Club Obi Wan

I live in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Theres this small mens clothing shop that sells Aldens. I was lookin around for a store that sold Aldens cause I didnt really want to buy them off the website without trying them on. Well I called this shop to see if they had the 405's. The salesmen said he didnt have them in but the Aldens representative was going to be in the store all day, and have his whole line of shoes with him. This was great news because not only were the shoes going to be there for me to try on, I got them rediculously cheap. I got them for only 100 bucks instead of I think 260. If anyone lives in the southeastern Michigan im tellin ya to go into Birmingham. The Claymore shops and get the shoes.

Atticus

A hundred bucks?!

Could I have the phone number or a link to the webpage of this shop please?!

Regards,

Marc

$100!?!?!?!? Are you pulling our legs?

Woah, that's crazy! Good find though, congrats! BTW, were these like a 'display' shoe or were they a brand new pair?

No joke guys. I was at the right place at the right time. It was a one time offer im guessin. The shop I went to doesnt even normally carry the 405's. The sales rep from Aldens was there doin a "trunk show" they called it. The shoes were brand new not displays. I made sure and asked him if they were and checked the shoe for any damage that might have been the reason for the $100 price. Perfect from what I could see. Plus the shoes were already dark brown. Im goin back tomorrow cause they carry my Lacoste shirts, and I will ask if they are going to have a trunk show again. Maybe its a yearly thing. Also the Aldens sales rep was insanely nice and new exactly why I was looking for a 405's. Ill keep you guys posted.

Atticus

Cheers
I J

Did you get his card? Did he just happen to have one pair that was your size or did he have a lot more Indy boots in other sizes?

Yeah....I think we need more information here. If this is the case, I will be front and center at their next show in my area.

Being in Michigan, I'm most interested if this will be a possible repeat occurance. Did you have to negotiate this deal, or was the store or factory rep just feeling really generous?

Atticus,

That is great! I'm very happy for you. I'm wondering if you would be so kind as to offer a lot more detail. As ITG, I am wondering what the odds are that the boot fit you perfectly, right "out of the trunk." Also, did you negotiate this? Or, is it a standing $100 offer when the is guy pops in to a store? And the 405s were already brown?

I.J.

Ill give you the full details later today. Also Im goin back to the shop tuesday cause they carry other stuff thats hard to find anywhere else. Tuesday ill ask how many times a year the rep comes and if they know of any stores in the country that the rep might go or have a similair(?) sale. Sorry dont feel like being correct at 6 in the morning.

Atticus

Aright so heres the deal. If you look at the Alden website youll see its totally different. The Indy boot isnt even available to order. I went to the shop where I bought the Aldens today and asked them what the deal was with the cheap price. The salesman said that was the last line of the 405's, until 12 weeks. Meaning they wont be selling anymore until 12 weeks, dont know the reason. The shoes I bought were brandnew and I dont know what kind of changes their plannin on making to the shoe, if any. Also if you check the Aldens website youll see under accessories that you can get a dark polish for anyone who is looking to darken their Aldens. Soo looks like I was at the right place at the right time.

Atticus

Sounds like they hit the end of their leather availability cycle again, like we experienced January of last year. Maybe their color will return to the original rather than the orangy red we got last time. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Regards. Michaelson

Oh so this is normal?.. Thats good I was thinkin the 405's were done permanatly.

Atticus

Well, I guess 'normal' is what it's becoming for Aldens. Until 'we' came on the scene in our hobby, Aldens sold these specifically for medical reasons, and the 405 was cataloged in a speciality catalog for that purpose. When the 405 appeared on Ford's feet (his personal choice of wear due to the fact he wore them himself as a professional carpenter) as Indiana Jones, this all changed for Aldens, as they didn't sell that many pairs a year. If memory serves me right, the model was introduced in 1912, and hadn't changed a bit since then, except for the introduction of the Tru-balance system for support. They have been going through so many ordered pairs now, they tend to run out of the special leather they order specifically for the making of this boot. Apparently the source of the original leather dried up (I'm guessing it was the same situation that Peter experienced when his original supplier went out of business), and they had to find a new source for the material. They found one back over a year ago, and the 405 became available again in January of 2002, but with a price increase and a different tint. I'm also hoping they aren't planning yet another price increase when they come back up for sale. Regards. Michaelson

Is there a way we could find out if there is going to be an increase?

Probably not. They didn't release that info until the 405 came back on line the last time. Right now they'll only say what was reported above, and sadly, they don't tell their vendors any more than that. Allen White of the Alden shop was in the dark as much as we were last time, and the price increase was just as much a surprise to him. Like I said, let's keep our fingers crossed. They may NOT increase the price either. Regards. Michaelson

Here's the official reply from the Alden Shoe Company:

Style 405 is still available, however, only certain sizes are currently in
stock due to a shortage of leather. You may still place an order for the shoes and they will be made as soon as the leather arrives here at the factory.

Hope this information is helpful.

Best Regards,
Alden Shoe Co