I didn’t stop by for long. But what I saw and heard impressed me.
Helm Boots opened a new bricks-and-mortar store at 900 East Sixth St. There, rough wooden slats give a stylish twist to the boxy shop inside a clean-lined modern structure.
Ethan Brown and Joshua Bingaman
One look at the meticulously designed and crafted leather footwear and I knew I’d be lusting after them until, one day, I could afford them. And yet the price range — $300 to $400 — seemed entirely reasonable given the rough-yet-refined product.
Owner Joshua Bingaman — also proprietor of Progress Coffee around the corner on East Fifth Street — recounted his history in the shodden field, including his Subterranean Shoe Room group in San Francisco.
Studio manager Ethan Brown made me feel more than welcome. I have a feeling this shop will attract plenty of traffic. Foot traffic, as it were.