Meet the Neighbors: Second Story Rose

At the Aurora Shoe Company, we passionately support small business and handmade and local goods. As a visitor of our blog, we thought that you might feel the same way. In our Meet the Neighbors series we're featuring businesses and people who reflect our own values and whom we feel lucky to call neighbors and friends.

We live and work in a teensy little town, so every time something more interesting than a gas station opens we get excited (actually, we get pretty excited about those, too).  Second Story Rose has been around for years now, but it still feels new enough to be a bit of a hidden gem, even in this small town.  Owned and operated by a true Renaissance woman, Mnetha Warren, this shop is literally full of handmade jewelry, quirky gifts, and a huge assortment of vintage finds.  Visit them online or in person (above the old hardware store, on Main Street in Aurora). 

Thank you, Mnetha, for keeping Aurora interesting!

Classic Styling and our Chinese Style

One of our most versatile styles for women, the Chinese is based on a Chinese dance slipper.  Featuring a rounded toe, adjustable strap, and minimal stitching, this shoe is as stylish as it is comfortable.  When I'm heading out the door and want to look a little bit more put together, I slip these on knowing that I can do anything and go anywhere without giving my feet a second thought. 

These photos were taken on a beautiful day in April, just before spring had really sprung.  We love sharing photos of where we live and work, and this batch was taken about a mile down the road from our shop.  You can see a sliver of Cayuga Lake in the background along with one of the many vineyards that lines it.  Natural beauty and simple pleasures inspire our work and our classic designs,  There's nothing over the top or fancy, just the tried and true, made well, and with care. 

Local Author Visit

It was a real pleasure to get together with local author, and fellow maker, Maya Pagan Donenfeld.  We gave Maya a shop tour, and talked about her new book, which offers up some really inspirational advice for creating a new self identity after crisis, trauma, or loss.  It's called Hope Make Heal; 20 Crafts to Mend the Heart and would make a wonderful gift for a friend or for one's self.  Maya's personal story involves an unexpected divorce, and her crafts and thoughts are all about slowly re-building her sense of self and self-worth.

Maya was a great sport in the snow, but we both felt relieved when we found a nice warm spot to sit by the fire, away from the harsh lake breezes.  Here are a few photos from our visit, with more to come soon.

Lake Views

We're surrounded by beauty here in Aurora.  I think we all spend as much time as possible on or near the lake all summer, but mild winter days can be pretty great, too.  The geese were making lots of noise and the waves were calmly rolling in while we took a few photos this morning. 

Hot coffee was a nice treat after an hour spent in the cold.  Our Auroras have stayed pretty local this year.  Where are your Auroras taking YOU?

Classic Black

Our shoes may have an organic look and feel, but they can easily dress up and look sharp.  Here are our Middle English and New Mexican looking ready for just about anything.

Brown or Olive?

It can be hard to tell the difference between our brown and olive leather online.  To be honest, in certain lighting it can be hard to tell in person, too.  Where brown is a warm color, olive is cool.  It's the color of tree bark, and wet driftwood, very natural.  These photos feature our Middle English in Olive and they're the perfect neutral color for someone with an olive skin tone.  My friend, Jasmine Crowe is a nice example of this. 

Jasmine took time out of her busy totally relaxing lake vacation to model for me and I love the way we were able to quickly put together a very handmade (in the USA) outfit.  Homemade necklaces, handmade shoes, and a favorite Moop bag made in PA, accented with leather that passes through our shop. 

 

Our Auroras are getting a lot of time in at the lake these days.  Where are your Auroras taking YOU?  Share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram (#aurorashoes).

 

Fashion Revolution

Yesterday was Fashion Revolution Day, and though we didn't know it at the time, people all over the world were posting pictures of their clothing, tagging their makers, and asking "where was this made?".  We didn't get called out, but we'd love to show you anyway.  This shop, this small structure, in this little town, surrounded by farms, corn fields and a few grape vines, this is where your shoes were made: