Softstar: Local, Sustainable Shoes

  Founded in 1985, Softstar Shoes of Philomath, Ore. has maintained its commitment to crafting healthy footwear while using environmentally sustainable practices. Owner and CEO Tricia Salcido purchased the business along with Larkin Holavarri in 2005 from founder and shoemaker Tim Oliver, who is now employed as a Softstar “elf,” a reference inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale, “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”

“We started as a children’s shoe company,” said Salcido, “so we like to maintain some of the fun, magical elements.”

The company honors the Oliver family tradition of having fun at work, which includes providing a slide for elves to get from the loft-based office workspaces to the middle of the first-floor manufacturing area.

Last year, Softstar’s elves crafted more than 24,000 pairs of shoes, sold to customers throughout the country and worldwide, in their Mainstreet showroom and facility.

According to Salcido, 95 percent of their business is in global e-commerce, with the remaining five percent in local retail sales.

Joining the Adult Market
“We originally purchased a baby shoe company, but we grew into the adult shoe market based on customer demand,” said Salcido. “Parents [who purchased shoes for their kids] would ask ‘why can’t you make that shoe in my size?’ Now, half of our business is the adult shoes.”

Currently, Softstar makes and sells shoes from toddler sizes through adult sizes. Prices range from $40 for a pair of basic kid’s shoes to $495 for a pair of handcrafted Nativearth lace-up leather boots with silver buttons. Softstar offers a variety of styles including slippers, sandals, ballet flats, and boots. And since they practice lean manufacturing, customers can order custom color combinations.

“It is natural for parents to want healthy shoes for their kids,” said Salcido. “As adults, we tend to think of our shoes as a fashion statement, and consciously or unconsciously, as a status symbol.

“Our tagline is ‘Strong from the Ground up,’ because that’s where it all starts.”

Comparing Brands
As a brand, Softstar grew alongside the barefoot running movement. Their line of adult athletic shoes found a niche market next to brands like Vibram Five Fingers – a multinational brand known as much for the soles they manufacture as their iconic foot-shaped athletic shoes. In fact, Softstar features Vibram soles as components in their designs.

Popular kids brand Robeez, founded in 1994, is one of Softstar’s best-known competitors. Like Softstar, Robeez is known for crafting comfortable shoes, but according to their current product specs, they primarily manufacture in China.

Salcido said what differentiates Softstar from typical shoes is that their shoes are soft and pliable without a raised heel. The toe box is wider, allowing for both comfort and “rewilding” of the foot. She noted that, while wearing the shoes, customers report experiencing improved balance and proprioception – awareness of their body’s position.

“Most shoes angle the toes in for aesthetic reasons, since it looks very pretty,” she said. “What ends up happening is that it contributes to conditions like bunions, crossover toe, and hammertoe.”

“We receive so much feedback from our feet,” Salcido explained. “So much of that is lost in tight shoes.”

Lean Manufacturing
& Local Jobs
Softstar is one of a handful of companies that still manufactures shoes in the United States, employing 31 people on a part-time or full-time basis.

“From an economic perspective, we’ve lost a lot of good jobs to the global economy,” said Salcido. “You can argue that someone else can make it cheaper somewhere else. I see the joy and pride we have in our product, and it results in a high-quality product. Losing touch of the work that goes into the products that we buy takes something out of what it means to be human.”

Because of Softstar’s local connection, Salcido said she believes the company maintains a sense of accountability to their staff, customers, and the community.

“We love our local customers. One of our company values is to try and connect our customers with the handiwork,” she said. “When people are more aware, the product has more value for them on a human and emotional level.”

Softstar manufactures the shoes in small batches to avoid waste. The adult shoes come in 11 sizes with three different width options. They try to keep at least one of each size and standard color offering in stock, but generally make shoes in response to orders.

Over the past decade, Softstar collaborated with chiropractors and podiatrists to learn about how the foot functions. They also engaged in a key partnership with veteran shoe designer Mike Friton, who designed Softstar’s Moc3 running shoes. Friton worked in Nike’s innovation group for 30 years before opening his own shoe design and consulting business.

Balancing Business With Sustainability
A fun environment isn’t the only tradition inspired by Oliver. He prioritized running the business in environmentally sustainable ways, which Salcido honors to this day.

“Walking lightly on the earth is not just about our shoes!” proclaims Softstar’s website.

Softstar’s landlord, Alan Ayres, won the 2018 Restore Oregon’s DeMuro Award for restoring and preserving their building, which was a roller rink called the Phil-O-Rink during the 1950s – closing in the 1970s.

The roller rink sat vacant for years, and was known by many as the “Rainbow” building. Salcido was looking to expand into a larger space as Softstar grew. She and Ayres both saw potential in the Rainbow building, so Ayres spent two years restoring it before Softstar moved there in 2017.

Softstar’s showroom floor was crafted from the wooden skate floor. The snack counter and photographs from the Phil-O-Rink remain intact. In keeping with Softstar’s commitment to the environment, they don’t use paint – relying on the natural beauty of the woodwork. The windows are doubled-glazed and the vaulted ceiling is well-insulated so heat radiates through the manufacturing area, resulting in equi-temperature heating at each workstation.

Softstar purchases 100% green energy. In addition, they offer an electronic vehicle charging station to the public and employees – who receive incentives to carpool or use alternative transportation methods.

Oregon Business magazine recognized Softstar Shoes as one of the state’s top 100 Green Workplaces in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Salcido said a committee of employees meets biweekly to explore ways to improve the company’s environmental impact. One employee-led initiative included implementing reusable cloth towels in the restrooms.

While they already use minimal packaging for shipping shoes to their e-commerce customers, the team is also fine-tuning a process involving reusable packaging. Since Softstar continuously looks for ways to use less and reuse more, they also give scraps of unused leather to local crafters – selling them through their e-commerce site for the cost of shipping.

Salcido promotes the benefits of minimal footwear and hopes minimal shoes will expand beyond a niche market.

“The connection between our feet and the ground is powerful. I am excited to hear from customers how changing their footwear helped change their lives. They feel less pain, they move more. I would like to make a passionate plea for people to consider minimal footwear.”

For more details, visit Softstar online at softstarshoes.com, or at their showroom at 914 Mainstreet, Philomath.