ASC in Ecuador and a Shoe Shine Warning (With a Happy Ending)

Hi!

I took the shoes I ordered a couple months ago (West Indian in Navy) with me on a month long backpacking trip to Ecuador. They did wonderfully: supporting me through hours of sightseeing. Despite my rheumatoid arthritis, I never had much joint trouble when I was wearing my Auroras: I'm now a customer for life! I took a photo of the shoes in Quito with your fun blog feature in mind: they're on top of a rooftop terrace with the skyline behind. The big church to the right is the Basilica de Voto Nacional. Earlier that day, I'd climbed all the way to the top of the spires (almost 400 feet) in them without even one slip (despite some rickety ladders). Thanks for making such wonderful supportive shoes!

Unfortunately, the story has a bit of a sad ending. Last week, when I was still in Ecuador, they were looking a bit dusty so I stopped at one of the ubiquitous shoe shiners. I told him that they were blue but he definitely put something black on them. I just got home last night and took them to the cobbler today only to be told there's nothing he can do. This probably sounds silly, but I had absolutely no idea shoe polish could change the colour of a shoe or that I was risking permanent damage by getting them shined. I never wear black and have light hair, so black footwear just doesn't work with my wardrobe, so the change effectively ruined the shoes for me. I'd never spent so much on shoes before, and I'm rather heartbroken that I only got two months of wear from them. I'm now saving up for a replacement pair but it was quite an expensive lesson to learn. Perhaps sharing the story will help some of your other customers save their shoes.

I'm thrilled to have found such a wonderful, ethical company that also makes such a wonderful, useful product. I cannot wait to have more Aurora shoes in my life, and from now on I'll know not to let shoe polishers anywhere near them.

Thanks,

Eva

p.s.  Eva wrote back a bit later and shared:

I have a happier ending to the sad shoe shining story.  Last night, figuring I had nothing to lose, I got a damp cloth and scrubbed the shoes.  A lot of whatever colour had been put on them came off and now they're looking much more like their original dark navy selves.  Yay! 


Phew!  So glad to know that they're back on your feet.  Thank you so much for sharing your story and travels, Eva!