Italy is famous for the high quality its handmade shoes, so it’s only fitting that Little Italy is home to Best-Made Shoes, the only shoe store in the region that offers custom-made shoes and inserts.
Recently featured by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Best-Made Shoes is owned by Gene Rosen and his son Marc, both board certified and licensed pedorthists who are trained to evaluate and manage foot and ankle issues.
Like many of the great craftsmen of Europe, the Rosen family has passed the tradition on for generations. Gene’s father, Charlie, opened the family’s first shoe store in Massachusetts in 1939. Gene followed in his father’s footsteps and opened Best-Made Shoes in 1977 and Gene’s son Marc joined the business in 1995.
The process of creating or modifying shoes begins by taking an impression of a both feet and then casting a mold in plaster of Paris. The molds are then used to create inserts or to make a pair of hand-made shoes. All custom work is done on-site in the second-floor workshop.
In addition to making custom shoes, the Rosens make orthotic inserts and lifts, and can modify a customer’s existing shoes so they provide a proper fit. Best-Made Shoes also carries brand name comfort shoes such as Birkenstock, Aravon, Dr. Comfort, Finn, Kumfs and New Balance.
Best-Made accepts all insurance.