The Shoe Company

OMG, I stumbled upon this place by accident. I was going to Almost Perfect (another hidden gem) and there was a sign in the parking lot advertising the Shoe Company Warehouse further down the side street. What luck!
The Shoe Company Warehouse Outlet looks like a mess. It is literally a warehouse that’s dingy and windowless. Stuff is all over the place, but if you are willing to sift through the junk you will find some great deals. I got my husband a pair of classic Bostonian leather dress shoes for $ 42. I found some Fisher Price Leather shoes for my little niece for $ 2. I got some Fluff brand luggage tags shaped like a shoe for $ 1.60 (these are usually $ 10 at frou frou shops).
All items had colour-​coded stickers on them each colour corresponds to a different additional percentage off, which range from 20% to 80% off the last ticketed price.
I am a size 5 shoe (or as my friends say «a freak size»). There was a huge selection of «freak sizes» (I am reclaiming this expression! Woo hoo!). They had «normal sizes» 6 – 10 for women and 8 – 12 for men, but they also had 5 and 11 – 12 for women and 7 and 13 – 14 for men. They might have even had size 15 for men.
Yes, a lot of the stuff is no name, low quality stuff, but they also had higher quality items from Town Shoes (which is owned by the same company). You just have to hunt for them. I love hunting for bargains so this place is right up my alley. If you like a place that’s neatly organized where you can look for a specific item and be in and out quickly, this is not your place.
The sales staff are nice enough but they are incredibly slow. Do not go here if you are in a hurry.

You can access this store by TTC if you take the #84 or #108 bus — it’s about a 15 minute walk from Downsview subway station. This warehouse outlet location is very big but I find it difficult to shop because the merchandise isn’t very organized and the old stock doesn’t seem to move. Prices are not really low, but they often promote volume discounts, so if you buy more than one pair of shoes you will probably save a bit more.
The staff here don’t seem too happy, but I can’t blame them because the windowless space in here is dull and depressing. A lot of the merchandise looks like it’s 5 – 10 years old and I’m surprised they don’t lower prices to move things out more efficiently. Plan on spending some time sorting through bins and shelves!