Life and Island Times May 7 2016

Two lines of Jimmy Buffett’s signature song “Margaritaville” speak of a footwear failure

I blew out my flip flop,
Stepped on a pop top,

Those who were on the island during this trop-rock pioneer salad days recall him wearing locally made sandals and not flip flops. Those sandals never failed or blew out. They were hand made two blocks from Jimmy’s original pad just off Duval Street.

Kino Sandal Factory and Shop is this tiny island’s ultimate mom-and-pop immigrant success story. The Factory was founded in the spring of 1966 by an entrepreneurial Cuban exile named Roberto Lopex and his wife, Margot. Despite their initial struggles to turn his skills as a boot and sandal maker in Cuba into a viable business in America, Roberto’s vision eventually paid off.

The business took off when they joined forces with Key West Handprint Fabrics, matching their sandals to the factory stores line of clothes.

While Kino was Roberto’s childhood nickname, it soon became synonymous with quality and stylish footwear at bargain prices. Marlow purchased his first pair in 1974. Ordering a new pair by phone as the years and decades passed was simple. Often, he would speak with Roberto or Margot over the phone. Within a week, the box would arrive. Nowadays, you can order them online.

The shop stills smells of leather, oil, and glue as the cutting and sewing machines whir away in the background. Salsa music and Cuban accented Spanish gently caress the customer’s ears.

They will mark Kino’s 50th birthday today at the Kino Plaza courtyard between 2 and 4 PM.

Drop by and pick up a pair of Kinos.

Copyright © 2016 From My Isle Seat