Retailers and manufacturers have reacted to the COVID pandemic in a variety of ways – everything from switching to PPE production, to heavily discounting their products, to throwing in the towel and filing for bankruptcy. Rancourt, one of America’s few footwear manufacturers, is responding in a unique way – pivoting to a wholesale model. In order to keep their small staff in Maine employed, they are now offering their core styles at the wholesale price. The only catch is that they will wait until the order is large enough before it goes into production, which means that orders will ship in 8-12 weeks. This isn’t that abnormal for made-to-order footwear, though, and the prices more than make up for it.
Rancourt specializes in handsewn moccasin construction, which traditionally hails from New England. These shoes are made in Maine with the traditional techniques, and have been for over 50 years. Right now Rancourt has their core styles discounted at $100-120 off, which puts most of them around $150. That’s an impressive price for any good shoe, even moreso for one made in the US. There are seven styles available at wholesale, but here are my favorites:
- Gilman camp-moc, a delightfully casual moccasin-style shoe.
- Beefroll penny loafer, the quintessential penny style.
- Court Classic Low, an American take on the classic sneaker.
Feeling impatient? You can get the same styles shipped quicker if you order at full price from their ready-made collection. Either way, you’ll be supporting a small American business and getting some comfy shoes in the process. You can find all the wholesale styles here.
