Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Wheeler.
Hi Sandra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
“You just sit at a desk all day. Why would your feet hurt after work?” This is the perception some people have of office jobs. I’d spent 20 years in a corporate America office environment and, yes, I had a desk but spent a lot of time on my feet doing manual labor in a skirt and high heeled shoes. Nothing transforms an outfit like the right pair of high heels. Holey jeans become classy with the right pair of heels. Matronly dresses suddenly become sexy with the right heels.
So, in 2010, the quest started. I was determined to learn to make the perfect pair of heels. Which led to the perfect pair of sandals. Which, in turn led to sneakers.
At that time, there weren’t a lot of options for shoemaking schools. Remote learning wasn’t a thing yet. Plus, I worked a full-time job and had a family, so apprenticing would not be practical. There was a studio in Oregon that offered week-long training courses in fashion shoemaking. That was the class that gave me enough of a foundation and encouragement to buy some tools then start practicing on my own. I spent years developing my skill. Later, I was able to go to Sweden, where I spent 10 days learning bespoke shoemaking from a master shoemaker.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Takes time to collect tools and supplies. Leather isn’t cheap so mistakes are expensive. Margin of error is 1/16th of an inch. Miscalculating by 1/16th of an inch is all it takes to scrap a week’s worth of work. Getting help remotely from an instructor is not likely. You can spend hours going through YouTube videos looking for help that may or may not find.
We’ve been impressed with Shelby’s Bespoke Shoemaking, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Shelby’s has grown into a full-service shoemaking studio. We offer shoemaking workshops and one-on-one classes. Prototype services for shoe designs and components. Custom shoemaking for individuals with special feet or a special occasion. Commercial stitching machinery allows us to make fashion sneakers. By hand, we make traditional woven Huarache sandals.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Building things makes me happy. Making a pair of shoes for a customer who might never have had proper fitting pair is very exciting. For the customer and me. I feel like I’m preserving a trade. Some shoemaking companies exploit labor markets. Nothing in this studio is made with slave labor or from a supplier who engages in those practices. Our supplies come from USA and Portugal. All labor is done in-house.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hishelby.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-wheeler-baa09a8/
