The Next Step

Cyrus is in high demand, because he has saved many feet! Mine included. He is no kiss ass, but I go for shoes not to be flattered. He provides a great service!

Cyrus is a foot genius. This is a specialized store that serves people like myself with orthopaedic problems that can be at least partially addressed by having the right show that is fit properly. There is no one better than Cyrus. Yes, timing is everything at The Next Step but if you arrive at a busy time, wait patiently as it is not only worth the wait but you can always come back when he is not as busy. Thanks to Cyrus, who has been fitting me with shoes for many years now, I can walk comfortably for distances that weren’t possible before he first fit me with shoes that properly address the chronic foot problem I have. Without Cyrus I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my dog walks or for that matter walking period! While his selection is necessarily limited, he does a great job having a selection of shoes that have satisfied my needs while also looking good. If you want the real thing and you really have a need to specialized shoes, this is the place to go!

I’m updating this review because I have been now a customer of Cyrus’s for four or five years and still very happy with the service I have received. I can’t really buy shoes anywhere else, being that I am now a size 12 women’s and that’s pretty hard to find, in addition to my other problems. I still maintain that he does a great job, he is the only one around that does this type of work. and he and his store are a real blessing to me. I don’t know what I would do with out The Next Step.

I bought a pair of running shoes here over a year ago and was very happy with the owners recommendation. The shoes seemed a little pricey, but at the time I didn’t know anything about athletic shoes. After a year’s perspective the higher price was well worth the excellent advice.

RUDE! RUDE! RUDE… Selectively Responsive… I Was looking forward to going here because I need some new non-​custom orthodics… A friend and I walked in and looked around this tiny store for 5 minutes and not so much of a peep from the main sales rep (I assume Cyrus) and the 2 young guys. There was 1 customer in a chair. There was no Hello, we’ll be with you soon, Nothing! So, I asked, «Excuse me, who works here?». He replied, «We Do…, but we are busy so go have a seat.» Mind you there were 3 workers and 1 customer. Maybe I didnt look like I was going to buy something or maybe I didnt look like I could afford anything in the store to him… because be TOTALLY disregarded us… and when I said something… I received a Rude response. The tone said it all. The other customer even gestured that he was sorry… as if him being helped caused such Rudeness of justified the lack of professionalism. There are certainly other shoe stores in Berkeley & Claremont… so I guess I’ll be patronizing other stores where I can at least be greeted and not ignored, then offended…
***This visit was 10/​2013***

Cyrus was totally accommodating from the moment I walked in his store.
I’m really glad I found someone who could take care of my knee, foot and Achilles tendon pain!
If you have any if those problems, have someone like him observe the way you walk. It could cause lasting damage if you don’t take care of your pain immediately.
After trying a few different inserts, we found one that worked. And boy do I feel better!!!
Cyrus doesn’t claim to be a doctor or medical practitioner. He actually referred me to go see one. But I trust his judgement and am sticking to him.
I’m amazed at how patient he is with all the complain-​y people like me who come in & out of his shop every day! He is a godsend.

I walked in to The Next Step with my new lower-​ankle orthotic brace, an uncomfortable gait, and no shoes that fit, having been mis-​fit by some folks at The Walking Company with shoes that turn out to be inappropriate for my needs.
Cyrus was SO incredibly helpful (and kind) in bursting my bubble about the possibility that I’d get to wear anything «cute» at this point, and putting me in to three pairs of shoes that properly accommodate my brace, allow me to walk and stand in comfort, and will allow me to heal properly so that I can get back to all those beautiful Fleuvogs.
I’m sad about the «Cyrus is a jerk» reviews — I found him to be extremely knowledgable and professional, and actually pretty funny — while also trying to deal efficiently with the four simultaneous customers vying for his attention and expertise. (And, I’d like to add: he specifically gave me «more expensive/​less expensive» options, and DISCOURAGED me from the more expensive choices at this stage.)
I am deeply grateful to Cyrus and The Next Step — he’s a fantastic resource!

Cyrus was most helpful to me. I’m now 64 years old. Seven years ago I walked in cold and told him I had pronounced numbness in my feet. He advised I see a podiatrist. My podiatrist knew Cyrus well and wrote me a slip advising Cyrus what I needed. Cyrus then measured my feet and studied my gait. He recommended a sneaker in a much, much wider size and with greater structural rigidity. I bought two pair. He also told me to throw out my $ 20 sneakers from Big 5 I had been wearing for years and showed me why. Slowly over two or three years my neuropathy disappeared. I do a lot of recreational/​fitness walking and return once a year for another two pair. I respect Cyrus for what he knows. He also exhibits a calm and helpful demeanor. He’s carved out a nice niche for himself and is an asset to his community. If he makes a billion dollars from his store he deserves it. I just hope he doesn’t decide to cash out and retire early. His customers will miss him.

Not only do I see Cyrus myself for my orthotic needs, but I send my own patients to him. Yes — he’s rather brusk. But he gets the job done, and I’m in and out of there in a hurry. He gets bonus points for knowing what Ehlers-​Danlos Syndrome (a rare genetic disorder) is and how to handle it rather than needing it explained to him. If only I got that same response from most MDs!

I was referred to Cyrus like many others by my chiropractor. I had some arch and alignment issues that were causing knee pain. I hadn’t been able to run in about a year or do any heavy duty exercise. I made a 1:1 appointment with him for a Monday morning and got a full hour of his undivided attention. I highly recommend doing this for your first visit so there are no distractions. He watched me walk, wanted to know why I was there, wanted my history and asked that I bring all my shoes (or at least as many as possible) that I wear on a daily basis.
He recommended which shoes I should continue to wear (that he modified with orthotics/​inserts) and which were no good and I should likely stop wearing. It was a rough rude awakening but I tell you that he could not have been more honest, open, nice and professional. He isn’t a doctor and he doesn’t claim to be… but as my chiro put it, he knows feet, knows shoes and therefore knows what he’s doing with regards to his job.
I saw him in July for the first time and followed all his instructions for a month. It’s important to note that I was told to wear only tennis shoes for a month with my inserts… tough stuff when you’re a girl! He was strict but he was right… about 2 months later I was able to complete a run/​walk 5k — keep in mind I went from doing half marathons, boot camp, bar method, zumba to ZERO b/​c of this knee pain. So to be able to run/​walk a 5k was HUGE.
I have continued to go back to Cyrus and his crew for more shoes, orthotics and inserts. He’s really honest, but he’s also really nice and he understands that it’s not always an easy process. I don’t really agree with the poor reviews on his attitude at all. My husband and I will continue to go back and we’re both so happy we have somewhere to go where they truly understand feet & shoes.

Cyrus, and his helpers are attentive, educated shoe salesmen. They aren’t selling shoes for style or for street cred, they are selling shoes for folks with a need for tuned, modified and adjusted footwear that will help them with pain, range of motion and the like.
They are busy, they don’t work for free, and they aren’t fond of attitude (don’t expect to be treated like a prince or princess here), but, they are also attentive, knowledgeable, and willing to work with you to find a shoe /​insert /​modification that will work for you.
I didn’t find the cost outrageous, good shoes cost money, but if you’ve been buying shoes off the rack at Payless Shoes, you may be in for a shock.

People come from all over the state to get shoes that FIT.
I was recently having a painful foot condition (metatarsal arches have fallen)
Cyrus watched me walk and fitted new shoes with supports and buildups,
and as a result I can hike again. For those of you who don’t «get» what Cyrus
is about… all the pity. He is so busy that he doesn’t have time to coddle
or baby.

Don’t understand the complaints. I was referred by my podiatrist. When I got there they had2 other customers. They still got to me in 5 minutes. Got the shoes my Dr. wanted plus insoles for a price as good as I could have gotten at Amazon. Everyone was nice and professional.
Good service, good price — what more do you want?

I guess I was a lucky one. I live in LA, but was up visiting family, including my chiropractor mom. I had been having severe foot pain that nothing seemed to help. I told him who my mom was and he helped me right away. He spent all of thirty seconds watching me walk and put me in a shoe with orthotics that allowed me to go back to walking my dogs 2 to 3 miles a day. It’s over a month later and they are still working for me. the only reason I’m not giving him 5 stars is because he said he would call when he had a clog in that would also work for me and he never did. I live in LA LA land and there is no store that even comes close.

I was referred to this place by my podiatrist and happened to bring in my referral slip. (I didn’t realize until looking at this Unilocal page that I would have gotten thrown out if I didn’t bring it with me, so I’m lucky I brought it along.)
I had been having recurring pain in my toe joint for months that was preventing me from running regularly. The head guy there sold me a pair of new running shoes and orthotics for what I thought was a reasonable price.
Two weeks later, I ran a half-​marathon pain-​free. I think I’ll be coming back.

It’s hillarious — the owner, Cyrus Ganjian, thinks himself to be a doctor… he’s nothing but a USED CAR SALESMAN. Also, beware of glowing reviews of people who have only reviewed 1 business. Don’t go to this store for the following reasons:
1. Cyrus Ganjian is a con-​man salesman who only cares about selling you a pair of ultra-​high priced shoes starting at $ 250. He refuses to help you unless you have a pair of his approved shoes.

2. He will «diagnose» your problem in a split second and give you orthodics for this (mind you, his diagnosis for me was contrary to what my specialist said — I would think giving you the wrong orthodics might cause further damage?)
3. He will make you wait a really long time (i.e., 45 minutes to an hour) to get his Top Grade diagnosis
4. He got really snooty with me for not bringing in my referral from my doctor — does he think he’s a doctor himself?! Last I checked, he operates a shoe store, he doesn’t have an «M.D» after his name, and I didn’t think I needed a referral to get inserts put in my shoes.
4. He kicked me out of his store and refused to help me because I didn’t believe his «diagnosis».
There are a lot of other really great places to go without the wait, price, refusal to help and attitude. Spread the word.

An arrogant and disrespectful diva personality does not belong in any products or service industry. Cyrus may be very bright and competent. In fact, he may be a miracle worker to some. But please don’t automatically count on being one of them.
Cyrus is not a physician and I find it highly suspect and frankly unethical that he diagnoses conditions in direct contradiction to those made by professionals qualified to do so. And he does it in a split second, with no comprehensive testing, as a means of selling high priced shoes even before he will consider fitting an orthotic.
Ah, kind listeners, this is just a taste of what you will find at The Next Step. My daughter and I arrived on a mid-​week afternoon after receiving a verbal referral and a photocopy of Cyrus’ business location. My daughter picked up on a very peculiar vibe but I naively suggested that, if Cyrus was truly the miracle worker that people claimed he is, dealing with a little unhealthy atmosphere was a decent tradeoff. The store is completely disorganized with entirely too much scurrying going on. We were told that it would be a 45-​minute wait, our name was taken, and we left to return promptly after the necessary 45 minutes, only to learn that others had been taken ahead of us. Is this by appointment only, or not?
Cyrus was, at this time, bouncing from customer to customer. Eventually he came to us exclaiming, «Where is your referral slip?» much like the monitor demanding a hall pass in grade school. When we explained that we did not have one, but were referred directly by a physical therapist, there was some rather unpleasant chastising, accompanied by one customer laughing at us. We tried to explain the referral and the reason for the visit, but were met with very dismissive behavior from Cyrus, accompanied by unwelcome comments from some of the customers. He touched my daughter’s sole and promptly pronounced that her problem was plantar fasciitis, contrary to her existing diagnosis supported by extensive testing and evaluation by a very highly regarded specialist with whom I have had a great deal of experience and therefore know his qualifications. The only solution would be new shoes and orthotics. We tried to explain to Cyrus that the physical therapist suggested a full length orthotic to be fitted into my daughter’s existing shoe. Cyrus scoffed at this and went to help another customer. After awhile, he returned with a rough, «What do you want me to do?» The short version of what followed was that, despite the fact that he found it contraindicated, he would put an orthotic into the existing shoe. What kind of professional can ethically offer to treat a person in a manner that he believes either ineffective or harmful? Would it not be the proper thing to do to simply say, «I’m sorry but I cannot help you.»
In retrospect, I believe this was nothing more than a rather thinly veiled way to sell his high-​priced shoes. Please don’t consider that this is your only option if you are experiencing foot problems.

Have been referred by my chiropractor and podiatrist for years. Tried to go in the past and the wait to been seen was over an hour.
I saw some guy wearing shoes I like last week and asked where they were from and this was the third referral so I thought it was time to return. The gentleman suggested getting there before they opened so I arrived ½ early and there was already someone in line who had been there for hours! After he opened I was seen within 10 minutes — Cyrus asked a few questions and watched me walk and then said there were 3 shoes in the whole place that would work for me. I tried them on and bought the two that were in stock and the others arrive later in the week.
I do really well with stiff sturdy shoes and these fit the bill. There weren’t cheap but not having foot pain is worth a lot. They were about $ 120 pair and compared to some of the other prices I think I got off cheap.

I’ve read all the reviews, and need to add my perspective. I started going to Cyrus about four years back, with feet in terrible shape (and I work on my feet, often for long, long days). He is not a perfect human being, but under the circumstances, he is patient, and attentive. His recommendations have mostly worked really well – I no longer have foot pain, and I have comfortable shoes. The shoes are expensive, but I can’t seem to find anywhere else where the same shoes are less.
My biggest problem is that I rely on him. He’s not good at explaining exactly what to look for in shoes if I go elsewhere, and I’ve bungled it so badly, when I’ve tried, that I just keep going back to him. I have to say that when you have ONE person only who can fit your shoes, you sometimes have to wait, and sometimes don’t get full attention. But the up-​side is that I am not in pain. And that’s a big up-​side!

This is not your regular shoe store-​this is a store for people with actual foot problems that are referred by their doctor, chiropractor, podiatrist, etc.
Cyrus (the owner and bio-​mechanist) will take his time with you and recommend and adjust shoes based on your prescription and by watching you walk. The shoes are not always stylish or pretty and you should prepare to wait anywhere from ½hour to 1 hour most days, but in doing so, your feet and body will be very happy you did.
He will do a private appointment (for a fee) if you don’t want to wait and he is the only one who does what he does. Plan on paying for good shoes and great service.