Owned and run by the operators of the Edina Bay Street Shoes, this outlet occupies a slot in Uptown’s ever-changing mercantile, Calhoun Square. The shop is small and warmly lit, and with crowded racks on the floor and all available walls lined with pairs, gives the impression of overflowing with shoes. Unlike its sister store, this location does not carry any clothing aside from a small selection of socks and tights. But you’ll never feel slighted, as a carefully curated collection of smart, comfortable, stylish footwear is always proffered.

As a smallish operation, Bay Street picks and chooses a handful of styles from each designer each season. On the circular, tiered central display table, faux snakeskin d’Orsay Faryl Robins lounge next to sleek round-toe slingbacks from Tsubo.  Playfully mismatched Camper flats keep company with embellished pumps from Indigo by Clarks.  Lining the walls are the Naot sandals, Keen sneaks, and classic Doc Martens that can be purchased year-round, alongside boots to fit every personality. Frye’s urban cowgirl alongside goth black platform boots from Fluevog alongside eight colors of Hunter wellies.

Of course, anyone who’s visited this fine footwear vendor knows that the real draw is rotating selection of sale shoes. On any given day, Baystreet will display 4 tables of sale merchandise outside its doors.  Loosely organized by size, the mounds typically include markdowns from both the previous and current seasons.  There is an additional sale rack inside the store on the right side, which encompasses higher priced sale shoes from up to three seasons ago.  Although few true bargains are to be had, the lure of this neverending sale is impossible to resist.

Lacking are towering stilettos, thin-strapped sandals, and anything truly of-the-moment. This shoe store carries styles that will endure from high-quality brands and in shapes that won’t transform your feet into throbbing masses of pain.  Exclusively.  If you seek torture or trend in your footwear, you’ll have to seek elsewhere.  For cleverly designed shoes with personality and flair, Bay Street’s got you covered.