Gulf Soles Venice

"I own a store. I tried to buy something on Sunday and got no response at all from the owner/clerk so I walked out. Tried again on Monday (people have a bad day sometimes). We walked in and the clerk was looking at her phone, no hello, no welcome. After a few minutes I asked for help, got an eye roll. The woman walked over and just stood there, never said a word. I will never return and in fact just bought them online. If I am going to self serve, I can at least not get an eye roll."

"Having read the reviews I went to this store today. What a mistake! The owner never even looked up from her phone to greet me, much less help me. After five minutes I asked for owner, rudely she says she was, did I need something, still looking at her phone. I stated I had read how helpful they were on reviews, is there another owner she said her husband Mike but he works in Englewood. She was rude and provided one minute of assistance, then back to phone. I asked when she wouldn’t be busy I coukd come back then I would recommend going to Englewood if you need assistance. Or better yet B& B Bootery around the corner. They are attentive and knowledgeable, great experience!"

"Please note, the store I visited is in Englewood. We went specifically looking for Oofas sandles, which we found and purchased. The only thing you must not do is wear them on wet grass, in bare feet, especially if the grass is uneven. Slipping within the sandle when wet is too easy. They become very slippery. Just do not do it. I wear mine daily mostly indoors, as my feet hurt walking on hard surfaces. I have since bought orthotics for my shoes to help with that. I love my Oofas, and highly recommend them. If you are in Englewoid on Thursdays, you can also stop at the farmers market, as they are within easy easy walking distance of each other. The fish guy on the eastern side of the road has lovely frozen product."

"About 8 days from this writing, I visited the store to purchase my 2nd pair of Oofos. I purchased my first one from this same store and loved the way they fit. Unfortunately, with this second visit,they did not have the size I wanted. Knowing that they have a second location, I asked ( rather than suggested by the salesperson) if they could check to see if their other store had the shoe I wanted in my size. I left my cell number. I never received a call back as to whether they had the shoe, or did not have it, or would order it. Being a Venice resident, I believe patronizing the local stores in downtown Venice is important. These small stores give you excellent, friendly and personal service. In this case, they fell down on the job and hopefully it is just a small blip on the big picture.... if not, sad to say in this small town, the word would spread that service is less than expected. At least, I felt that way."

"Like your favorite secret village one encounters traveling, the most interesting small shops in Venice are on Miami with the cast iron fountain and the burgundy awnings. Passing by this high-quality beach footwear store now we’re immunized, I found a wonderful selection of men’s and women’s Back Health bags, perfect for museums with rules or getting on Disney rides without the hassle of shimmying out of a pack or pulling a shoulder with a messenger bag. Serendipity- really, that’s Miami, and this pleasant shop."