naturalista, Frye and many others. Dave is also willing to take custom orders or add special details to one of the bags you see here. Please contact us for more info.

Post by Amanda

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What are you reading this summer?

The ladies at Village Shoes love to read! One of us utilizes the local library, two of us purchase from bookstores, and I purchase books online to download and enjoy using my E-Reader. Now that the weather is warm and lovely, everyone is looking forward to changing their reading venue from indoors to outdoors, and from enjoying hot tea, curled up in a blanket, to sipping iced tea in the shade.

What we are reading:

Amanda:

• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson "By far his best and most enthralling work of novelistic history….Powerful, poignant…a transportingly true story." -The New York Times

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs “A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.” -John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns

Stacey:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird is a first novel of such rare excellence that it will no doubt make a great many readers slow down to relish more fully its simple distinction. It passes the test with honors." -Chicago Tribune

Halle:

• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers "The symbols of mythology and legend are all around us, embedded in the fabric of our daily lives, and the Moyers-Campbell dialogues are a welcom guide to recognizing and understanding their meanings." - Cincinnati Post

• Mary and the Giant by Philip K. Dick "A retelling of Mozart's Don Giovanni, with Schilling seduced and destroyed by a young woman." -Philip K. Dick

• Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller "A dazzling performance that will outrage nearly as many readers as it delights." -The New York Times
  

Jen:

• “I’m reading my textbooks. Those aren’t fun, unless you are into reading about psychosis.” (Jen is currently studying Psychology and is knee deep in textbooks at all times.)

What are you current summer reads?

Post by Amanda

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Leaf Leather - Original Works of Art!

Leaf Leather, Inc. is part of the C.L. Whiting Collection. After years of study and countless hours of time, C.L. Whiting discovered the ability to produce tools in the shape of leaves with uncanny microscopic detail. Entire hides are tooled creating an original, one-of-a-kind work of art. With a great respect for nature and acquired knowledge of leather work, C.L. Whiting has personally trained several skilled craftspeople to help with the cutting, sewing, and finishing touches. This enables C.L. Whiting to create more of the beautiful hand tooled hides which are then made into finely detailed, meticulously finished leather goods. These original works of art are sought by fine gift stores, collectors, and notable art galleries across the country.

What I love about these bags... wherever you go you carry an exquisite piece of art with you. After all, isn't this exactly what we love about fashion? It's an expression of ourselves and of the world around us. These bags reflect the beauty of nature in fine detail. The clean lines of the bags themselves are sophisticated and lovely. Hurry and pick up one of these rare pieces before they are gone!

-post by Stacey

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Twilight and Filigree - Hand Painted Leather Jewelry Made in Portland Oregon!

Born from a love of nature and a soul rooted in creativity, Twilight and Filigree was founded by Elizabeth Robinson in 2008. With a background in fashion, costume design, and couture sewing, her strong sense of aesthetics and exquisite craftsmanship shine through on every creation. Her detailed and romantic designs form the basis for Twilight and Filigree: beautiful, charismatic and unique pieces for people like you to enjoy. All Twilight and Filigree products are made in Portland, Oregon.

Hand painted with acrylic paint and finished with a water resistant top coat made from natural ingredients. Sterling silver hardware. Shop Now!

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I ♥ Mac n' Cheese!

I recently was involved in a conversation with a friend about what my favorite and least favorite foods were when I was a child. I realized that not much has changed, which slightly concerns me.

I LOVE macaroni and cheese. It was one of the first “meals” that I was able to make for myself when my mother decided I wouldn’t burn the house down. To this day, it’s the only meal I make for myself consistently. I know, I know, it’s riddled with artificial flavors and preservatives, and I should know better, but I don’t really care. I’m not a huge fan of the pretentious restaurant macaroni and cheese made with real aged cheddar, Gouda, and other fancy cheeses. I don’t like the organic, all natural boxed mac and cheeses out there either. I find them bland in taste and boring in color. Gimme that MSG and bright orange food coloring! From time to time, I stray from Mr. Kraft and I spend some time with Velveeta. When I was younger, my mom used to make Velveeta macaroni and cheese for my brothers and I and we LOVED IT. LOVED IT! If she was feeling especially loving, she’d put ham in it too! She made it for us because it wasn’t time consuming, and it was something we all could agree on. I’ve made Velveeta mac and cheese a few times myself as an adult, but it never tastes as good as my mom’s. Now that I think of it, I’m not sure how happy my mom will be when she reads this and finds out that I like her 20 minute meal more than her intricate lasagna and seafood dishes.

And that bring us to my least favorite meal of hers: chicken cacciatore. When my mom would announce that we were having chicken cacciatore for dinner, I would become enraged. It’s not the sauce that bothered me the most, it was that when she made this meal she would use chicken thighs, legs, wings, and breasts. My mom and dad, being the all powerful adults would get the chicken breasts and my brothers and I were left dealing with skin and fat. I still have a phobia of fat on meat. I’d rather be stuck in a hell where I had to run laps on a track in 4 inch heels for eternity than take a bite of chicken, beef, or pork fat. This is not an exaggeration. It’s not that my mom’s meal tasted poorly, I just couldn’t get past having to work to get to the meat. Long story short, I’m a spoiled brat and I hated this meal as a kid because I didn’t approve of the cut of meat my mother served me, and once again, I’m somewhat concerned with myself because not much has changed, except if I refuse to eat a meal now, I won’t be put in the corner, and I won’t have to eat it for breakfast the next day.

What was your favorite and least favorite meal made for you as a kid? Do you still like/dislike the same foods?

- Post by Amanda
photo courtesy of The Torontoist

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