Astrid’s Rabat Shoes For Men & Women

Came in today looking for a VERY specific pair of Blundstone boots, and walked out with a lovely pair.
I couldn’t be happier with the service and the quick responses these ladies provided: the only caveat is that their prices are the same as any you’ll find at a boutique– no steals or super-​deals to be found. (If there were a 4.5 star option, this shop would have earned it, but it feels wrong to give them a 4 star rating, after I walked out with exactly what I came in for, albeit a few hundred dollars lighter.)
But don’t let those prices throw you off! If you’re looking for quality shoes that will last you a while, you get what you pay for.
Great info, helpful staff– if you’re in need of boots, this is the place to go!

After going in a few times I’ve finally been able to put my finger on what rubs me the wrong way about the sales style here. The employees are operating under the assumption that their customers are idiots. I don’t often engage salespeople in product discussions, but I’ve found myself in those conversations twice at Rabat with no means of escape. It became about proving me wrong (at the expense of making a sale) so quickly that I was shocked.
Today I watched someone attempt to do a return and the verbal exchange wasn’t pretty. I was in the store to check for a certain style and color, which they didn’t carry, and the saleswoman acted offended when I said I’d check elsewhere rather than settling for what they carry (why would I?).
I think that if they have exactly what you want and you don’t foresee returning, it’s probably fine, but I get the impression that I’m not the only one to take issue with the way they interact with customers.

I had a great experience coming here. I was on a mission to find a certain pair of Frye boots (since mine needed replacing), and had gone to about three other places without success. Once I entered into Astrid’s, I was immediately helped, and they had the boots I was looking for. While they did not have the exact color I wanted, I still ended up purchasing a pair of dark brown Veronica slouches.
The service here was absolutely top notch, answering whatever questions I had. Not only that, but I was given suggestions to get the desired color and look I’m going for, and that information was immensely helpful. They also gave me a free tin of polish to go with my boots!
The store looked great (wish I could’ve bought everything there), very easy to find, and couldn’t be happier with my purchase.

I bought a pair of shoes here many years ago and they were OK and I have no complaints. However, I still frequent this shoe store every time I’m in the neighborhood. I’m only writing this review to let you know to be a smart shopper and shop around. I’ve noticed many of their major brand names are over priced, and I’ve seen them cheaper at department stores than at Astrid’s! Even their sale price is still ridiculously higher than what you’d find on Amazon, 6pm, or some dept stores, per se. Today, I looked at a pair of Clarks (I think they were Sherwin Hi model) boots on sale for $ 125, marked down from $ 200+, mind you, I had already looked at the same pair on 6pm for $ 84 yesterday. In all fairness, Astrid’s owner is probably paying really high rent in Noe Valley (if they don’t own the building already!) and I’m surprised they’ve out-​survived NV for so many decades with their high prices!

These folks claim to sell «comfort» shoes but I’ve never found a single pair comfortable. Most of them have very thin soles, thin insoles, little cushioning and zero arch support. Many are cute styles, but they cost outrageous sums of money, and the staff aren’t all that helpful or friendly.

This is a small shop with a fairly large selection of comfortable shoes and a variety of fun socks. Expensive shoes and affordable socks meaning I have only purchased socks here.
The only thing I didn’t like is their return or exchange policy. There are no credit card or cash refunds. And that would make finding a gift difficult in case the person does not like it.

Will keep this simple…
Needed shoes, wanted to shop locally and support neighborhood business… went to Astrid’s…found 3 pairs (which I wanted!!!)…$ 700 CASH sale… had 3 boxes of shoes dropped at my feet… sales person left and went back to chatting with other associate about last evenings adventures… no further help, no follow-up…no thank you… no nothing… just «Have a nice day…» when we left.
Went to Union Square… bought 3 pairs of shoes…2 different stores and spent an additional amount…
Have tried this store once before… same experience. Lesson learned… I won’t be back…

Saddens me to have to write this, as this store has a great selection of socks that are hard to find in one place, and a decent selection of shoe brands I like. But it’s always been a mixed bag with this store– fine when you’re buying, but varying degrees of bad if there’s a problem or return. I’ve put up with the latter for a long time, and spent many hundreds of dollars– actually, thousands– on shoes and socks with them over the years.
Last straw on Saturday: earlier in the week I was in with my husband; 2 reps from Keen shoes were also in the store, and the subject of decreasing quality of Smart Wool socks came up. Mgr Veronica was very aware of the issue and said she spoke with someone at Smart Wool who told her that if anyone brought in defective socks, Smart Wool would replace them. Veronica was emphatic about it and encouraged us to bring in whatever defective Smart Wools we had (& bought from her). I was a bit surprised by her stance given past history and her attitude with returns; on reflection, she was probably doing this to appear accommodating in front of the Keen reps.
My husband purchased a pair of $ 140 Clark’s that day but didn’t like the fit, so 4 days later (Saturday) we brought the shoes back along with a pair of his Smart Wools that had almost disintegrated at the heels. We included one mate of an identical pair with the same problem; my husband couldn’t find the other mate, but figured since we bought them there and it was the same style w/​same problem, we might still be able to include for exchange. My husband had already thrown out several pairs of the same socks for the same reason, at $ 18+ a pop.
Veronica wasn’t there and the salesclerk knew nothing about the Smart Wool policy and deferred to Veronica. After a series of delays, Veronica returned. She eliminated the single sock right off the bat, wrote out a receipt for the pair and said she’d «let us know». When I asked her what that meant, she immediately got defensive, started back-​pedaling and said Smart Wool would «take a look» at the socks and decide what to do. When asked what if Smart Wool won’t replace them, she said, «You eat it.»
That was the capper. Her attitude and callousness in light of how much money and how long we’ve spent with her company was so stark, it signaled the end for us. My husband did find the mate to the other defective pair, and we’ll finish out the saga with Smart Wool replacement through the store.
But they’ve lost 2 very good customers.

How do you ensure that someone NEVER comes back into your over priced shoe store?
Treat them rudely and make sure the boxes you are unloading are your top priority (I’m talking to you girl working today around 5pm).
This is not the first time I have felt offended leaving this store.
The shoes are cute but I can buy them online for much less and without the attitude.
That’s all.

Lots of flat shoes for women. Score.

UPDATE: 4÷1÷12
A few weeks ago my Mom received a phone call from the shoe store (I’m assuming it was the store manager). She explained the shoes had yet to arrive and she was going to send a check to my mother, refunding her in full. Mom said she was very nice and did apologize for the inconvenience. She also mentioned seeing my previous review on Unilocal.If the shoes were to arrive, they would call and Mom could come in to purchase them. Fair enough!
On Friday, 3÷31÷12 I received a call. My Mom said Ronnie from the shoe store had just called, the shoes came in and they gifted them to her! Mom was so excited! I drove her over on Saturday and she picked up her shoes.
Thank you Ronnie for turning this situation around. Your decision to gift them to my Mom was a very stand-​up gesture indeed. Mom said she felt like Cinderella, the shoes fit perfectly!

Well, it’s one for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready,
Now go, cat, go.
Carl Perkins sang it right. No stepping on someone’s shoes, esp. if you get them from here.
Shoes are something most people on Earth understand and it’s probably one of the most personal items a person can own. They mold to your foot dimensions, curves, ailments and how you walk. So they gotta fit right.
Enter Astrid’s. Sometimes I find great deals (and my size 6.5) but on occasion, a cool and comfortable pair will catch my eye (and my tired feet). The sales staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. I’ve left with some of the comfiest shoes I owned which have been faithfully worn down by long walks, errands, and general living. Yeah, the prices are kind of spendy but we need to treat our feet well, since they take us everywhere that a car, bus, elevator, or bike can’t.

I have been buying shoes here for years and just wanted to give them «thumbs ups» for a job well done. Nice selection of good quality shoes. Also, some of the coolest and most colorful socks you will find. This is a totally unpretentious shopping experience. Also, it is a smaller store. The staff is very friendly (especially the manager «Ronnie») and helpful. Check it out!

I purchased a pair of $ 300 shoes here a while back. This is the most I’ve ever paid for shoes by, like, three times. But I saw these wonderful Cydwoq flats, and they were so comfortable and adorable, and I had just started a new job and needed flats, so I waited a week, thought about it long and hard and then decided to treat myself.
Much to my dismay, one week after purchase the shoe came a little undone. The sides are entirely constructed of double-​layered leather, and the layered side started pulling apart. Just a little, but I was pretty disappointed that my most-​expensive-​shoes-​ever were already falling apart, and I was concerned about the overall construction.
I brought it back to the store and asked for a replacement. The first sales person, a really nice, younger woman, who had helped me previously said they could either send it to their cobbler to have it glued or send it back for another pair. I said I preferred to have it sent back. For $ 300, I don’t think it’s wrong to expect perfection. Then an older woman, the manager I think, came running out from the back, interrupted our conversation, saying ‘no no no,’ and brusquely told me that they wouldn’t take the shoes back b/​c the shoe maker is quirky or finicky about his shoes and refuses to replace them. I pointed out that I’d just purchased them, and they were already falling apart, and she said that it was just a minor problem that could be fixed easily with a little glue and that they could either send it to their cobbler or send it back to the factory for them to glue it, but they wouldn’t give me a new pair.
I think another reviewer put it well — it wasn’t so much what was said as the tone of the older woman/​manager. She made me feel like it was totally irrational and spoiled to ask for a replacement on the basis of such a minor problem and seemed to suggest I should just suck it up. I left feeling embarrassed for having even asked, and also pissed.
A few months out, and the older woman/​manager was right. The shoes are great and have not shown signs of falling apart. I’m not an unreasonable person, and had someone explained to me nicely that they (a) understood how it is upsetting to pay $ 300 for shoes that appear to fall apart a week later, (b) but that they could fix them, and © if shoes couldn’t be fixed, I could have them replaced, then I would still purchase other shoes from this store. But now, even though the shop has a wonderful collection of cute, comfortable shoes, I have a bad taste in my mouth and can never buy another pair from there. I will say though that on separate, earlier occasions, the other staff had been nothing but nice and accommodating to me, even on days when I tried on a million pairs and bought nothing. So give it a chance, and I hope you have a better experience than I did.

I was in the store recently with a friend who was buying. I had bought a pair of Naots there last year which developed an annoying squeak. I had taken them back at that time and was told to put baby powder under the insole. That didn’t make a difference. I mentioned that my shoes were still squeaking and the manager offered to call the company. The next day she called me and said I should take the insoles out and walk around in them that way and if they still squeaked it meant it was a problem with the construction and she would send them back. Well, they still squeaked. I took them in and she gave me a full credit for the shoes. It’s wonderful to see a small store stand behind the products they sell. I bought another pair on the spot and will definitely give them my business in the future!

I like this little store. I like good shoe stores. I found my great Frye boots here. They have a good selection and very friendly staff.

Because it is in the ‘hood, I’d like to give them my patronage — particularly since I dig shoes that are made for feet to live in. But…
Like some other reviewers, I too have been treated unkindly/​indifferently here on 3 occasions now, the most recent occasion with the intention of finding flats to wear to work. Also, each time I have visited, they seem to be absorbed in inventory. Alas, I did not find comfortable-​enough flats but I did find flat customer service.

Great Staff and great selection of shoes women can actually walk around SF in. None of those «cab only» shoes.
You know what I’m talking about. The ones you haven’t worn because you’re not sure how long you’ll last in them before you want to chop your feet off at the ankles.
I love being a readily mobile girl, especially in this city. With all the walking and public transportation taking, a girl like me needs something that’s ready for walking up the Pemberton Steps while still looking stylish with a skirt.
*I don’t do pants*
Astrid’s selection of coolio footwear has me wanting more.

If you’re looking for Manolo or Jimmy Choo, this is NOT the store for you. Come here if you are looking for comfortable walking shoes. I’m not crazy about the merchandise only credit policy within 7 days, so I have to be absolutely sure about my purchase.

I had a wonderful expirience at this store! I got a bunch of really cool socks there!
A really pretty and SUPER NICE sales girl named Satya helped me out and we had a really good conversation.
Great place on 24^th!