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