BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Do you or anyone you know struggle to find the right fit for shoes with two different size feet?
Well according to Antonia Saint New York, roughly 60% of adults have one foot that’s bigger than the other, and one Bentonville woman found a way to help that.
During pregnancy back in 2010, Andy Blickenstaff’s feet grew to be two different sizes, forcing her to store away some of her favorite pairs of shoes for good.
She says it’s been difficult to either buy two pairs of the same shoes or deal with blisters and ingrown nails from a shoe that pinches too tight.
Now, she has created an app for people like her who suffer from the same issue.
The Sweet Feet app launched in 2018 for people with two different shoe sizes to find a “sole” mate and exchange shoes.
Her goal is to lessen the financial burden of purchasing two pairs of shoes and help people find physical relief from the pain of wearing shoes that are too small on a daily basis.
She says she searched high and low for technology that could help her find someone in the same situation with no luck.
“I just thought 'I can't find it. So I have to create it,'" said Blickenstaff.
On the app, you can connect with a sole mate in your area to shop with and trade one shoe for another. You can even have another mate thousands of miles away order online and eventually ship your missing shoe.
Andy thought her condition was rare, before realizing that many others struggled with the same dilemma.
She says, “People don't talk about it. People don't understand how widespread it is. And if you have this problem, since nobody else is talking about it, you think you're the only one. There is a very large population of us, and there is money to be made for retailers out there who would just take the time to help us out."
Andy hopes to continue growing the company and eventually work with retailers who can swap the shoes for sole mates before they are even shipped.
The app currently has about 425 users, and she plans to raise more awareness by going to Downtown Bentonville Activities and setting up a Sweet Feet booth at local marathons to target runners.
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