In honor of Small Business Saturday, we want to give thanks to all our wonderful customers who made the decision to shop small. When you buy a pair of shoes at Hansen’s, you're a person with a name not just another number and data point at the big box stores. Shopping small businesses helps provide jobs, support the local economy, and give back to your community. As a family-owned business that’s been around for over forty years, we want to share our story!

Evelyn and Hansen started Hansen’s Shoes in 1981 in San Jose, California, as a single brand comfort shoe store- does Easy Spirit ring any bells? Known for our excellent sit and fit service and wide selection of sizes, we quickly built a loyal following of local customers. Over the years, we realized that our customers may prioritize comfort and health but they are also becoming more fashion conscious. We realized that the comfort shoe world needed to evolve to accommodate all our customers' needs.

With this realization, our founders were always on the look out for new brands that were both comfortable and fashionable. For example, you may have heard of Birkenstock- in fact they recently had their IPO debut. We've been carrying the brand for years when they were still only popular in Europe! Now that Birkenstock has gained popularity, we're still proud to carry them and educate our customers on all their orthopedic benefits.

Other amazing brands we've found are Dansko, originally famous for the clogs and nursing shoes but now creating beautiful sandals as well; Aetrex and Vionic, both brands known for orthotics that make the most comfortable heels and wedges; and Hoka, the ultimate dad sneaker that you can wear for over eight hours a day.

We never want our customer to have to choose between fashion and function again. Our values as a business are: Service, Comfort, and Fashion and our mission is to make the world just a little easier to walk in. 

Most importantly, we focus on fit and support to ensure your feet (A.K.A. your best friends) are happy and healthy. We will always educate you about different shoe options and how they will work for your feet and make individual recommendations based on your needs. We always offer to measure your feet because wearing the wrong size and style is not only uncomfortable but can also cause pain and foot problems in the future. Just like every person has their own preferences and style, every foot is different and has different needs. 

As a family-owned business, you become part of our family as soon as you walk in the door. We want to hear about your plans, needs, pain points, and everything you're willing to share so we can help you find the best fit and style!  Whether you’re looking for new shoes to go for a walk, get back into the office, or plan a night out on the town, we make your comfort and happiness our top priority.

You can meet our trained shoe experts in person at any of our three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area: Hansen's Valley Fair, Hansen's Oakridge, and SAS Shoes Santa Clara. Or you can shop online anywhere to find the right pair of shoes for you. Both our website chat and email are available to you for any questions about sizing, style, or fit. (We apologize at this time we don't have a dedicate phone line for our online customers but we do our best to respond via chat or email in a timely manner.)

Thank you, again, to everyone who chooses to shop local, small businesses today and every other day of the year! Everyone on the Hansen's team is incredibly grateful for you support and business.