The windows are all stained glass. The window in the front door shows Haines holding up a shoe in each hand with a sign reading "Haines The Shoe Wizard" below. The shoe motif is everywhere: a shoe doghouse, a shoe-shaped sandbox in the yard, and shoe cutouts along the fence surrounding the property.

Haines never lived in the house himself. Instead, he offered the house free to elderly couples who could live for a weekend like "kings and queens" with all expenses paid. In 1950, the House was offered to honeymooners who had a Haines Shoe Store in their town. After Haines' death in 1962, the Shoe was owned by an orthodontist who sold ice cream and souvenirs. The Shoe deteriorated over the years and closed in the 1980s.

In 1987, it was bought at auction by Haines' granddaughter. She and her husband spent four years restoring the Shoe House with plans to turn part of it into a bed and breakfast. As far as I know, this never happened. They sold the house in 1991. New owners turned it back into a tourist attraction and ice cream parlor. It was sold again in 2003 with the stipulation that the Shoe remain open to tourists and the interior be preserved as a museum. In 2007, the Shoe House was restored as part of Hampton Inn's "Save-a-Landmark" program. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.