Boys' Shoes
Buy and sell boys’ shoes in Costa Rica.
Under the public-school uniform a boy can wear black shoes or plain tenis in white, black, grey or navy, so the pair on his feet five days a week is the one families think hardest about. School pairs share the category with the tenis and sandals he wears at the weekend, new and second-hand alike. Most boys go up a size long before a good pair is finished, so plenty come back with tread still on the sole. Shoes here are mostly sized on the US children’s scale, which starts again at 1 after 13, so check the number before you travel to see a pair.
Zapatos escolares, slip-ons and school boots:
the black school shoe comes in three shapes, and the fastening matters more than the brand. A lace-up holds the foot best and suits a boy who can tie his own laces; velcro is the choice for kinder and the first grades, when nobody wants to retie a shoe after recess. A slip-on with elastic sides goes on fastest but loosens as the elastic tires, so it stays snug for less time than a lace-up. The ankle-high bota escolar is the heaviest and warmest of the three, and it protects a boy who plays football at recess in his school shoes. Plain tenis in a neutral colour are the fourth route, lighter and cheaper, though they never polish back to new for a graduation. The blue trousers and polo that go with them are in boys’ clothing, and the faja for the uniform is in boys’ accessories.
Leather or synthetic, and what a school pair costs:
a basic synthetic school shoe starts around ₡12,000 new, and a brand-name leather pair from a label like Hush Puppies runs to about ₡30,000. The difference shows at the crease across the toe. Synthetic uppers crack and peel there within months, while leather scuffs, takes polish and keeps its shape. A used school pair rarely fetches much, because a year of daily wear shows at the toe and heel. The ones that hold their value are pairs outgrown within a few weeks, with the toe still unmarked.
Boys’ shoe sizes, US numbers and the jump after 13:
most shoes sold here carry US children’s sizes, which climb to 13 and then start again at 1 for older boys, so a 1 is bigger than a 13. Some imported or European-made pairs use numbers in the 30s instead, a 33 sitting roughly where a US 1½ or 2 does. With him standing, leave a thumb’s width in front of the longest toe, and if he falls between sizes on a pair he will wear all year, take the bigger one.
Tenis with lights, velcro straps and worn linings:
on a used pair, look inside before you look at the outside. The fabric lining at the heel wears through first, and once it has gone the hard edge underneath starts to rub. Velcro loses its grip when the hooks fill with lint, and a strap that will not hold when pressed shut is a reason to pay less or walk away. Light-up tenis usually have sealed batteries, so when the lights die they stay dead, and a seller should say whether they still work. On leather school shoes, a scuff that polish covers is cosmetic, but a cut through the surface at the toe will not come back. Check the tread at the heel too: a sole worn down on one side has taken the shape of the last boy’s walk.
A pair of school shoes or tenis ready to pass on:
give the size from the label and say whether it is a US or a European number, because the same 1 or 13 means very different things to a parent reading quickly. Photograph the soles, the inside of the heel and the toe, and say how long he wore them, since a pair outgrown after six weeks is a different offer from one that lasted a whole school year. Clean them first. A coat of polish on leather or a scrub of white tenis lets the photo show what is wear and what is mud. A family in Desamparados or Guápiles hunting for a uniform pair will want to know it is plain black, or a tenis in a neutral colour, before they make the trip.