When thinking of a footwear store, the idea of a swanky and hip boutique location comes to mind, but when you think about athletic sandals that are worn by white water rafting and surfing enthusiasts, your idea may change.
Keen Footwear, in Portland Oregon has been known to sell high-functioning footwear that water athletes gravitate to. When they opened up their Portland store in a garage a few years ago, who would of thought the Steam Punk interior design and high conservation ‘Keen Garage’ would be a lesson in space saving and re-salvaging materials?
Take a closer look at the garage that changed the face of Keen Footwear.
The 900 square foot garage is a testament to reusing materials to create a one-of-a-kind shop that is like no other.
“Ceiling and metal fixtures are all reclaimed, re-used or recycled; an oil drum found on the side of the road is now an enormous planter… Old bike chains help make up the “shoe rotisserie” which rotates planks of shoes via pulley to display twice as much product in half the space of a normal display case.”… Cool Hunting.
Space is saved using creative ideas, like a ladder that runs the circumference of the store for Keen shoe employees to access the stock housed in wire racking above the showroom. Keen Garage is an excellent example of creating an environment that is unique and unforgettable, regardless of its size and purpose.
‘For trying on new sandals, boots or shoes, wooden bleachers reclaimed from a coastal Oregon high school have been re-imagined as seating. Trays of materials representing local hiking environments—river rocks, sand, and trees—stow beneath the bleachers and pull out for testing.’… Cool Hunting
So the next time you are in Portland, Oregon looking for athletic footwear for your next water sport, Keen Footwear is where you want to be.
From their eco-conscious and space saving store, to the innovative ways they have re-purposed and salvaged reclaimed materials, you will want to try on some cool shoes just to experience the environment.
All photo credits: Keen Footwear via Cool Hunting
