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All Crocs on deck
Pensacola News Journal, Nov 12, 2005
They’re big. They’re colorful. They’re Crocs – but no worries, you won’t find animal expert Steve Irwin wrasslin’ a pair of these trendsetters in a local mud hole.
The rainbow-hued rubber shoes with the smiling crocodile emblem and the ventilation holes have be come an unlikely must-have from an industry known more for fashion than functionality.
Crocs, which began a couple of years ago as a practical boating/ deck shoe, caught on with those who spend a lot of time on their feet, such as nurses, hikers and gardeners. Now you can find the shoes cushioning comfort-seekers of all ages and lifestyles.
Adam Beasley, assistant manager at the Shoe Station on Davis Highway, can’t explain the booming popularity of the roomy, lightweight shoes, but he does know one thing: They sell.
“Our trouble is that we can’t keep certain sizes in stock, because they sell out so quickly,” Beasley said. “Customers will come in and buy three or four pairs at a time.”
Shoe Station staff were besieged by Crocs hunters following one recent shipment, with some impatient customers rummaging through the new stock before it was even on display in the store.
“I don’t know what it is about Crocs,” said Beasley, watching a young woman trying on a bright pink pair at the store. “We have lot of women who buy them, and kids love them. I don’t know why … it’s not like you could go out and play kickball in a rubber shoe like that.”
But women and trendy tweens are not the only ones wearing Crocs. They’re nearly as popular with the gentlemen.
“I wear them all the time. Lots of young guys have started wearing them,” said 23-year-old Justin Benton, a sales associate at Outcast Bait and Tackle on Barrancas Avenue, which offers a large selection of Crocs.
“Maybe their looks aren’t necessarily the best, but they’re re ally popular right now,” he said. “We’ll sell 400 pair in a couple of weeks.”
The shoes are in such demand that the store often announces new shipments of Crocs on its outdoor sign.
Sue Warner, 66, has put her two pairs (pink and blue) of Crocs to the test in the three months she has been wearing them.
Warner is a master gardener as well as art show chairwoman of the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival.
“I love my Crocs, and I wear them everywhere,” she said. “Gardening, shopping and all during the arts festival. I am on my feet all three days (of the festival), and my feet and legs felt so much better this year.”
Warner is much like other Crocs enthusiasts. She is quick to rave about their comfort, but just as quick to admit they’re not exactly dainty or demure, especially if the wearer chooses the candy colors over the more sober hues. When people point and make comments about her Crocs, which they often do, Warner beats them to the punch by laughing first, then suggesting they try a pair.
“I recommend them to anyone who’s not self-conscious,” Warner said. “You kind of look like you’ve got big duck feet when you wear them, but they’re wonderful.”
Crocs have even stolen the heart of one local ex-Marine, and he’s not ashamed to admit it.
“These are the greatest shoes I’ve ever worn,” said Bill Norvell, a Pensacola resident and master gardener who owns several brightly colored pairs.
It was Norvell, 51, who first recommended Crocs to fellow gardener Warner.
“They’re great for gardening, because you can just wash them off with the hose,” Norvell said. “I’ve been trying to convince all of my friends to buy a pair.”
Norvell seems to delight in the attention his eye-catching foot wear gets him when he wears them out on the town.
“When I catch people looking at my shoes, the first thing I say is, Ta like 1 think Crocs are cool in both senses. Cool on your feet, because they’re made that way, and cool looking.”
“Well,” he added with a chuckle, “they are once you get past the snickers.”
Rebecca Ross
Three Boulder, Colo.-based founders decided to market an unusual shoe developed and manufactured by Foam Creations Inc. Originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole, Crocs introduced its first model, the Beach, in November 2002 at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Crocs now come in a variety of shoe styles and colors, with accessories such as coordinating socks (with contrasting polka dots for the ventilation holes) and, coming soon, Crocsbutter, a product to keep your shoes bright and shiny.