Can't Find Paraboot's Rare French Shoes? Try This Gun Store
The only thing I've ever hunted for is cool shoes. But at Beretta Gallery, an unassuming storefront on Madison Avenue, I found everything I could ever want for actual hunting: Duck decoys, binoculars, a wardrobe of technical gear, and, yes, shotguns. Also, Paraboot shoes.
Turns out, Manhattan's only gun store also stocks one of the city's most robust selections of fine French footwear.
When I initially heard about Beretta Gallery, I was thrown. You mean to tell me that this upscale boutique named for Beretta, one of the world's oldest businesses — the family-owned company turns 500 this year — sells menswear? And really good shoes?
It's hard enough to find a good selection of Paraboot shoes. The company very selectively authorizes retailers of its gorgeous handmade footwear, meaning that although there are plenty of dealers in New York City, their selections are typically quite limited.
And yet, Beretta Gallery is packed with Paraboot. On a recent visit, we glimpsed the sublime Avoriaz hiking boot, deerskin moccasins, women's fisherman sandals, and even a limited-edition pair of individually numbered boat shoes — something that I, a longtime Paraboot enjoyer, have never seen before. It's doubly cool because these shoes are rare enough before you even get into limited editions.
The really bizarre thing about Beretta Gallery, which operates six locations in cities as disparate as Memphis, Buenos Aires, and Paris, is that not only can you shop a comprehensive Paraboot offering, but you can walk up two flights and buy a firearm. Personally, I'm anti-gun on principle. But part of the uncomfortable inevitability of being an American is that, at some point, you will be in the vicinity of a gun, a gun store, or a gun guy. I've never known that inevitability to overlap with the realm of fine footwear.
The helpful salesperson who greeted us explained that the Beretta family used to live in the townhouse that houses the store about a century ago, but they eventually converted the building to a retail outpost that reflects the tastes of Beretta clientele. The ones of the original remain: You don't see ceilings this high in most modern builds. Nor this much wood paneling. Plush armchairs, maybe.
"Mid-century outdoorsman's study" is the vibe, making you feel very much like Hemingway shopping for safari gear. Why is Paraboot on offer? Because this is a store for the modern genteel adventurer, encompassing everything from a complete wardrobe of linen tailoring to fine crystal goblets. The world's best shoes are part of the package, which includes classic styles from OG British bootmaker Tricker's. This place is so old money that it doesn't even have an Instagram page.
Paraboot's shoes fit not only because of their elegant make and classic forms, but because they were originally designed for tramping through the Alps' tough terrain. "We have a history and a fairly strong connection to the hunting and fishing world, especially in France," Davy Montillet, Paraboot's brand engagement and sales manager, tells me when I asked about the boutique later that week.
Like the knives on floor one and the pistols on floor three, Paraboot shoes originated as utilitarian daily drivers. It's only over time that they've become associated with classic menswear, the sort of thing preferred by the gun guys of Madison Avenue.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
