cinderella of boston
I get more mail from women with small sized feet complaining about the selection of shoes available to them, as well as the fit of many small sized shoes. I hear often that they can’t wear high heels because they hurt their feet and also many shoes fit them poorly.
I reached out to Chuck at Cinderella of Boston for some answers.
As you know, Cinderella of Boston designs vanity sized shoes for women worldwide and sizing ranges from 2 to size 5.5. Their shoes are for women aged 13-99 and as you can imagine they offer a wide selection of shoes, sizes and styles. You can purchase shoes on their website, or if you’re local, you can swing by their showroom in Westminster. The showroom isn’t a typical showroom ‘cuz you can purchase shoes from it, and its also the location of their warehouse — hence all sizes and sale items are readily available.
Chuck explained why women with small feet have a hard time finding decent shoes. Apparently many times shoemakers will use a children’s last (a last is a solid wooden foot from which a shoe is molded) for smaller shoe sizes like 4.5-5.5. Why this is an issue is because a woman’s foot is far different than a children’s foot, which is generally flat. Shoemakers will do this to cut corners to save money. As many of you know, a sample size in women’s shoes in the states is generally a six.
Cinderella of Boston uses the utmost care in the design of their shoes and children’s sizing is never considered. They also use shoe testers to try out their designs and adjust as needed to ensure perfect comfort. He agreed that there are have become less sizes available as of recent for women with small shoe sizes.
Chuck also gave me a run down on the company. I wondered why the name Cinderella of Boston (since they’re in the South Bay) and he explained that the company was started in Boston in 1939 as a sample company delivering styles to women’s homes. The sample size at that time was a 4.
Sizing has changed and women’s feet have grown throughout the years and so has shoe production. The company has expanded its sizing immensely and moved the headquarters to super sunny SoCal. Although the shoes are no longer produced here, the headquarters and brand are thriving.
If you swing by and check out their selection in Westminster be sure to tell them serafina sent you! And gimme a shout out, we’d love to know your thoughts!
Cinderella of Boston
6452A Industry Way
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 899-2020
Mon-Sat 9AM to 5PM
September 16th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I was glad to find this blog, however I am wondering if you have found any other options for purchasing small shoe sizes? what happen foreign countries where women are small and may have small feet? What about having fashionable shoes customed made? I am willing to consider different options because my feet are not only small but wide. Thanks
October 9th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Hi!
I came across cinderella of boston while doing a google search on size 5 shoes which are almost impossible to find in the us.
Although I live in California, I assumed that the store was located on the east coast hence the name “Cinderella of Boston”. I looked up their address and realized that were located within 30 miles of my home!
I drove on by the following weekend, and was pleasantly surprised with the variety of shoes they carried in their store. They also had a few racks with shoes from previous seasons that were on sale, and aren’t on their website!!!
I love the quality of the shoes, and they’re very comfortable. My ONLY problem is that some of the shoes do look a bit older- meaning that I feel they don’t really suit me, as I am still in my twenties.
It seems like they have stepped up their design up a notch, because they have many great pieces this season- although the prices are still just a tad bit higher than I can really afford (a little over $100.00 for boots).
I say it’s worth every penny (if you can afford it) to buy comfortable shoes, that are made for women.
I’ll never go to wearing kids/ or shoes that are one sized too big!
I love this place, and highly recommend it.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Hey All -
I just thought I would share a horrible customer experience that I just had with Cinderella of Boston and specifically with Chuck. I ordered multiple pairs of shoes from their store because I was unsure of what size would fit best. I called the store two seperate times to confirm that I would be able to send back the pair that did not fit. I spoke with a sales associate he assured me that as long as I sent the shoes back and had not worn them I would be refunded the full price. I was also told that there was no time limit and as long as I sent them back in “a couple of months” I would be fine. However, I just received an response from COB stating that since the shoes has gone on sale and that I would not be refunded the full price but rather the sale price that they are currently being sold for. I had NOT paid the sale price but rather the full price ($66 vs. $19.90). I sent back two pairs of shoes so that is a total of over $100 they will not refund.
I called the store and spoke with Chuck and he was EXTREMELY rude. He told me that his associate had not told me that (he has no record on which associate I spoke with) and that I was wrong (he specifically used that phrase). I explained that the reason I placed the order over the phone was so I could discuss the return policy with a store associate. Chuck repeatedly interrupted and talked over me on the phone call. He was extremely rude and eventually ended the conversation by hanging up on me. I have spent several hundred dollars there and can not believe COB would be willing to lose a customer over $100. I would definitely not recommend purchasing from this store because of their customer relations but also because the shoes are low quality and ended up falling apart after just a few wears.
I would suggest spending your money elsewhere!
November 13th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Meghan,
really!!?? I have just bought a pair of boots there from chuck. I talked to him twice that he suggested me what size of boots should i ordered. as four our conversation, he seems not bad and clearly explained everything to me. I hope the boots will be fine
As if the store has bad service, i still look for it because there isn’t too much choice for women who have petite feet to buy shoes.
November 15th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I tried ordering by phone, and indeed had a problem. I ordered one year ago on line, and they are not what I had expected. When I called, the response was “too bad for me”. From now on, I buy all my shoes at Nordtroms. Theyhave small sizes and the customer service is more than excellent!!!! Customer service is where it’s at!