Barnets Shoes

I went in today to enquire about Fit flops. Shop empty and two members of staff unpacking boxes. I approached to ask about flip flops. I was directed to were they were and when I asked about sizes I was told they only had a few sizes in each and then the member of staff went back to unpacking. I had a look around, they had loads of very nice looking shoes which could have suited me. I was looking for something with good arch support but I was annoyed I was not offered any help and left.

Ahhh what a let down.
As everyone here has told you, Barnets does shoes you walk in rather than shoes you look good in. Along those lines, they are one of the few stores in the city to stock Loake shoes, which are a favourite of The Man. Such a favourite, in fact, that he wanted a new pair for the wedding.
Cue a few months ago when we came in here to find the shoes he wanted. They didn’t have them but suggested they may get them in at a later date. We had ages before we needed them, so weren’t fussed. What they didn’t tell us was that Loakes don’t actually make the shoes he wants anymore, so we were actually wasting our time.
Cue last weekend, with three and a half weeks to go, we dedided we needed to get on the shoe buying mission. We went back to Barnets and were *finally* told that Loakes don’t make the shoes we’re looking for, so we decide on a different pair. Unfortunately they were out of The Man’s size, so they offered to order them in. We were told that the shoes would be in by the end of the week. No problemo.
The end of the week comes and goes and, with 15 days to go, I decided to call. I was told that no order of Loakes had come in and actually wasn’t expected for several weeks. Wait, what? The girl had the manageress phone me back who told me the same thing, that they found out on Friday that the shoes may not be in until some time in May. Eh, so why didn’t you guys phone us on Friday when you found out? I told her that I wasn’t happy to be told they would be available last week, that they’re for a wedding and if we had known earlier we may have been able to order from elsewhere. Her response? «uh… well… sorry…»
So, Barnets may be the place to go for comfortable shoes but I would say don’t expect them to order anything in for you, as you’ll be waiting for a while.

Barnets shoes is just about the most square, sensible shoes store you could hope to find in Edinburgh.
By that I am not criticising however — it’s very useful to those of us who have problems with our tootsies, and offer wide fitting shoes with comfortable soles that will be sure to cure your feet pains.
Off the top of my head I can’t remember the brands, I just remember a sea of brown and shoes of a Hush Puppies nature. They had a fair number of hill walking boots that looked sturdy and suitable for trekking up treacherous terrain in all sorts of weather. Soles that will last you a lifetime, this is the place to come for durable, functionable footwear. Your dad will be a fan, and if you are that dad then you will thank the lord that this is not yet another shop selling flimsy plimsoles!

As Gavin has already mentioned, Barnet’s is home of the sensible shoe, stocking all manner of bland, uninteresting shoes but off excellent quality and great if you need some hiking boots or just a good pair of comfortable mules.
Barnet’s is always busy, especially with raincoat, hiking boot wearing tourists who pop in to see if they can get a new good quality pair of boots to brave the harsh Scottish summer. It’s so funny that when I go on holiday I generally have a suitcase full of bikinis, shorts and sun tan lotion but people visiting Scotland have a more sensible selection of cagoules, fleeces, sturdy boots and umbrellas.
Barnet’s certainly caters for the more sensible crowd but if you’re looking for a glamorous pair of shoes, then they certainly won’t be found here.

The very definition of the phrase «sensible shoes», Barnet’s sells a wide range of exceptionally practical brogues, sandals and slip ons in a wide range of colours such as brown, grey, beige and shoe colour. Aesthetics are shunned in favour of comfort, practicality and waterproofness, and the footwear on offer here looks exactly like what an elderly Scandinavian who likes hill walks and coach tours would love.
Given that’s the main demographic on The Royal Mile, they’re onto a winner.