New Ottawa-based shoe company aims to support natural movement

Nunorm is a new Ottawa-based minimalist shoe company founded by Mick and Meryl Baker.

A new Ottawa-based minimalist shoe company aimed at promoting natural movement is running a pop-up shop in the Byward Market until Oct. 4.

“We wanted to develop something that was minimal and barefoot, but still stylish. So, we came up with Nunorm,” co-founder Mick Baker told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Wednesday.

Baker founded Nunorm with his wife Meryl, and he says they were inspired to create their minimalist shoes after spending years in the foot health industry.

“We were in the foot health industry for the last eight years, and then we found a lot of customers were asking us, ‘what shoe should I wear now that my feet are getting healthy?’” he said.

“The ones that were available were a little bit goofy looking, overly wide frontages, like ten-pin bowling kind of shoes.”

In addition to being stylish, Nunorm’s barefoot-style shoes are designed to promote natural movement when worn, says Baker.

“One of the biggest things with a barefoot shoe is it has a nice wide toe area, so your toes can actually wiggle around, as opposed to say, a nice business shoe, it’s going to cramp your toes up,” he said.

According to Baker, Nurnorm shoes are flexible to allow feet to move more freely when worn, and they are made with no heel elevation so your feet land flat on the ground.

“A high heel is going to push your feet up, and most runners also end up getting a tight calf muscle from having that elevated heel. So, this is flat on the ground, so your foot’s basically functioning the way it should,” he said.

Baker says he’s experienced the benefits of minimalist shoes firsthand.

“I used to play a lot of basketball, and I found that I would always roll my ankle, and then I found that I was wearing a very high-elevated shoe,” he said.

“So, when I switched to a low, more grounded shoe, I stopped rolling my ankle and I found my ankle felt stronger. All of my ligaments and would feel a lot more durable. So, touch-wood, I haven’t had a foot injury or any kind of leg injury for the last eight years.”

Baker and Nunorm are currently operating a pop-up shop at the STACKT Ottawa storefront in the Byward Market where they can be found until Oct. 4.

“So, we’ve had everyone from a 90-year-old to a 20-year-old trying on our shoes, from cross-fitters to mom’s going to work,” Baker said. “Just to see their reaction for the first time when they put on the shoe, and they’re like ‘wow I can feel my feet touch the ground again.’ It’s been totally amazing for us.”

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