| With all of the scrutiny and demands placed on Barack | | | | people having bought two pairs of shoes at a time for |
| Obama and John McCain in their campaigns for | | | | most of their lives, there are probably many millions of |
| President, it is difficult to imagine a president as a polio | | | | mismatched and never worn pairs of shoes of every |
| victim. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt, possibly the | | | | style sitting in closets. Rather than continuing to buy |
| most famous polio survivor in history, was President of | | | | two pairs of shoes and wasting half of the shoes, |
| the United States from 1932 to till 1945. While he was | | | | people with mismatched feet can now exchange their |
| the thirty second president of the United States, he | | | | unused mismatched pairs of shoes with others. |
| wore heavy steel braces on his legs, which made | | | | Users of can make whatever arrangements they |
| walking very difficult. He was a great inspiration to | | | | want for paying for shoes, but PayPal seems to be a |
| many polio survivors. | | | | favored means of doing so. The site allows users to |
| Many polio survivors have mismatched feet, which | | | | ask questions about shoes posted on the site and to |
| may lead them to ask for mismatched footwear when | | | | post pictures and descriptions of the shoes they want |
| shopping for shoes. They also may search online for | | | | to sell or exchange. |
| mismatched pairs of shoes. However, very few shoe | | | | also offers opportunities to entrepreneurial types. Many |
| stores, manufacturers, or online suppliers of footwear | | | | shoe stores - especially self-service shoe stores - |
| offer mismatched shoes. Polio survivors - and others - | | | | have a problem with customers swapping out shoes |
| with mismatched feet can resort to several | | | | to buy one shoe in each of their sizes. This leaves the |
| organizations that offer single single and mismatched | | | | stores with pairs of shoes that they cannot sell. Often, |
| shoes and organizations that match people with | | | | the stores give those shoes away or sell them for a |
| complementary sizes of mismatched feet. Such | | | | very low price - usually less than a dollar/shoe. |
| organizations and matching efforts have met with | | | | A load of thousands of mismatched shoes can look |
| mixed success. Their tasks become more difficult as | | | | intimidating, but with a little effort the shoes can be |
| the number of brands and styles of shoes available | | | | sorted to find matched pairs and mismatched pairs of |
| multiply. | | | | shoes in the same brands, styles, and colors. With the |
| Several websites now offer single and mismatched | | | | millions of people with mismatched feet, there is a large |
| shoes in a variety of brands and styles. At least two | | | | potential market for even the mismatched pairs of |
| websites, and OneShoeTwoShoe.net, are retail | | | | shoes to be found among the shoes that would |
| sources of single and mismatched shoes. | | | | otherwise be thrown away. All that is needed is a way |
| OddShoeFinder.com, on the other hand, is a free site | | | | to connect the people with the shoes with those who |
| that allows users to buy, sell, and swap single and | | | | need them. The way is now available. |
| mismatched shoes among themselves With millions of | | | | |