Soula's Rick Lee, pictured here with his children Julia (r) and Ben(l).

Busy Brooklynites head to neighborhood favorite Soula for fashionable kicks that won’t end up killing their feet. “Our customers definitely walk a lot because we’re in Brooklyn and they take the subway to Manhattan,” store owner Rick Lee told WSAToday.com. “So we try to focus on footwear that looks good and feels good.” To do that, Lee, a retail veteran who was once a men’s shoes and accessories buyer and divisional merchandise manager for Barneys New York, stocks up on brands like Camper, Gentle Souls, Paul Smith, adidas Originals and Gola. And, while comfort is key, aesthetics count, too. “We focus on the fashion meets comfort spectrum, which can sometimes be a little bit of a dirty word with customers,” said Lee. “We don’t really focus on true comfort brands but we keep a really close eye on styling and making sure that the brands and styles we carry in the store have some comfort technology happening.” That formula seems to be working; a second branch of Soula is currently under construction near Prospect Park. Here’s what customers have been eyeing this summer.

Samantha by Mariana by GOLC

Price:

Retails for $125

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s kind of a strappy, semi-high heel,” Lee says. “It’s as close at it gets to being a high heel here. Given the height of the heel it’s also very, very comfortable. It’s a great summer sandal because women who are buying are using it for weddings. You can dress it up or dress it down. We carry it in champagne and red.”

Rene by Chie Mihara

Price:

Retails for $325

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s just the perfect height for walking,” Lee points out. “Women can wear it to work, or wear it with casual wear as well. [Chie Mihara] is a really talented designer. The styling is really nice and she’s also got a huge, strong, footwear design background. She actually worked for a comfort store in Manhattan when she went to school here. Women love the comfort aspect of her shoes. We carry this in a brown and white combination.”

Tumble 2 by J Shoes

Price:

Retails for $125

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“We have it in 4 or 5 different variations this season,” Lee says. “In summer, it’s really popular; you can slip it on, dress it up or dress it down. It’s comfortable and it also looks good.”

Lola by Frye Boots 

Price:

Retails for $140

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s a really good collection overall,” Lee says. “This season, we’re selling the sandals really well. This open-toed gladiator style has been great. It has an ankle strap. We had it in a gold metallic cracked leather that we basically sold out.”

Bunzi by Tsubo

Price:

Retails for $90

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“It’s a just a closed-toe fisherman sandal with a little Velcro closure with a soft, comfortable rubber unit bottom,” Lee explains. “We’re doing well with the earthy brown color with an orange accent. Men are definitely open to wearing more colors than they were before.”

Gizeh by Birkenstock

Price:

Retails for $70

Why It’s A Top Seller:

“They’ve had this style in the line for eons,” Lee says. “The Gizeh is a very simple sort of thong pattern. For some reason, this season, that style is just on fire. We had it in silver metallic and also in gold bronze metallic color and we just totally went through multiple orders. The metallic business this season is stronger than it’s ever been. Customers are finally realizing that it’s just a great summer option in color. It goes with just about everything.”

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