"My favorite Birkenstock story is when I was in college. I decided in August that I was only going to wear my Birkenstock sandals (Milanos) to class through the school year. Through rain and wind, I wore them, occasionally conceding to the weather and wearing socks, but I made it through the winter until about February. We had a snowfall that laid down about 18" of snow across campus. I was worried that I was going to have to put on boots to get out for the day, but a friend offered the silly advice to simply wear strapped-on cleats to the bottom of my Birkenstocks for the snow, and wear Gore-Tex socks with them. Sure enough, it worked and I succeeded in making it through the school year in my Birkenstocks.

I still have those Milanos around the house, but they are more of a conversation piece now, as they are a shell of the mighty sandals they once were.
 

For safety reasons, I have to wear boots to work as a firefighter now, but as soon as I am off duty, my Birkenstocks are back on my feet.
 

This summer, I am sharing my time between my Arizonas and a pair of Milanos so I can get an even tan on my feet."
 

- B. Eagle
Frederick, MD

 

"I've worn Birkenstocks for over 15 years now, and I've just purchased my 3rd pair - they last so long. After seeing so many choices of styles now, I hope to try more!
 

When I was a kid growing up in a small rural town, we ordered our shoes from a mail order catalog. When they arrived, we kept them and wore them whether they fit or not (and likely as not, they didn't). After years of shoes that were narrow and too tight, bunion surgery was inevitable. I wore my first Birkenstocks through the time when I couldn't wear anything else, and then after my 'new feet' -- and with such style and comfort.

I wouldn't give them up for anything. I live in them! Thank you for caring about comfort (and looks)."
 

- E. Hite
Prineville, OR

 

"When I was young I would "sprain" my ankle often. I would wrap it in an Ace bandage for a couple of days, and when the pain let up, off would come the bandage.
 

In my late 40's my ankle started really bothering me. I could not walk very long and walked with a major limp. I visited an orthopedist, he said my ligaments and tendons were stretched and I had worn the ankle bones down from the way I walked. My arch had fallen as a result.
 

The doctor suggested either getting a brace or fusing my ankle. I said I wanted neither. He gave me inserts to put in my shoes. They worked for a little while, but they soon flattened out.
 

I was visiting my sister and telling her about my ankle bothering me all the time. She suggested that I try Birkenstocks. I said, "They are ugly." She asked me to try hers (we wear the same shoe size), so I tried them on just to please her. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. My foot was put at a new angle that was so comfortable that I bought a pair when I went back home.
 

I have been wearing Birkenstocks ever since. I am now 64 and have not worn a brace or had my ankle fused. "

- P. Pine
Red Bluff, CA

 

"I want to thank you for your shoes! After I had my daughter, I began having terrible pain in my feet, along the arch and heel. I later found out that I have a condition called Plantar Fasciitis, due to my flat feet. In the mornings, the pain would be so intense that my husband would have to help me walk until the pain subsided. It was nearly enough to bring me to tears. My husband shared my story with a friend of his who happened to be a nurse, and she told him to have me buy a pair of Birkenstocks.
 

I was skeptical that a pair of shoes could fix my problem, but I tried it anyway, and am I glad I did! The difference in the way I felt was AMAZING. After only a couple of days, I literally felt no pain in my feet. That was over 2 years ago, and to this day, Birkenstocks are the only shoes I wear...period. I can't thank you enough for your amazing shoes! "

- H. Gilbert
Forest City, NC

 

"I am a chef and have sworn by my Birkenstock chef clogs since culinary school. This summer I had the opportunity to be a private chef for a large family on a vacation ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. On one of my few days off a few of the other employees and I were tubing down the Snake River. Naturally, I wore my most comfortable and waterproof shoes, my Birkenstock chef clogs (the Birki's Professional Clogs). During a struggle to get out of the water in the rapids before I encountered a barbed wire fence, I lost my footing, and the left clog. I chased after it and sent other people after it but to no avail, as it had gotten under the fence we were getting out of the water to jump over. I was so bummed about losing the shoe, and told everyone multiple times how attached I was to those shoes and how comfortable they are and how perfectly they fit now and I'd never be able to replace the sentiment they held and so on. But I decided not to openly dwell, as I could always buy another pair and we still had 5 miles to go on our trip. So I floated along with one bare foot, secretly mourning my most cherished pair of shoes.

And of course I wouldn't be writing this silly note unless it was to tell you that 2 or 3 miles down the river I came around a bend to find none other than my left clog stuck in a branch on the bank! It still had the insole intact, too! I celebrated the way I would celebrate winning the lottery and can honestly say, I've never been more excited to have found a missing shoe. I tell that story to anyone wondering what kind of shoes you should buy."

- A. Marsh
Austin, TX

 

"As a teenager, my feet endured miles and miles of running on many kinds of surfaces since I was in track and cross country. I had flat feet and ended up with stress fractures in both my feet. I am now in my mid 30's (ok-my upper 30's) and have had trouble with my wide, flat feet all these years. Just over a year ago, I was at a conference with some girls from work and Becky just had to stop at the Birkenstock store on one of our shopping adventures. I learned about the design of Birkenstocks and tried on my first pair. I bought them and have since bought 3 other pairs. I love my Birkenstocks and wear nothing else! They are the first thing I put on when I get out of bed and the last thing I take off before getting in bed. The best thing is--no more foot pain! My feet are what holds this body up and I don't mind spending money on them."

- M. Dobbs
Granbury, TX

"A few years ago, I was at a playgroup for my boys. The topic of shoes came up and I learned of Birkenstocks and how comfortable they were. These women were not the stereotypical "granola" Birkenstock-wearing ladies and I realized that Birkenstocks were now quite stylish. Having suffered for years with ill-fitting shoes, unrelated back problems, etc. I was very interested and soon thereafter bought my first pair. That conversation changed my life. I was so excited to have comfortable shoes that fit my wide feet and suddenly no back pain--medically undocumented, just my personal relief-- that I told my mom, mother-in-law and many other women. I converted most of them to Birkenstocks, too!!! I now live in Birkenstocks -- sandals all spring and summer and clogs fall and winter. I rarely wear other shoes. Thanks for changing my life."

- D. Holcomb
Bel Air, MD

"I am 23 yrs. old. I have been a dancer since the age of 3, but in more recent years, I've become a ballerina. Dance is my life... I do ballet, jazz, tap, Irish- you name it. So needless to say, my feet are quite valuable to me!! A year ago I broke my foot and was devastated. My foot would swell, and no shoe fit me properly. No shoe, that is, until I was told by my orthopedic surgeon to try Birkenstock! I now swear by them, they are all that I wear. I not only wear the sandals, but I wear the dress shoes and sneakers as well. I just love them!! The footbed accomodates my high arches perfectly! I've recommended them to other dancers who love them as well. Thank you for such a wonderful and quality shoe!! Since wearing the Birkenstock line, one year later my foot is finally healed!! I truly believe that my shoes had a BIG something to do with it!! Thank you!!"

- N. Terrill
Erie, PA

"I have been wearing the Annapolis Footprints for approximately a year. It is the best and most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned. I attended a health fair last year and visited a booth attended by a Podiatrist and his assistant. I complained that my legs and feet ached and I had a burning sensation in both my heels. The Podiatrist's assistant said she had some of the same issues until she started wearing the Birkenstock Footprints Annapolis. It wasn't a week later I visited my nearest Birkenstock store and purchased the Annapolis. I was told to only wear them for a couple of hours a day until I got used to them. The first day I put them on, I wore them all day without a problem. I had lots of compliments regarding their style and people could not believe they were Birkenstocks. They thought Birkenstock only made sandals. I have since purchased five more pair of Footprints in different styles and love them all."

- J. Tucker
Walsenburg, CO