Winter at the Soft Star Shoes Workshop

As the holidays approach, life at the Soft Star workshop adapts to the season. Winter hit us hard this year, and we're embracing all it has to offer.

Our small town of Corvallis, Oregon rarely sees an inch of snow each year, but the past week brought us the biggest snowstorm we've seen in two decades. Granted, it's still less than a foot of powder, but that's a lot for us. While other cities may be more accustomed to snowfall (and more equipped to deal with it), a few inches is enough to stop traffic and close all the schools in our town. We closed our workshop last Friday due to unsafe driving conditions and all the elves were instructed to stay home and play. Many of us spent that time outdoors appreciating the beautiful scenery of our neighborhoods covered in snow.

The shop is incredibly busy this time of year. Missing the day of work didn't help our long queue of shoes to be made, but all the elves are contributing extra hours of sewing to stay on top of the orders. We're making and shipping shoes at top speed, and C.Elf.O. Larkin has commended everyone for working so hard and staying on track with our holiday shipping deadlines. The next couple weeks will be our busiest of the year, and it looks like we may break some of our past shoemaking records.

We'd like to share with you a few photos of winter in our workshop and in our town (plus a fun video). We hope you enjoy them, and we wish you the best of the season!

C.Elf.O. Larkin decorating the workshop. That's me, determined to keep our Charlie Brown tree from falling over this year. ~Elf Martin Elf Erica learned to sew Phoenix boots this year... and she loves it! Each tote contains cutout pieces of leather ready to be sewn into shoes. There are many, many carts like these in our busy queue, but we'll have them all sewn and shipped in time for the holidays. The customer service elves recruited some help to build boxes for faster shipping. We're going through them fast. Our Charlie Brown tree in all of it's glory. The wisteria on our back porch has become an icicle masterpiece! A rare sight: a Corvallis street covered in snow. The historic Corvallis courthouse, lit up for the season. The beautiful Willamette River, which runs right past our workshop (actually, this is the Mary's River at the point where it branches off from the Willamette a block away from us).

And here's a special video treat for you. I managed to record my neighbors attempting to tow a snowboarder down my unplowed street. I confess, I was hoping to catch something more... climactic, but it's fun nonetheless:

Do you have some winter photos of your own you'd like to share? We'd love to see them!

Related Posts:

• Tips for Choosing Minimalist Boots and Winter Shoes
• Vote for Your Favorite Boot Colors!
• Holiday Shopping Tips and Ideas from the Elves
• Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Soft Star Shoes