Pat Menzies Shoes

Seems like a great idea to have a shoe shop that basically focusses on selling Doc Martins. Everyone kind of likes Doc Martins. So it’s great that there’s a shop which is all about Doc Martins. They sell big brand shoes, so their shoes are all kind of expensive. I went there once with my girlfriend and we spend ages trying on all these different shoes. We didn’t buy anything in the end, but I am pleased to report that the person who was helping us with the shoes was extremely extremely pleasant. Seems like this place is probably some kind of Auckland icon.

Little known fact: Pat Menzies is one of the largest (if not the largest, I can’t quite remember) retailers of Converse Chuck Taylors in the Southern Hemisphere. That little shop in the alley between Queen Street and High Street sells more of those things than pretty much any other stockist.
Pat Menzies is where you go if you need big brand shoes: Vans, Chucks, Docs. A lot of stores stock those brands but Pat Menzies stock so many lines within the brands and so many variations on colours and styles. If you’re looking for an odd colour of Chucks, start with Pat Menzies.

Hidden in a glazed arcade half way up Queen Street, Pat Menzies occupies 2 units on both sides of the alley. It was an unexpected but welcomed find and although I wasn’t really shopping for trainers, possibly the largest selection of colours and styles of Vans & Converse pumps I have ever seen drew me inside. The browsing clientele when I visited were waaay more stylish than me, but I hope my new ‘Cons’ put me back in the game. The staff were a little preoccupied (with what I do not know) but eventually offered me some help with sizing and fitting as my feet are wildly uneven. The main problem I had was that it took me AGES to choose which ones to get, almost too much choice, make sure you leave yourself a good bit of time here, unless you know exactly what you want!

Yes, the range here at good old Pat’s is the biggest you will find around town. And this in itself can make shoe shopping a bit of a hassle! I love shoes and if I had it my way (but this I mean if I had an endless shoe fund) I’d be forcing my feet into every pair of kicks I could at Pat Menzies. But I don’t… so unfortunately I am forced to make some heartbreaking decisions when picking out shoes. I once came here with a friend and even though we thought we both knew what we wanted we found ourselves sitting in a pile of shoes and checking our feet out over and over again in the mirror. The shop assistant didn’t roll his eyes or get impatient with our indecisiveness. It felt like he really understood what it was like to be sitting in such a dilemma. Anyway, to cut a long story short we both walked out with our shoes at the end of the day having received plenty of help and understanding from our friends at Pat’s. It was a wonderful shoe shopping experience and of course I’d go back again.

When I need pumped up kicks like all the other kids then it’s straight to Pat Menzies in Canterbury Arcade between Queen street and High street.
As a fan of Chucks, Vans and Doc Martins this is one shop where a credit card has taken a hammering over the years. It’s the range that parts me from my savings, combined with intelligent and helpful service.
You might shop around for a better price; however you won’t find a better range in the city.
If you’re looking for the big shoe brands with a funky twist don’t walk past Pat Menzies.