Dollar Store Finds: Boot Stand and Shaper

December 6, 2008

This funny piece of plastic with the heart-shaped handle claims to be a
boot stand shaper thing. Most boot shapers I've seen are made out of hunks of plastic or wood that fill the entire shaft of the boot. Or they are inflatable, which just takes too much work. And while this skinny piece of plastic doesn't fill the whole inside of your boot, who cares? That's what legs are for. In addition, the dollar store version boasts hook-like
things on the side for holding deodorizing satchels. Will this simple piece of plastic work?

Heart-shaped handle plastic thingy, meet my boots, languishing on the floor as they can't stand up by themselves.

boots-sad.jpg
Yes, successs! Cost of regular boot shapers: $10 to $50 depending on type and materials. Dollar store version: $1.50. The Japanese dollar store saves the day again!

boots-happy.jpg

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Melissa Hung

Founding Editor

Melissa Hung is the founding editor of Hyphen. She was the editor in chief for the magazine's first five years and went on to serve in many other leadership roles on the staff and board for more than a decade. She is a writer and freelance journalist. Her essays and reported stories have appeared in NPR, Vogue, Pacific Standard, Longreads, and Catapult, among others. She grew up in Texas, the eldest child of immigrants. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Comments

Comments

when you say "dollar store" you ALWAYS mean ichiban kan, right?
Not necessarily. I welcome all dollar stores into my life, but I have a particular fondness for the Japanese ones.