# Footwear etc.

> Footwear etc. is a family-owned California comfort-shoe retailer that has been fitting customers since 1986. It grew out of Rapp's Shoes, a Palo Alto family store dating to 1948, and today runs about 10 stores across the state plus a Shopify-powered online shop. The company specializes in comfort and foot-health footwear from brands like Hoka, Birkenstock, Dansko, Naot, Aetrex, Vionic and Mephisto, with a simple guiding rule: if it's uncomfortable, they don't sell it.

- **Founded:** 1986
- **Headquarters:** San Jose, California, United States
- **Founders:** The Rapp family (Founding family (business traces to Rapp's Shoes, est. 1948))
- **Team size:** ~370 employees
- **Products:** Comfort footwear retail, Foot-health and orthotic footwear, Diabetic-friendly shoes, socks & insoles, Insoles and accessories, E-commerce store
- **Notable:** Named 'Best Shoe Store in Silicon Valley' by Metroactive editors, Operating continuously since 1986, with roots in Rapp's Shoes dating to 1948, Grew from a single store to approximately 10 California retail locations plus e-commerce

## Products & services

- **Comfort footwear retail** — Curated men's and women's comfort shoes across athletic, casual, dress, sandals, slippers and boots from brands like Hoka, Birkenstock, Dansko, Naot, Clarks, Merrell, Mephisto, Taos, Vionic and Kizik.
- **Foot-health and orthotic footwear** — Shoes and insoles engineered for plantar fasciitis, bunions, heel pain, neuropathy and general leg discomfort, including orthotic-friendly and anatomic-last designs.
- **Diabetic-friendly shoes, socks & insoles** — A dedicated collection of seamless, non-binding footwear and accessories designed to reduce friction and pressure for sensitive feet.
- **Insoles and accessories** — Aftermarket support inserts from Superfeet, Powerstep and Aetrex Lynco, plus socks and shoe-care products.
- **E-commerce store** — Online shop on Shopify Plus offering the full brand assortment with free shipping over a threshold and detailed product information.

## Achievements

- Named 'Best Shoe Store in Silicon Valley' by Metroactive editors
- Operating continuously since 1986, with roots in Rapp's Shoes dating to 1948
- Grew from a single store to approximately 10 California retail locations plus e-commerce
- Built a reputation as a leading comfort-shoe and foot-health retailer

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Operating roughly 10 California stores from San Diego to Palo Alto alongside its Shopify Plus online shop, with continued focus on comfort and foot-health brands.

## Links

- Website: https://footwearetc.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/footwear-etc.
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Footwearetc
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/footwearetc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footwearetc/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/footwearetc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/footwear-etc
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-26