Back in the middle of last year, Maine stalwart Rancourt, maker of excellent handsewn and Blake construction shoes and boots, came up with an idea: what if they offered crazy-slashed wholesale pricing on a few styles if they could get enough people together? Well, it worked (including on me—I grabbed a pair of natural CXL Ranger Mocs without a moment’s hesitation). Rancourt sold hundreds of shoes in a tough time (you know, pandemic). People got amazing deals. Everyone was quite happy indeed.
Well, Rancourt is running the concept back, this time with a crazy-deep range of 23 styles.
How it works: you pay for the shoes, and if enough people (between 25 and 200, depending on the model) jump on a style, they’ll get made and shipped on a timeline Rancourt lays out on their site. If they don’t get made, you get the cash back and can chastise your friends for not being smart enough to jump on it. Pretty good plan.
ALL THE STYLES ARE RIGHT HERE—and I’ve highlighted a few of my favorites below.
While you’re at it, check out this really fun video of Rancourt beefroll penny loafers being made, which offers an incredibly detailed look at the entire process.
And if you haven’t already, the Stitchdown Shoecast episode in which Ticho and I tell the tale of the rise and fall and rise again of the US handsewn industry—the story of which Rancourt is a huge part—is very worth a listen.
