MANILA — As brands continually push to be more inclusive, one Marikina-based store is selling handmade shoes for people with foot irregularities.

The Shoe Room in late August went viral on Facebook for showing off its customized shoes for a client who had struggled to find well-fitted footwear for a decade due to a medical condition.

"Today, we made someone happy. He was able to wear comfortable shoes again... May you have good and happy memories with your shoes," the store said in a post that garnered 21,000 likes.

Owned by Abby Medina, Shoe Room started making ballet flats 12 years ago, before eventually expanding to sandals, heels, and school shoes.

Shoe Room recently unveiled its line of orthopedic shoes under the sub-brand, Sapatos ni Mang Kiko, named after Medina's father.

SHOES FOR ALL

Shoe Room has customized shoes for clients with polio, gout, flat feet, bunion, and uneven legs. In some cases, the custom footwear helped customers walk with ease, relieved their body pains, and helped correct their posture, Medina said.

“Gusto naming makatulong na makapagsuot sila ng comfortable shoes,” said Medina, a third-generation shoemaker in her family.

(We want to help them wear comfortable shoes.)

An artisan trained by her father typically takes six to eight weeks to complete a customized shoe, Medina shared.

Given the tedious process, customized pairs are priced from P10, 000 to P30,000, depending on the complexity of the design and the customer's medical condition.

Medina acknowledged that not everyone could afford this price range, so Shoe Room helps customers with smaller budgets by allowing them to bring their old shoes and making alterations to fit their needs.

“Naiintindihan naman namin na hindi lahat may capability magbayad,” she said.

CHALLENGES

Despite the recent social media attention that her store gained, Medina lamented that shoe businesses in Marikina struggled to compete with mass production.

“’Yong industry namin nakakalungkot kasi unti-unti nang nagasasara ‘yong shoe factories sa Marikina,” she said.

(It's disheartening, shoe factories in Marikina are closing one by one.)

The industry took an even larger blow when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. At the height of the health crisis, Shoe Room only relied on online sales, Medina shared.

“Hindi naman kami essential goods, so walang bibili,” the shoemaker said.

(We were not essential goods, so no one would buy from us.)

“Nakakapanghina talaga ng loob kasi kahit anong post mo, walang bumibili,” she added.

After COVID fears eased, Medina said she decided to market their products more aggressively online. She said she was studying content creation on TikTok to introduce their shoes to more potential clients.

These days, Shoe Room gets numerous inquiries, with several clients recently booking appointments for fitting, Medina said.

Grateful for the attention they received online, Medina said her team would stick to their advocacy to "provide shoes for all," one step at a time.