apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It is a different format that the rack you pictured, but I saw this solution in an article not too long ago & have kept it in mind:

http://www.frontgate.com/jump.jsp?sort=-1&itemID=5006&itemType=PRODUCT&AS=1&keyword=shoe%20storage

If you like the size and shape of the rack, perhaps use superglue or liquid nails to keep the rungs from falling out?

Those stackers look great...if you have the luxury of 31" of width!

I have a 22" wide closet, so I was just going through the same search (with very mixed results). I eventually settled on this:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=73669&PRODID=59728

It's not the sturdiest thing I've ever owned, but you use a hammer to connect the rods to the supports, so I don't feel like they're going anywhere anytime soon. Of course, I've only had it for a couple of weeks, so time will tell. But I'm staying optimistic.

What's nice about it is that I only built about half of the rack (I had a vertical limitation too), but the top still has a "finished" look.

I've used an over-the-door, 30-pair shoe rack for three years now. I bought it from stacksandstacks.com (the site appears to be down right now). I had to secure it using wire, but it's worked very well for me over the years, despite looking cheap. I hide it by hanging it on the inside of the basement door, which is near my front entrance.

how about trying to build a shoe rack? i have one which my grandfather made for my grandmother that is made of cheap wood and nailed together and lathered in paint. it's made to jam as many shoes as possible in it and doesn't waste nearly as much space as the one you have. also, it would likely cost less to make your own than spend $100 at the container store, plus likely it's sturdier.

how about converting a bookcase? I've used a BILLY bookcase to hold my 50 pairs of shoes for about 3 years now, and it works like a charm. It's cheap but doesn't look bad, comes in different finishes, and you can add/subtract shelves as needed. You could also store purses or whatever on the shelves.

I keep mine tucked behind my bedroom door, and it's perfectly hidden out of sight...or you could put it in a more prominent place to display your shoe collection.

Mega-yay for shoe collectors! Hope you can find a way to get your collection all stored nicely!

Hi, Renee.

You might want to try www.lnt.com in Canada. They do ship to the neighbours and they have a not-so-bad collection of shoe racks. The Urbana model might fit your space:

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2282560&cp&sr=1&origkw=shoe rack&kw=shoe rack&parentPage=search

Personally, I like this one. But curses, it's not stackable:

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1969302&cp&sr=1&origkw=shoe rack&kw=shoe rack&parentPage=search

Good luck with your search.

Janine

I have this (or a very similar) shoe rack from Target and it hasn't given me that problem. You have to hammer the rungs into the sides tho. I laid it on its side and tapped the ends of all the rungs, and it seems like the rungs are in there until I yank them apart.

Why not use a small bookcase.

I did get mine at container store, and I stacked these: http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml;jsessionid=V1BFZV4KTAJZFQFIAILSM5GAVABBQJVC?CATID=73669&PRODID=71133
to look like your original, you don't like, and they're great and sturdy. Plus you can keep adding pieces, as I have, as you buy more shoes :)

Also, a while ago I saw a repurposed bookcase as a show rack in domino and thought it was a great idea too!

I have used and LOVED the cedar shoe racks you can buy at the QVC site - that being the cheapest source when I scoured the web a year ago after initially finding them on some fancy shop's site. They don't fit your specs above, it's true, but some readers might appreciate the natural odor-absorbing properties of cedar. $24 for a 3-pair stackable rack. We now have 8 racks in various spots in our closets.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! I forgot to mention that I have had this shoe rack for a few years now, and as of its last stand, was held together by masking tape, gorilla glue, and sheer will. I think I will avoid shoe racks that look just like that, using pegs that you hammer in. I did hammer mine in originally, and it worked well for like a year. Then it starts to disintegrate. I think I will look into using a bookcase, building my own, or getting the stackable shelves like Shannon suggested. I appreciate all the input!

Hi I don't know if you'd be open to this, but I once needed a shoe rack in a similar tall narrow size, so I built one out of pine lumber from our local hardware store. It cost me about $30 altogether. I decided to use dark brown acrylic paint, diluted it in water, and used a rag to "stain" it. It took me about 3 hours to build and color it, and I actually took it to 3 different apts with me. I ended up throwing it out because my new apt needed something low and wide instead!

I bought the Urbana shoerack from Linens 'N Things and I'm pretty happy with it. It also lets you choose where you place the poles so you can hold kids shoes....

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2282560&cp&kw=shoe rack&sr=1

I have a shoe holder made of canvas with mesh pockets that fits over the back of any door. Since my floor space is at a premium, it gives me the same amount of storage (about 20 pairs) but takes up no extra space. I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond.

i actually bought a two drawer dresser that works really well. since we don't wear shoes in the house, it's right next to the door, looks okay, and we just dump our shoes in there. the fishing out of shoes isn't a pain at all.