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Ms. Cheap: Mephisto Tent Sale coming up with plenty of shoe deals



Mephisto CEO Rusty Hall shows off one of the more popular men’s styles in the Mephisto outlet. MARY HANCE
MARY HANCE

I am not a “shoe person” but I do love to have a selection of footwear that looks good and feels good.

I’m all about shoes that are comfy and not too frumpy – and bought on sale.

So, when the European shoe maker Mephisto hosts one of its tent sales here, I am definitely interested.

Mephisto’s U.S. headquarters and distribution center has been in Franklin for more than 20 years, and its complex now includes a retail outlet on Seaboard Lane that offers discounts all the time, but the best deals are during semi-annual tent sales like the one this weekend.

This weekend’s spring tent sale in the parking lot outside the Mephisto headquarters near Cool Springs Galleria features samples, overstocks, returns, discontinued styles and even some current styles for men and women inside the store and in the tent. It takes place this Friday and Saturday.

Marketing manager Scott McCabe said discounts on most shoes range from 25 percent to 66 percent.

To give you an idea, the tent sale prices range from $59 to $139 for shoes that would normally retail for $159 to $450.  

So not super cheap, but definitely a good savings if Mephisto is a brand you like to wear, which it is for me!

And the more you buy, the more you save. Shoppers who buy three pairs of shoes at this sale get a 10 percent discount.

McCabe said the tent sale “offers a special opportunity to secure an expanded selection of samples and specially priced shoes for the event.  Most samples are US sized 7 and 7.5 for women’s and 8 and 8.5 for men,” he said. Those sizes offer the best selection but most sizes are represented.

Shoes (brands include Mephisto, Mobils, Allrounder and Sano) are sized in American and European sizes (e.g., ladies 37 in European is equal to a 7-7½ American, or a 44 men’s European equals a size 10 American.) The inventory is about two thirds ladies styles and a third men’s styles.

“Pricing for shoes is a bit sharper during the sale but covers the same range,” said McCabe, who said the store staff will put out new stock each day. He said the difference between the tent sale and regular shopping days is the expanded selection and the extra discount for multiple shoe purchases.

Mephisto President and CEO Rusty Hall said previous tent sales have attracted more than 500 shoppers over the two days.

He said that while there are about 1,000 pairs of shoes on display in the retail store all the time, the tent sale “doubles or even triples what we normally carry.”

“We have a lot of loyal customers who look forward to this sale. And then we get some shoppers who have never heard of the brand,” said Hall, who said there is usually a line of eager shoppers at opening time.

Mephisto, which is a 65-year-old privately held company based in France, has stores in New York, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Seattle, Palm Beach, Palm Desert and also sells to Nordstrom and Dillard’s and many small independent stores.

All of its Mephisto shoes are handmade in Europe, primarily France and Portugal. The Mephisto brand, which was developed as a walking shoe, is known for its “soft air technology” that makes the shoes super comfortable, durable and walkable.

The outlet, at 305 Seaboard Lane in the Cool Springs area of Franklin, is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round Monday through Saturday. The outlet does not offer refunds, but you can make an exchange within 14 days.

Tent sale hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19-20 and there will be a food truck vendor on site.

Be sure to mention that you are a Ms. Cheap fan to get an extra 10 percent off a pair of shoes, and a “special gift with purchase” plus a chance to be in a Ms. Cheap drawing for a free pair of shoes. Woohoo! 

For more information, call (615) 771-5950 or visit www.mephisto.com.

Stay cheap!

Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on Talk of the Town on NewsChannel5. Reach her at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap

Mephisto CEO Rusty Hall shows off one of the more popular men’s styles in the Mephisto outlet. MARY HANCE
Longtime Mephisto employee Linda Alexander shows off some of the sale shoes. MARY HANCE