Why LDS Missionaries Shouldn't Go Anywhere but MissionShoe

The MissionShoe Difference

MissionShoe has been an industry leader in providing quality shoes for the LDS missionary force for three good reasons: price, weight and durability.

Price

For $85 you get a pair of shoes that has a 100% polishable Brazilian leather upper and a polyurethane form injected sole to give extra support and comfort. 

As far as price goes there are few options even comparable. So why not get twice the shoe for half the price?

Weight

MissionShoe is one of the only shoes created for missionaries in mind that weighs under 1 lbs. per shoe. They average about 14 oz. per shoe. The only comparable competitor is the Rockport Dressport Bike Toe Shoe that retails at $190 - more than double the cost of the MissionShoe.

You might be wondering what different does 8 oz per shoe really make? The answer is if you are just walking to your office's printing station and then back to your cubicle, not much. But if you are walking several miles a day then the lighter the better. Have you ever walked with ankle weights on? Sure they are only weigh about a pound but after carrying them around all day, your legs are tired! Less weight will cause less strain on foot, ankle and leg joints and make it easier for you to travel wherever you need to go.

Durability

Dress shoes, durability and comfort are seldom terms used in the same sentence but missionaries need them all! That's why we recommend MissionShoe. Their shoes are built from the same technology used by the Brazilian Postal Service. All major seams of the shoe are double or triple stitched, the sole comes up and over the leather upper making breaking or tearing along that area much more difficult.

The shoes were made for walking! And that's just what they'll do! These aren't dress shoes made for walking, these are walking shoes made dressy!

MissionShoestore.com

Serving a Mission in Japan

Japan, Korea or just Asia Bound?

Congrats! This is an exciting time! I bet you or your son are pretty excited and maybe a little nervous. Allow us to help you know what kind of shoes to bring with you. Hopefully that will help make you a little less nervous!

In almost every other situation or any other mission, we would heavily recommend the 3rd Generation Tracting Deluxe. It's light-weight, durable, comfortable, everything you could possibly need as a missionary. However, your situation is unique.

Japanese Etiquette

Shoes are not worn inside homes. There is generally an area called a genkan, it's basically a mudroom. Just a place where shoes are placed and then typically replaced with slipper like shoes called uwabaki. A lot of times just wearing socks will be fine in most casual situations. 

The Solution!

Taking this into consideration if you have to stop, untie your shoes and then retie them every time you enter and then leave a house, this will obviously get a little old.  MissionShoe has created a shoe just for you! The Mission Shoe 3rd Generation Slip-On Deluxe. Everything that you love about the Tracting Deluxe but you can avoid some awkward moments at the door steps!

For any more questions go to www.missionshoestore.com

or give MissionShoe a call at: 208-572-0056

or an email at missionshoe@gmail.com

Foot Powder - A Missionary Must

Vertico Footwear's Foot Powder

In the Summer of 2013 Vertico Footwear released a product that would change the missionary market forever. By using natural and organic products Vertico created Ped Powder!

Why Ped Powder?

A common question the people at Vertico Footwear get asked is, "Why should I even use foot powder?" and "What makes your foot powder better than anyone else's?

Allow me to answer Question #1

"Why should I even use foot powder?"

There are three negative circumstances that foot powder helps you avoid. All of them are interconnected and make the others worse. They are: 

Stink

No one likes stinky feet. Ped Powder works to not only cover up the bad smell but replace it with a great one scent.

Sweat

Warm moist areas are a breeding ground for bacteria. The ingredients in Ped Powder work to absorb the moisture that could harm your feet.

Itch

Not fun and usually signs of a lot worse problems. Itchy skin on your feet is usually a tell-tale sign of bad bacteria irritating the skin of your foot. The scary part is that itchy now might be ouchy later. By eliminating the moisture around the foot you can help prevent the irritation.

"What makes your foot powder better than anyone else's?"

Reason #1: Natural and Organic Ingredients.
There are several other brands of foot powders on the market. However, if the ingredients of the product are hard to pronounce and you have no idea what it is... then that's probably not a good sign! Too many products these days are chemically altered or have random chemicals added.
Ped Powder is a baking soda based product powered by essential oils! Doesn't get much more natural and organic than that. Buy safe, natural, organic and don't worry about looking up whatever the heck benzethonium chloride is.

Reason #2: Amazing Scents
Ped Powder comes in three different scents: Eucalyptus, Refreshing Peppermint and Founder's Favorite which is a camphor-mint blend. Vertico has accomplished something amazing here folks, making their foot powders smell good without smelling girly.

Reason #3: Great Price
Let's face it, the words "organic" and "natural" are huge buzzwords right now. Some businesses exploit this fact like crazy. Most people know that they are going to have to pay more for products who boast such titles. Even in the foot powder world people are taking advantage of it.

Simply stated, if you are paying over $3 for an ounce of foot powder.... That stuff better make you fly! Vertico has placed their foot powder at the cost of $7.99 or 5 ounces of product. That comes out to about $1.50 per ounce. So there is no need to over pay for quality foot protection.

Reason #4: Is that a Kangaroo on the side of the Eucalyptus Bottle?
Why yes. Yes it is. Buy three of them. There is a super hero on the side of the Founder's Favorite. Buy four of those too.

Reason #5: Great Results
Whether you want to prevent athlete's foot, get rid of the stink or just know the importance of good foot care, Ped Powder can do it all.

Where can I get some Ped Powder?

Ped Powder is becoming available in more and more places! However the best places to find them is through: MissionShoe's Website

Or via Amazon:

Refreshing Peppermint

Eucalyptus 

Founder's Favorite

South American Mission Suggestions!

Serving in South America?

So, you've just been called to a Brazil Mission, Argentina Mission, Chile Mission or even an El Salvador Mission? Well congrats are in order! I hope you are stoked to go love the people of Brazil or Argentina or wherever you're heading! You might be wondering what you really need to bring. Well, we are glad to help with your footwear needs!

Shoes

Well no surprise here, you are going to need shoes. But let's talk about what kind of shoes will help you out the most.

Waterproof

It rains a lot in the South and Central American Missions, you need to be prepared! This one isn't too hard as a lot of men's dress shoes are already waterproofed. Our recommendation is a black pair of polishable leather shoes. Missionaries are allowed to bring brown shoes but I strongly encourage missionaries to buy only black shoes because it can be difficult to find the correct shade of brown polish to use on your shoes especially if you don't have good access to stores.

As far as Shoe Polish goes, I highly recommend the Kiwi Shoe Shine Kits that you can find in all sorts of stores including Wal-Mart. However, I would recommend getting MissionShoe's kit because it comes with two black shoe polish instead of one black and then wasting a brown polish.

Polish your shoes! If you buy a pair of shoes from MissionShoe then they already come with a layer of product specifically designed to protect your shoes. Unfortunately, this will not last forever. Polishing your shoes is important because it helps your shoes maintain that defensive barrier from dirt, water and anything else that might try to find its way into your shoe to cause damage.

Missionaries who see problems with their footwear will often be asked, "Well Elder, how often did you polish your shoes?" to which they will generally timidly reply, "Oh... maybe once every month... or two..." This is not enough! We suggest polishing your shoes multiple times a week.

In some locations it may even be beneficial to have a pair of Boots.

Durable

There is a simple sad fact we need to realize when it comes to shoes you wear with a suit and tie. That fact is that very few dress shoes are really made to handle the level of activity needed by missionaries. I highly doubt you would be able to find a pair of shoes at JC Penny that would last 10 miles a day every day on wonderfully constructed Brazilian dirt roads. So when going to buy a pair of shoes for a missionary, I will give you a list of very important things to look for in Missionary Shoes:

1. Sole Construction - It's important to know what the soles of your shoes are made of. The sole is the most important part of the shoe! It's the part that your foot rests on. It is not uncommon for dress shoes to have multiple parts to their soles. Usually they have some thin lining that actually separates your foot from the sole and then the sole is filled with plastic, cork or other just filler products. My strong suggestion for missionary footwear is a one piece polyurethane form injected sole. This is light-weight and creates a "spongy"like feel that will allow the sole to conform more to the feet.
2. Leather Upper Quality- If the leather of the shoes feels cheap it probably is and should be avoided. Furthermore, Dress shoes will often only be single stitched along important seams. This isn't good for a missionary because it increases the likelihood of splitting rendering your shoes useless. Search for shoes that clearly have multiple lines of stitching along the seams. It is easy to spot a well constructed shoe.
3. MissionShoe Logo - Bottom line, if you aren't buying a pair of MissionShoes you are doing one of three things 1) You aren't getting the caliber of shoe a missionary needs, 2) you are paying way too much, 3) or both! MissionShoe's products aren't the most attractive on the market, but they are the best in durability, comfort and everything else an Elder could need in a pair of shoes.

Comfortable

Comfortable and dress shoes are two things you really rarely hear together but that is exactly what you need! You've been called by God to preach the gospel and that is an amazing invitation to serve. Wearing low quality shoes that hurt your feet will only hinder your ability to spread the good news! You need to be out finding and bringing souls to Christ and not sitting in your apartment (or worse, back home) because you didn't care for your feet the way that you ought to have! 

The terrain in mission fields like Guatemala, Honduras Colombia or other areas are pretty rough you need something that is going to be able to take you where you need to go without wearing your feet down to nothing! 

Cost 

There really is no need to break the bank when getting a pair of shoes. There are great and affordable options out there I promise! MissionaryMall has a great product line for you to choose from. Some of them can be pricey but you can trust that they have done their homework in finding some good shoes.

As always though, I am going to point you in the direction of MissionShoe. I truly feel it would be foolish to go anywhere else. Their shoes are the less expensive by at least $30 per pair of shoes. Therefore, if you aren't losing any quality and you are saving some money, what's not to like about the situation? Look I will make this decision even easier by adding a little discount! 

There you go Elders! I wish you the best of luck as you serve! I hope you love the people of Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, or wherever in the world you end up! 

Shower Sandal Surprise

Vertico Shower Sandal Surprise Seller

MissionShoe has been producing quality missionary footwear and other products for several years. As in all businesses some products fly off the shelves like their 3rd Generation Tracting Deluxe. You never know what will be a big hit in business. One of MissionShoe's greatest surprises has been the immense popularity of the Vertico Shower Sandal (MissionShandal)

"You might be shocked how many of these sandals we move on a daily basis," said Ryan Joos, a MissionShoe employee, "Vertico Footwear offers excellent products."

While MissionShoe originally picked up the "MissionShandal" as a nice add on product to complement their other shoe lines, the success of the shower sandal has taken on a life of its own. Every month since their introduction on Amazon they have moved more and more sandals.

Joos continued, "It began as something very cute. 'Oh look we sold another shower sandal, that's great.' to days like today when we are shipping out over 20 of them." 

MissionShoe has yet to receive a negative review for the shower sandals. 

Amazon Reviews

MissionShandal Reviews

For the price the MissionShandals are a great product. That is probably why they have sold at such a rapid rate.

Throwback Thursday Missionary Footwear Style

The MissionShoe Evolution

In the Beginning...

This beautiful piece of Brazilian leather placed deep into a polyurethane form injected sole is the first generation of the adventure that is MissionShoe. The shoe itself is derived from the same technology used by the Brazilian Postal Service. Using this technology enables MissionShoe to create quality products for the LDS missionaries at a fraction of the cost of other shoe companies.

While this shoe was great it still had a lot of development to go through until it could become the missionary shoes that MissionShoe offers today.

The Tracting Edition

The next line of lace up shoes developed by MissionShoe was the Tracting Edition or the Second Generation. This MissionShoe still offered the same rugged sole technology that was so popular in the First Generation but this MissionShoe offered higher ankle support, additional padding and tighter lacing abilities. 

This was seen as a step in the right direction but the future of the MissionShoe was still bright!

The 3rd Generation Tracting Deluxe

The 3rd Generation Tracting Deluxe has become the MissionShoe flagship. This has been the bestseller for a long time now and I don't imagine that will be changing any time soon.

MissionShoe just took their second generation and streamlined it. Made it a little smoother looking. While the material that the sole was constructed from did not change, the look did. 

While the general look of the "3rd Gen" is significantly different than the Second Generation, not all the changes were just cosmetic. The leather used in the upper was upgraded to a higher quality. Just feeling the material used in the "3rd Gen"you can tell a distinct difference. The sole was reconstructed to provide extra arch support. The toe box on the 3rd Gen was reinforced with thermoplastic which gave the toes extra protection and helps to prevent ingrown toenails.

When it comes to missionary shoes it doesn't get much better than the 3rd Generation Tracting Deluxe. Light-weight, comfortable, durable and waterproof, MissionShoe has everything a missionary could need.

MissionShoe in Rexburg

The New Best Place for Missionary Shoes in Rexburg

MissionShoe's headquarters are located in the beautiful Vertico Footwear building located at 95 N. 12th W. Rexburg, ID 83440 just off of U.S. 20. 

However, as beautiful as things are now, they haven't always been that way. At the beginning of 2013 MissionShoe had its headquarters split between two locations. 

The warehouse, signified by the letter A, is where the missionary shoes and the other product lines were kept in a storage unit lot just off of highway 33 between Rexburg and Sugar City, Idaho. 

Their administrative location was a few miles south at an office building labeled, B in the above map. This would occasionally present some problems because the employees were not always able to have quick access to their product inventory. This led to the decision.

The Decision... 

MissionShoe has now moved the majority of its inventory into the Vertico Footwear Building. The move was important because it allowed the business to combine both their warehousing and office space into one convenient location. This has made for more effective customer service and reduced the amount of time needed to accomplish very simple tasks. 

The new location has also allowed MissionShoe to have their own retail space and showroom. Before if people in Rexburg wanted to try on any of the various styles of shoes they would have to come into their office which offered very limited space and seating.

The front showroom is filled with natural sunlight that comes from the large windows. Which makes for a very comfortable environment for missionaries and usually their mothers to come and try on shoes.

It is no surprise that MissionShoe is a market leader for missionary footwear. They still move several pairs of shoes through MissionaryMall but with their new retail location it allows them to expand their reach into a whole new area market that produces several hundreds of missionaries throughout the years.

For more information on MissionShoe and their products check out their website:
www.missionshoestore.com

or visit their brand new location at:
95 N. 12th W.
Rexburg, ID 83440

or call:
(208) 572-0056