Yesterday afternoon John and I went on a nearly impossible quest. To find tennis shoes that I could put on by myself without help. It involved going to 3 different shoe stores and buying something I was not expecting to get. I was expecting to buy another pair of Finn Comfort shoes. Or something similar.
The first 2 stores were a total wash out. I was ready to go home and take a nap. Thank goodness John was driving because the next shoe store was on the east side of Tucson. We went to a locally owned shoe store called Alan’s Shoes on Speedway. I first tried on the Finn Comfort shoes and found out for closed toed shoes you have to go up one size which they did not have. Apparently in Tucson these shoes are considered fall / winter shoes only.
So I explained to the very knowledgeable sales woman that the arthritis was getting worse in my hands and I really wanted a pair of tennis shoes that I could put on by myself. She asked if I had any objections to New Balance Shoes and I said no. So she went to the back and found a pair of shoes she thought would work.
She came out with the New Balance shoes pictured below. They are model WW813HWT Walking Shoes. As you can see they have a long strap made with Velcro. Don’t cut the strap as it will make it easier to put the shoes on. The secret to putting them on is to open them as wide as possible. Slip my foot in then tilt my foot towards the heel of the shoes to make sure I am are all the way back. Then just pull the straps starting with the toe strap first.
I can put them on by myself I wore them shopping today. They did not exactly go with my dress . They were comfortable although a higher arch support would be nice. That however is a tiny problem
If you can’t get them at your local store Alan’s shoes has a website. I used it during the pandemic and they were fast and efficient. Alan’s Shoes is a link to their website.
