The Paper Market selling Simple and TOMS eco-shoes

By Margaret Gilmour

What if every time you bought a pair of shoes, a new pair was given to a child in need?

That’s exactly what Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes and former “Amazing Race” contestant, decided to do when he started his company in 2006.

The idea hit Mycoskie while he was traveling in Argentina and noticed that many of the local kids were barefoot. Since walking is a standard mode of transportation there, the children’s feet were bruised and battered.

Rather than give out a bunch of shoes that would help only some of the Argentineans just once, Mycoskie set up his company with a sustainable business model allowing him to give one pair of shoes away for each pair they sold.

This meant TOMS (short for Tomorrow) could donate shoes and grow their business at the same time. And that’s just what Mycoskie did.

Modeling his shoes after the footwear worn by Argentine workers,  since 2006, TOMS has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children from poor villages in underdeveloped countries around the world, and the company plans to give out over 300,000 pairs in 2009.

“It’s more about putting other people ahead of you,” says a supporter on TOMS Web site YouTube video.

Doug Harris, The Paper Market storeowner in Kennett Square, wears his TOMS Black Cordones around the shop “Like a new age Mr. Rogers,” he says, adding, “I have to get a bamboo sweater one of these days.”

Harris sells TOMS at his store he has just re-branded as an eco-boutique.

He also sells Simple shoes, footwear that yawns at “over-built, over-hyped products.” Simple manufactures their shoes using materials and processes making their products 100 percent sustainable.

Eric Meyer created Simple in 1991 as a link between athletic and outdoor shoes, and sold Simple to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1993 (Deckers also owns UGG and Teva Sandals).

Simple’s earth-friendly materials includes organic cotton (no chemicals against our skin), recycled tires, cork, hemp (strong and helps regulate body temperature) and even coconut.

My felted wool slippers—which are keeping my feet cozy as I write this—are made from wool harvested from a sheep’s annual haircut.

The Simple shoe attitude is, well, simple. Inspired by a little of what all of us need once-in-awhile: a daily dose of the uncomplicated.

“Each brand is about blending sustainability with style,” Harris says “Wear a pair to express your values.”

The day we shopped at the Paper Market Emma bought two pair of shoes: one Simple sneaker, and one TOMS; Leslie (not pictured) also bought a pair of TOMS; Thomas was still brooding about not fitting into barefoot running shoes (Vibram FiveFingers), so decided not to get anything, although he really liked the Simple flip flops; I had a pair of 8-year old Simple sneakers at home, as well as my Simple wool slippers, so I decided to hold off buying for now. I do like the cute new sneaker styles, though…