About Us

HISTORY

Since 1994, Birkenstock Village has been expertly fitting Sonoma County for shoes, sandals, socks, and orthotics. It all began with the original owners, Nancy and Larry Rowinsky, selling sheepskin on the side of the road in the 1970s. That venture evolved into offering premium women’s garments, with in-house alterations at Pastorale in Freestone, CA in 1982.

It wasn’t until Larry opened a box of Birkenstock Arizonas, fully amazed, that he realized they were “leather gold."

Nancy and Larry soon began fitting Birkenstock sandals at Pastorale. After several trial seasons, Nancy and Larry decided to exclusively sell shoes, starting with a few classic Birkenstock styles, such as the Arizona and Milano. Eventually, what began as a small department section at Pastorale transformed into our current family-run business, Birkenstock Village.

At the height of the Great Recession, Rachel Averbuck and Jenny Hale bought Birkenstock Village from Nancy and Larry, who are the parents of a dear friend and classmate of Rachel’s from El Molino High School.  It was a unique opportunity to own a successful, small business which is committed to the community and has a long history of loyal customers.

Birkenstock Village hire amazing local people who give guests over-the-top service and provide personalized information about the products available. We create a work environment that honors the whole person by paying our team well, supporting them with benefits and deeply valuing their choice each day to partner with us.

Birkenstock Village has had the privilege of serving Sonoma County for over 30 years. Many of our clients have been shopping with us for over four decades – together, we are keeping small local business thriving!

 

WHAT SETS US APART

Sit & fit shoe stores are a dying art. That’s part of what makes us so special. We continue to practice the tradition of foot measuring, and catering to each individual’s needs, including various shoe accommodations and one-on-one expert fittings.  

We aim to provide a compassionate, well-informed, and comfortable experience. 

We offer over 30 comfort brands, excellent customer service, knowledgeable and expertly trained staff, and a passion for helping you find your right fit. 

RETAIL & ONLINE

We are a retail store and an online store, separate from Birkenstock USA. Our retail store is located at 1155 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa, in the Whole Foods shopping center.

Because we are an old school sit & fit shoe store, we open shoes and put them on people's feet.  When you receive products from us via online purchases, some packages may be delivered with some or part of the original packaging missing.  That is because they may have been opened one or twice.  Rest assured, all shoes we sell are new, authentic, and come directly to us from the manufacturer.