The Palm Beach Sandal Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection this week.
Citing former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy as its muse, the company’s website said that the original Palm Beach sandal was created for Kennedy in 1964.
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The filing on Tuesday in a federal bankruptcy court in West Palm Beach stated that the case was under Subchapter V of Chapter 11. This subchapter allows small- and mid-sized companies take advantage of the Chapter 11 process. These are firms that would otherwise be unable to file due to the high costs involved in a Chapter 11 case. Chapter 11 allows filers to restructure operations.
The voluntary petition said that there will be funds available for distribution to unsecured creditors. It listed the number of creditors at between 1 and 49. Estimated assets were listed at up to $50,000 and estimated liabilities at between $1 million and $10 million. The list of the 20 largest unsecured creditors were for various loans, some of which were listed as “disputed” claims.
Palm Beach Sandals are all handmade, using 100 percent tanned leathers an kidskins, with thick, fashioned soles that mold to one’s feet.
The price points for each pair range from $158 to $198 for a woman’s sandal, while sandals for girls are $95, according to the company’s website. One can also customize the sandals by adding a monogram or other embroidered detailing from a selection of tropical icons. The brand also sells a selection of apparel and accessories.
The company website said it has over 2,000 pairs of sandals in stock, and that customers can visit its factory and workshop at 1027 N. Florida Mango Road, Suite #6, in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday through Thursday. The site also said the brand operates curated guest boutiques along Vias in Palm Beach located east and west between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Other distressed shoe companies this year include sneaker reseller Soleplay, which closed four stores, and children’s shoe retailer Amiga Shoes, which filed a Chapter 7 liquidation petition. And overseas, Swedish footwear brand Eytys that’s known for its chunky shoes filed for bankruptcy at the start of 2025 in a Stockholm District Court.
In addition, the handmade boot specialist Freebird earlier this year closed 14 store locations. The Colorado-based firm, whose boots are priced between $200 and $400, had been operating under a court-appointed receiver since May after it failed to repay a $15.4 million debt obligation owed to KeyBank. The brand, which was sold in August for $500,000 to a private equity firm, was acquired earlier this month by its former CEO Jonathan Czaja through his investment firm Freewheel Capital, according to his LinkedIn post. Czaja was also the former vice president of operations for Stitch Fix from September 2015 through September 2018.
