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Then Half Moon 2nd They will have pretty much everything that you are looking for. The last 2 pairs of boots I have gotten from Half Moon but if you are looking for something very specific I would go to Sunrift.
Academy Sports has a large selection of these types of shoes. I generally think they are less expensive than places like Half Moon too.
I agree with innovator82 that you will possibly be able to find the same shoes for less at one of the large sporting goods stores like Dicks, Sports Authority, and especially Academy Sports. The problem might be service. I forget which of these even has an "incline" that you can test the downhill feel of hiking shoes in, but that's very necessary. And you may certainly not find the most knowledgeable sales people at the sporting goods stores.
On the other hand, REI in Asheville (actually South of Asheville off exit 37 of I-26), or Sunrift and the others will usually have runners, mountaineers, etc. on staff that know how to advise you somewhat on selection.
So it seems to me a great method is to shop on line for possibilities and price (for comparison), visit the knowledgeable shops, then if you don't have the price you want, purchase where the price sends you. Of course this is not a "proper, upstanding" piece of advice ethically, so possibly I should suggest you first offer the best price you've found as a substitute barter price to where you received the advice and service, and give them a chance to counter with their best price. The last thing I want to do is appear unethical on a public forum. I don't mind paying a little more where I receive more service, but sometimes this will lead to paying an extra $20 for a pair of boots.
One additional note: REI (Recreational Equipment) is a Co-op. So if you join when you make your first purchase, you will receive a dividend of usually about 10% of your annual purchase total once per year. I've found that this only brings your costs there back to a "fair" cost. It doesn't give you a discount to prices you will find at, for example, Academy. I've been a member of REI since the 1960's. Joined in Seattle, WA.
So it seems to me a great method is to shop on line for possibilities and price (for comparison), visit the knowledgeable shops, then if you don't have the price you want, purchase where the price sends you. Of course this is not a "proper, upstanding" piece of advice ethically, so possibly I should suggest you first offer the best price you've found as a substitute barter price to where you received the advice and service, and give them a chance to counter with their best price. The last thing I want to do is appear unethical on a public forum. I don't mind paying a little more where I receive more service, but sometimes this will lead to paying an extra $20 for a pair of boots.
If giving the local store a chance to match the price of large box stores makes your methods ethical in your own mind, so be it. But the reason the big chain store prices are lower is that they are a huge chain that gets bulk wholesale discounts and pays low wages for employees that do not need to know much. Local stores can't match these prices and stay in business. You either support local biz by shopping there and buying there, or you do not. To "give them a chance to counter" is giving them a chance to lose money and give in to the big chains.
Going into a local store to steel the advice of knowledgeable staff knowing full well that you will buy somewhere else is unethical to me.
Well stated, Art. I like your point, but don't distort mine. My words were "give them a chance to counter {the big-store price} with their BEST price". I did not say the local store should be expected to match the discount-store price. I also specifically did not stay "go into a store to steal the advice of a knowledgeable staff". That's why the whole issue of ethics was introduced. One must be aware of what they are doing when they shop. My advice was for people who might be prone to take the expert help and then go buy from a cheaper source, and for those who might think they realize, from price comparisons, that price gouging might be going on, and have the guts to go into a conversation about price, such that a manager might be called into the discussion and a price arrived at that suits both sides. If the manager or owner can give a better price, then I'm for a customer opening the discussion. Shopping is not charity, (unless you're in a thrift store). I did say "If you don't have the price you want (from the knowledgeable shop), purchase where the price sends you". This was supposed to be advice to those that might be PRONE to take advice from pro's and then buy from bargain-shelves. It was a reminder that there are ethics at play. It was advice that it might be nice, even if you are very careful with your money, to try to deal with the people who have given you the service. As you have stated, many ethical people will already have the price they want (or think is fair) in the knowledgeable shops. I don't need to talk ethics to those people. Thanks for your help in working out a clarification here!
Those that want a better price than they see at a professionally staffed store still get my advice to shop around, both for variety of stock and for service. The more people you talk to the more you learn. That's what this Forum is all about. So I'll always have to guide a buyer into the best method I know of for finding what they need, and leave it up to the buyer to decide what their feelings are about paying full price, bartering, or getting the absolute best price. I trust people to be as ethical as they can afford, and I encourage the whole lot of us to keep pulling ourselves up by the ethical bootstraps. Good people offering fair, well-thought-out advice are an invaluable asset to our society.
Sunrift, Mast and Barefoot Shoe Company. They are by far your best bet for shoes.
In what way(s)? How would you compare them to Run In on Augusta Street?
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