Y’all like flats! Ballet flats might be the hardest category of shoe to get a great comfortable fit in so it makes sense that there’s been a lot of buzz about The Storehouse Flats, which are minimalist, affordable, and come in a lot of fun colors.
The Storehouse was started by husband and wife team Andrea and Eric. They designed their own flat to be a more comfortable and affordable alternative to all the fancy flats making the rounds out there.
They are leather inside and out, unstructured and unlined. This means they will stretch and conform to the foot fairly easily and are soft and flexible. The sole is thin rubber. These flats are also significantly wider than most other flats out there, making them appropriate for people trying to keep their toes aligned (yes Tieks are gorgeous, but sooo tight!).
Fit
For a ballet flat without any straps, these do a great job of staying on but not pinching your feet. I often have trouble with strapless, laceless minimalist shoes because they are made so wide and loose that they slip around, and then I find myself gripping the shoe with my toes. In these I don’t do any gripping and don’t worry about them falling off, which is pretty important if you want to have a natural gait.
They are on the tighter side at first, so my first few wears I couldn’t wear them for long periods of time. When I first received them I stuffed the toe box with a thick sock for a couple days to loosen them up (I do this pretty frequently with my shoes). And that definitely helped. I don’t like breaking shoes in with my feet, might as well have an inanimate object do it!
They’ve since stretched quite a bit and are very comfortable, but it took about 5 wears. If you have extra wide feet and toe splay these might still be too narrow for you.
The leather seems sturdy and has not shown any signs of damage even after wearing them in a rainstorm.
Sizing
These seem to be true to size, but the elastic fits snugly so I can wear a size up from my usual flats size and they fit well. If you have wide toes, I’d suggest you do the same. But if you are between sizes I would order according to the way you like your shoes to fit (size down for close fit, size up for looser fit keeping in mind they’ll stretch).
Ordering
When the preorder is open (usually the first week of each month) you can purchase flats ($75 each) from their website and then there is a fulfillment period of about 8-10 weeks. Each month they have several special edition flats that will only be available that month, but the other 5 Storehouse Favorites (red, tan, black, grey, dark grey) are available every preorder. I’ve been following the shop on Facebook for several months now and the special editions are usually really great. If you miss a special edition that you wanted Andrea often can find you one if you reach out to her through her Facebook group. They also tend to bring back the favorites multiple times. They’ve got their business model down pat!
It seems like their Facebook group is the best way to stay up to date on the preorder and special edition flats, as their website is only live during the preorder.
Style
Flats are in. You should have no shortage of style ideas if you do a search on Pinterest (ie Yellow Tieks outfit, etc).
The simple flat is great as an end cap to just about any outfit. If you’ve got a lot going on elsewhere in your ensemble, an understated finish is the way to go. So I consider a basic ballet flat to be an essential item in my closet. There are those outfits that just need a flat with them. Especially when I dress up and it’s too cold for sandals, I almost always wear flats.
These flats are also great if you’re looking for a fun pop of color to liven up your outfit. The Special Editions always include something bright and fun.
Aesthetically this construction of flats is kind of baggy. I personally prefer a more structured toe box for a smoother look, but that type of flat has to fit your foot perfectly to stay on, so is a lot harder to nail. The elasticized rim and unstructured leather in The Storehouse Flats allow for a better fit for a wider range of people. And are 100% in style.
One way to get a smoother look on these flats is to apply a piece of moleskin on the inside right above your toes. I haven’t done this yet on mine, but plan to shortly and will update!
Conclusion
I know a lot of you have been wanting to get in on the fun flats craze but haven’t been able to without compromising either your budget or your foot health. So The Storehouse Flats is entering the shoe scene at just the right time!
34 thoughts on “The Storehouse Flats Review – Affordable & Good For Your Feet”
I stock several colors and special releases. I have storefront so I don’t have them on the website, but you are welcome to message me to see what is available.
Great review BTW:)
https://m.facebook.com/groups/235767403489388?ref=bookmarks
Thank you for sharing!
I am wanting to signup as a whole affiliate. Please tell me what I need to do to be able to do this.
I don’t know! You’ll want to get in contact with Andrea, owner of The Storehouse. I’m not affiliated with them in any way.
Dear Andrea and Eria ,I have watch you from a far make beautiful shoes in world the store house flats all different colors and patterns I try a pair of my friend on and fell in love with shoes but unfortunately they are too expensive for me so I don’t owe none can’t afford any but would love to owe some but living on disability and only 750 dollar a month don’t allow me to buy a pair any way I wear a size 9 in store house flats
Hello
I have never heard of the storehouse. I love the look of these flats. And the colors, WOW!
I need to know your pricing, and how is your delivery time?
Thank you
Christina Heath
I don’t sell these flats, you’ll want to head to the links in the post for all the details. The Facebook group is the best place to find out. I believe they’re now $75 each.
They have zero support. I can feel Rocks under my feet . Don’t waste your money
That’s kind of what people who wear minimalist shoes love about them! It’s like being barefoot, but in a cute flat.
I need to try your tip about wearing them with thick socks to break them in. These just pinch too tight at top. I’ve had them for over a year and maybe worn them three times. I’d recommend people looking for flats don’t try these. I use your blog to find my next pair of shoes often and I really love it. But these left me unimpressed (and I love my other barefoot shoes).
Definitely try stuffing the toe box! Since writing this post I’ve come to the conclusion I need to size up, the 6 is feeling too tight now.
I just bought the red ones in my regular size 8. They are too short for me. My toe comes all the way to the end. Wondering if they have 1/2 sizes or just whole. Either way returning for exchange. A bit disappointed about size, but love the shoes in general.
Oh bummer. They just come in whole sizes. We acutally JUST got some of the red ones in at anyas-shop.com and we’ll be uploading them to the website shortly. You are welcome to try a new size from us! We decided not to do the preorder and just ordered some to carry in stock, so they would ship right away.
Any suggestion for stretching out the heel? My toes feel fine but it’s SOOO TIGHT around the back of heel and very uncomfortable.
I stretched that part out manually by pulling it taut and massaging the leather. Doing that a few times helped a lot. You can also use a shoe horn.
Size 10 (W) is too small/short for my big toes. Can you help me understand the gains in length for sizes 11 and 12? Trying to figure out if I should size up or return, and also am wondering if a larger size has an impact on where the elastic wraps around my foot.
I will have to get my measuring tape out to see the exact difference between sizes. I would guess it’s close to a cm. If you e-mail either or Anya’s Shop we can do that for you.
Rest review. I just bought my first pair of StoreHouse flats. I bought the Desert Mirages. They are black patent but have the most amazing oil slick effect. I love them. I’m a male but a women’s size 12 fits me perfect.