SAS Shoe Factory Tour

I grew up with my parents wearing SAS shoes. They would travel frequently, and swore by them. My mother-in-law has the same addiction. I have always thought that they were meant for the people that had crossed over from the Fashion First/Comfort Second side of footware to Comfort First/Fashion Second side. I remember them being the shoes of choice of all of the nuns in my Catholic grade school.

Recently, my children have become fans of the show "How It's Made" on the Discovery Channel. We've watched factories turn out everything from jelly beans to hockey sticks to contact lenses. As I am always looking for a great new field trip for us, I thought a factory tour would be an interesting one.

I knew that SAS (standing for San Antonio Shoes) had a factory here, so I looked up times and booked a tour.

Although there are stores scattered around San Antonio, the factory is located on the south side of town, near I10 and Division. It is at the cross section of Zarzamora and New Laredo Highway.

As you drive into the parking lot, it feels like stepping into another world. A train station platform greets you as you park your car and walk toward the old-town-looking building.

Inside, you are met by a world from another time. My children love reading the "Little House on the Prairie" series, and it reminded me of that. It had a general store type of feeling, and sold everything from toffee candy to gardening books. Cat food dishes and keychains. An old fashioned ice cream parlor offered free soft serve to children and in another area, they were able to get popcorn for 5 cents. They marveled at the classic car in the middle of the floor, sitting right next to the giant stuffed bull that was next to the outhouse. If you think that it all sounds thrown together, than I'm not adequately communicating that all of this works like a tapestry of the past put together for your enjoyment.

And, among all of the many old fashioned delights, they sell......oh, yes, shoes! One section has men's shoes. As my husband browsed, he was greeted by an employee who ushered him over to a seat. The seat was the seat of a horse-and-buggy carriage. She measured him, pulled out her shoehorn, and put on the dressy loafers that he had been looking at. He really liked them, and bought them at $30 off the regular price. You see, the factory store here sells the "seconds", although honestly, I have yet to find a flaw.

Next to the men's, they sell children's shoes, and they make them on the spot. My kids enjoyed watching them sew the shoes together, and were disappointed that they didn't come in their size. They only go to size 10.

Then, we ventured to the women's side, which was sorted by size. There was also a world of purses and belts and accessories. The girls ate popcorn while I tried on some shoes. I was surprised that either the styles had been updated or that I'm venturing into that Comfort First side. I don't think so, though. The three-inch Mia sandals sitting in my closet don't exactly scream of coziness.

After selecting two pairs of sandals, we headed over to take our factory tour. We had pre-arranged this, although if you call the store (924-6562), they can tell you what their regular tour times are. There is no charge for the tour.

We boarded a shuttle bus, and were taken into what seemed like a real-life version of the "How It's Made" show. Everything was buzzing - people, sewing machines, racks of shoes being walked around the building. Every station was different. At one station, someone would be stretching the leather. At another, someone was cutting it. At another, someone was sewing it. Near the end, someone would be attaching it to the sole. At the end, the sharp-eyed quality control staff would check for the slightest imperfection.

I imagined that this is what the elves from the "Elves and the Shoemaker" story would look like as they cranked that footware out in the middle of the night.

What was pleasant to discover was that people seemed happy to be working there. There were signs filled with positive affirmations all around, and I never go the "sweat shop" feel that I would have expected from a factory.

I also liked that they said that everything is made in one of their four USA factories.

The tour lasted about 45 minutes, a perfect time for children's short attention spans.

I had once arranged a field trip for our homeschool group here, but my kids were sick on the scheduled day, so we missed it. The parents all said that they had a great time, though, and now I was able to see why.

So don't miss this hidden treasure in San Antonio!