A quickie. Been a long time, so long I'd assume anyone who had any interest in reading this so many years ago have moved on.
Last Spring I took a deep breath and bought not one but two pair of Quoddy shoes from O'Connells in Buffalo. I bought the 3 eyelet boat moc and the boat loafer. For those not in the know, these are handmade in Maine and far pricier than your average Topsider.
Both have been returned and exchanged due to workmanship issues. Above is a photo of the loafer. See where the stitching is separating between the strap and the upper?
Bummed, I am.
Worse, this will be the second pair of Quoddys I've exchanged this summer: my first pair, the 3 eyelet boat moc, were sent back due to the extreme pull-up of the Horween chromexcel. One shoe looked brand new, the other five years old. This was less a problem with Quoddy's workmanship and more an issue of sourcing from Horween, and I didn't really hold it against Quoddy. They are, by all accounts, a standup firm, and who among us doesn't love Made in USA? Who among us won't pay a few frogskins extra for quality?
Who among us doesn't have a ten year old pair of LLBean mocs made in El Salvador that we paid 40 bucks for that are still in perfect condition? Well, I do anyway...
Ethan at O'Connells exchanged the first pair without questions. I'm fully expecting him to do the same with the loafers.
More later.
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