David Teper

Review of Knapp Shoes

Lets be clear, the only reason this review receive...

Lets be clear, the only reason this review receives a 2 start rating (and not lower) is because Knapp is on a short list of retailers which can order from the full Red Wing Boot catalog. If you want to avoid a rant, please scroll to the bottom for a summary.

I learned of Knapp's affiliation with Red Wing through Red Wings store finder online. I called ahead and asked if they were able to special order Red Wing boots, much to my delight they were. I already own a pair of Beckman Round Boots (9033) but was interested in ordering in the 6" Chelseas (2928). Because the lace less nature of the Chelsea I wanted to be sure I was ordering the correct size. While the employee was nice, her knowledge on boots was limited and her knowledge on cleaning and maintenance was even worse.

After continued prying, I convince her I needed to try on a comparable slip on boot to double check my size, the attendant made several trips to the back to speak to the manager (I m assuming) regarding question I would think were simple for a shoes store employee; can you order the style of boot I need? What if the size I order is too large? What is the process of cleaning and preserving the boots? Which products do you recommend to clean them? All these questions, required her to go back to the stock room to confirm her answers. In the end I placed my order, and paid upon ordering, I could not pay at time of pickup.

I received a phone call to notify me that my boots came in and were ready for pick-up. Because I live in Waterloo I could not pick them up right away. I asked the employee if he could order two additional items for me, the Red Wing Leather protector (97108) and the leather cleaner (97107). The employee told me they have the leather protector in stock (which turned out to be false) and can order in the cleaner, I advised that I would pay for the additional items when I was to pick-up my boots.

I arrived to pick-up my boots and was surprised to find that neither the cleaner nor the protector were ordered but instead boot oil (Red wing Boot Oil 97103) was waiting for me (which was an in stock item). I asked about why the items were not ordered and the employee replied with that s all we keep in stock and we don t order accessories/cleaners . While disheartened, I decide to bite my tong and find a website to order from instead. Before leaving I decided to ask about my Beckman Boots which have had a lot of salt buildup and how to best clean them. Again, the employee did not know the answer but this time the manger (or possibly owner) Cory was on the store floor. The employee asked Cory while holding my boot about the best option to restore them, the only thing Cory did was look at the boots from nearly 6 meters away (I m not joking) and said water and soap and walked away. This one sentence solidified my thought about writing this review. Even I, who is a complete novice at boot maintenance knows that cleaning a leather booth with soap will dry out the material and remove any natural oils from the boot. After that I knew that there was no use staying longer.

Summary
Read-up and be knowledgeable going into your purchase, because you ll find no help or advice in regards to the products being sold at Knapps by its own employees. I had higher hopes for a locally owned business.

Pros: Can make special orders from Red Wing
Cons: Uneducated staff, terrible customer service, vague store polices, Poor selection of boot care products