This summer, ethical shoe brand Nisolo opened a storefront in New York City. This was welcome news to me. Sometimes you just want to go to an old fashioned brick-and-mortar store and try stuff on. Recently, I got the chance to do just that.

If you haven’t heard about Nisolo, they are a B-Corp that pays living wages, uses leather that’s been certified by the Leather Working Group, and releases detailed sustainability cards for each of their products.

I stopped by the store, located on Bleeker Street in the West Village, to try on boots. Here are my first impressions from a wide-ish feet perspective. (While I own some shoes in wide widths, I can often get away with wearing medium widths in styles that run wider. Most of my shoes fit the latter description.)

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Dari Boot

I was immediately drawn to the elegant, minimalist look of this boot. I love the line that makes its way across the boot. And I’m especially fond of this bone white color.

Details: 2.5″ heel, water-resistant vegetable tanned leather upper, cushioned insole, rubber heel caps, back zipper. Available in five colors.

Sizing: Runs small. Nisolo recommends ordering a half size up. My regular size of 6.5 indeed felt too tight width wise. However, going up a half size to 7 didn’t feel right to me either. The length was a bit long for me, which meant that my heel slipped. I guess I have skinny ankles.

Comfort: Of the three boots I tried, this was the least comfortable. Though the description says these have cushioned insoles, these also felt the least cushioned to me. Admittedly the 2.5″ heel height was too much for me. I can no longer do anything over 2″ because I have sesamoiditis (an inflammation of the sesamoid bones in the ball of the foot). That means putting pressure on the balls of my feet is a big no-no. And I definitely felt pressure on the balls of my feet wearing these.

The leather is a bit stiff and the front shaft of the boot kept hitting my shins as I walked around. This seemed like it could be a problem. Maybe this would ease up over time as you broke them in?

Eva Everyday Chelsea Boot

The Eva is a chelsea-style boot with a low heel. I used to shun chelsea boots because I’m not a fan of how the elastic panel looks. But, the Eva has a tasteful V-shaped panel instead of the typical U-shaped one.

Details: Water-resistant leather upper, 5-layer memory foam insole, pull tabs. The website doesn’t list the heel height and I didn’t measure it, but I’m guessing it’s about 1.25″. Available in six colors including two in suede. My favorites are the Auburn and black with black sole.

Sizing: Nisolo says true to size. Many reviews on the website say to size up. I tried on both my usual 6.5 and a half size up. The 7 felt comfortable width wise, but once again, I worried about it being too roomy in the heel. Though the 6.5 felt snug width wise, I think they’d be OK after the leather stretches with some wear. The pointy-ish almond toe didn’t seem too tight in the toe box. (Though sometimes it’s not apparent that it’s too tight for a pinky toe until after some wear, so it’s hard to say.) But out of the three pairs I tried, these were the most wide feet friendly.

Comfort: I was pleasantly surprised by how cushiony the insole was! The combination of the 5-layer insole with the toothy rubber sole (and no doubt the lower height) made it noticeably more comfortable than the Dari. While there wasn’t arch support per se, there’s extra cushioning in the arch area. These were the most comfy boots that I tried on during my visit.

Mia Everyday Ankle Bootie

The Mia is a low-profile ankle boot that can be worn without socks. These are a chic option if you’re looking for a boot that easily slips on.

Details: 2″ heel, water-resistant leather upper, 5-layer memory foam insole, rubber sole savers.

Sizing: Nisolo says true to size. I think this is probably true if you’re a true medium width. For me and my wide-ish feet, these felt tighter to me width wise than the Eva. The toe box felt snugger, too.

Comfort: For some reason even though this has a cushioned 5-layer memory foam insole just like the Eva, this insole felt not quite as cushiony to me. I think these just didn’t fit the shape of my finicky feet as well. I’m very picky when it comes to comfort (especially so after my foot injury) but I think for most people these would be comfortable.

A Side Note: Some Shopping Tips

After I came home, I saw on the website that there’s another boot, the Marisa Inside Zip Boot, that looks totally up my alley. It’s a minimalist boot with a 2″ tapered heel. I didn’t remember seeing these in the store. But after reviewing my photos, it appears they were there. I just didn’t see them because they were on the top shelf and I am short!

So lessons learned: peruse the website before visiting a brick-and-mortar store to familiarize yourself with the offerings and pricing. (I’ve noticed that sometimes storefronts are not so good at labeling what is on sale, Nisolo included, which is baffling to me.) And fellow shorties, don’t forget to look up.

Eva Everyday Chelsea Boot Update

2/23/24 – I decided to buy the Eva Everday Chelsea Boots in all black. Here’s my report after three months of wear.

I ordered my regular size, 6.5. At first they felt snug, but after wearing them around at home with thick socks for one day, they stretched. That one day of break-in time was all that I needed. They fit great, even for my wide-ish feet.

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The ample cushioning of the footbed makes for comfortable wear. Overall, I can wear these out all day with no issues — though they’d be even more comfortable if they had arch support.

One odd thing that happened is that the boots turned a light brown color right at the front tips. This happened on both boots on the rubber sole. You can see it in the photo below, though the discoloration is even more apparent in person.

At first I thought I must have gotten some dust or some other debris on them, but washing the area did nothing to reduce the discoloration. I’m known to scuff up the front of my shoes, so I guess this is just what happens when it gets scuffed? I’m thinking of just running a black sharpie over those areas.

The boots are water resistant as advertised. I find that I wear them often, so they’ve definitely turned out to be a good buy for me. And now, they’re an even better buy as they’re part of an end of season sale. I heartily recommend them.