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Another Year, Another Robbery at the AE Tent Sale

Well, another year of the annual AE Tent Sale has come and gone. This year I was offered the flyer for an extra 50% off my purchase so I made my way up to Port Washington on Sunday.

I arrived and it was a madhouse; litterly like Black Friday at Best Buy. There had to be 150 under this smallish tent all trying to find their favorite pairs. I was not expecting much so I headed over to the 10.5s along with 30 other folks and started my search.

My strategy is pretty simple; scan to see if there are any unique materials (cordovan, french calf, etc), and then take a look at style. I saw lots of folks looking for Park Aves and 5th Aves, but I have those and then two pairs caught my eye.

First was a Rush Street casual shoe in light brown chromexcel (CXL) with a Danitie sole. I had read lots of reviews that these shoes had color issues (some noticing the chromexcel was a bit green) so I had my doubts, but I inspected them nonetheless. These shoes ended up being nearly perfect except for a small dent in the leather on the inside heal area. New firsts for these shoes were $325, seconds are normally $260-$270, these were marked down to $220 and I got 50% off that...mine out the door for $110.

The next pair was a nice looking set of Harrisons (from their Independence Line). These are kind of like a Park Ave with a more square, pointy toe. I love the Independence line which are named after Presidents and I already had a pair of Jeffersons and Hancocks (which I dyed black), and they are made with French Calf leather. This pair was black, but looked like they had been worn very lightly by someone (just a bit of creasing). I saw no defects, scrapes, or anything so in my hands they went. New these are $495 (though now they are $379), this pair was at $280, with the discount $140.

So, I left with two awesome pairs of shoes for a total of $250...I love the tent sale!
 
I just got a pair of Harrisons myself. I spent around $325 I believe since they were on clearance on the AE website. Even at $325, they are a deal. You REALLY got a good deal on yours! For a black calf cap toe bal, I prefer the Harrisons over the Park Avenues. A little sleeker and more European type styling compared to the PA's. Although the shoes from the Independence Line still use calfskin leather like the rest of the standard AE shoes, they are supposedly a little more "select" with the calfskin leather of the Independence Line.

Great scores!

Ben
 
Yes, they are technically seconds, but it is usually really hard to find significant defects. With these, my collection has grown over the past 2.5 years to:

Park Aves (Black)
5th Aves (Walnut)
Jeffersons (Black)
Hancocks (Black, but originally Merlot)
Long Branch Boots
Rush Streets
Harrisons (Black)
Red Wing 744LTDs, made by AE (Mahogany Cordovan)

Then the non AEs
Alden Cap toes (Black Cordovan)
Rider Boots (Walnut Cordovan)
Ralph Lauren/ Crocket Jones loafers (brown cordovan)
 
That certainly is a steal for the Harrison. Although it sounds like the sale is getting too popular. Stop talking about it! You'll start having B&B'ers renting vans for a pilgrimage to Port Washington. The Style Forum or AAAC guys probably already do.
 
I've got a pair of Beckham and I love them. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Enjoy them and take care of them they will last forever. Hell, my work boots are Red Wing and I've had them for 3 yrs and I don't do anything to them.
 
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