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Dave Walter is an interesting fellow. He recently purchased the Yellow House from North House Folk School and is currently moving it onto a lot he bought in town and will work to renovate it in his free time.
But Dave has another job; he makes custom sandals, taking something old and making it brand new. He calls his company Recycled Treads. More about the business later. First, let’s get to know Dave a little bit.
Q- Tell us a little bit about your background, where you grew up, and how you ended up in Grand Marais.
“I lived in Minneapolis before moving to Grand Marais two years ago.
Years ago, I was trained in traditional furniture making; in the Twin Cities, I started a business making custom furniture and did that for about 12 years. Deciding to change gears, I went back to school and got a master’s in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. When I moved to Minneapolis, I bought an old, run-down house and, over many years, fixed it up. The sale of that house allowed me to move here.”
Q- So, what drew you to Cook County?
“I’ve canoed in the BWCA for years, going through both Ely and Grand Marais entry points. From passing through Grand Marais and talking with people here on the way to Gunflint Trail entry points, I got a sense of the city and the area and like so many of us, I was enchanted. When it was time for a change, I opted to move north to God’s country.
I also bicycle a lot, both for transportation and recreation. Balancing on two wheels is wonderful. And I like to hike – I’ve been hiking the Nature Boy trail to Pincushion, mostly in the winter. It’s a great hike and so easy to do. Since moving to Grand Marais, I’ve been exploring the shore of Lake Superior by kayak, a totally different way to experience the lake. Pretty amazing.
Q- How did you get into making sandals? And are sandals your favorite footwear?
Many years ago, I started wearing commercial sandals. My feet felt better in sandals and I started wearing them more and more, evolving to wearing them all year. There was something about having my feet not constrained by a covering and a rigid sole: sandals allowed my feet to move, flex and feel the ground and that felt right.
But the sandals I bought would fall apart – straps would pull out of the midsole, straps would break, and parts of the sole would deteriorate long before the sandal was worn out. I started fixing them and then started experimenting with making them from scratch. I started with car tire treads for the sole, but they were too heavy and it’s hard to find automobile tires without steel plies; then, I evolved to mountain bike tires from the stash of worn-out tires in my garage. I constantly reiterated the design, trying to find the right combination of materials to make a comfortable, rugged sandal that would last.
Yes, I wear sandals all year. Wool socks are fantastic to wear with sandals in the snow and cold. I wear sandals on canoeing forays, on the trail and in camp. I wear sandals hiking to Pincushion. I’ve been wearing shoes recently when I go to the Colvill dances, but that’s about it.
Q- Are sandals good for your feet?
I used to distance run a fair amount, and after some years, I developed showstopper pain in both ankles. One doctor told me I needed surgery, which prompted me to do my own research. I came across the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and it was an ‘ah ha’ moment. It confirmed that wearing footwear that minimally constrains our feet can be healthy. I’d been making my own street sandals, so it was a simple reach to experiment making sandals to run in. It was stunning. The peroneal tendons in my feet stopped hurting immediately and haven’t been a problem since ditching my running shoes. I’ve come to believe that wearing minimal sandals is better for our feet but also for our whole frame. Our entire body responds when the feet are comfortable and can move the way they were meant to with minimal constraints.
Q- Where do you get your materials to make sandals from?
The first sandals I made were from bicycle tires I’d worn out. But I worked through that pile and started going to bicycle shops – most shops typically have a pile in the back of the shop and were more than happy to hear that I could give them a second life. I’d found that automobile tires were too thick and, therefore, heavy for what I wanted, so besides bicycle tires, I tried motorcycle tires. They work great, and I make sandals out of them as well.
One aspect of both motorcycle tires and bicycle tires is that the rubber they’re made of is formulated to be grippy even on wet surfaces. This is a huge benefit on the beach and in the BWCA when I’m frequently walking into the water or on wet rocks on the trail. The lugs of mountain bike tires and the compound of the rubber really grip in places I want to go.
Besides using tires that would normally be headed to the dumpster, I’ve found a source of wool felt the manufacturer would toss that, and I bought a bale from them.
I’ve tried many different materials for the sandal insole on the surface the foot rests on, and I wasn’t happy with any of them until trying the felt, which I really like. It’s comfortable on the sole of the foot, isn’t slippery, it wears well, can get wet, and seems to have some antimicrobial qualities.
The sandals I make need more structure than the tire sole, the felt and the foam provide, and I’ve found that industrial belting is great for that. I found a company that sells belting that’s either trimmed from larger rolls or is no longer usable for its original purpose. I bought a small roll of belting from them, and it works great for these sandals.
Recycle Treads sandals are made from mostly recycled materials, which is important to me.
Q- People have to order their sandals online. How do they know they will fit?
I’ve developed a design, both the materials that are used and the configuration of how they go together, that is the same for most customers. So when someone orders a pair of sandals, I use the template for the size they specify and go from there. But I can and have made custom sandals when someone says they have feet that are uniquely shaped.
The vast majority of people’s feet fit well in the design that’s evolved, but I can and will make sandals based on atypical feet. That’s part of what I want to do: make footwear that’s good for the feet, is comfortable and wears well, so if it takes a custom shape, I’ll do that. I don’t pre-make sandals; each pair is made based on customer orders.”
To learn more about Dave’s business, go to The Recycle Treads website: recycletreads.com/
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