Shoes Take the Spotlight in Brown’s Shoes Summer Vacation Contest

by Chelsey Kraft

Our shoes do a lot of work, but they get very little of the limelight.

That’s all about to change this summer, through a summer vacation contest sponsored for the second year in a row by Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. of Norman. Those who share pictures of their summer adventures from the vantage point of their shoes could win a free pair of shoes.

The idea for the contest came to owner Steve Woodin after having so many conversations with people who were looking for a pair of shoes for a specific trip or outing. Woodin and his employees help customers pick out the right shoes to fit the climate of where they are headed or activities they will be doing, but they usually do not get to hear an update after the trip.

“It’s rare that we hear those after stories, so we thought this picture contest would kind of tie in to us,” Woodin said. “We thought that would tie it all together and be a fun way to give away a pair of shoes at the end to whoever can turn in a cool, fun, weird, unique picture.”

Woodin said the picture can be from anywhere, whether it’s a nearby trip to Lake Thunderbird, a vacation out of the country or camping in the mountains. They just want to see fun pictures that stand out.

“It doesn’t have to be elaborate,” Woodin explained. “It can be just a picture of your foot up in the air with a cool background, just someplace fun, a cool picture with a pair of shoes.”

This marks the second year of the “Where Your Shoes Take You” contest, and people can enter by posting a picture of their shoes on the store’s Facebook page (Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. Norman, OK) with the hashtags #BrownsShoeFitNorman and #ShoeSelfie. The contest will run throughout June, July and August, with a winner announced at the end of each month.

Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., located at 2427 W Main St., has been in Norman for more than 50 years, with Woodin as the owner for the past 20 years. Woodin said the store is an old-fashioned family shoe store that carries a variety of lines to fit people of all ages, but most specifically the needs of residents in Norman.

“Instead of being great and huge at one thing, we try to do a little bit of everything,” Woodin said. “We’ve got baby shoes, kid’s shoes, men’s, women’s, we try to get all age categories. We’ve got the Chacos and Birkenstocks for the college kids right now that are kind of the hot thing, but we’ve got shoes for people that need more stability and need a little help. We just try do a little bit of everything.” – BSM