GYW map!!!

So I recently travelled abroad (from my home in the United States) and I ran into a number of cool shoe and boot shops. And while I enjoyed exploring without guidance, it would have been nice to simply know where all the best local joints are. I then thought about how even though I went to school in Maine for 4 years, I never heard of Quoddy until I found this sub. It's crazy what might be in your own back yard and you wouldn't even know it.

So in the interest of locating the best places to cop some new kicks, I present to you the GYW GOOGLE MAP!!!!!!

The concept is simple - members and contributors of r/goodyearwelt simply follow the link to the google map page, and add all the hot spots they know of for finding some nice welted pairs.

Details/instructions:

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to make the map immediately editable from the link. So instead, here are instructions on how to get into edit mode:

1. Click to link and follow it to the map.
2. Click the stack in the top left to open up the menu.
3. Click shared with you.
4. Sign into your google account.
5. Click "RECENT" on the top selection bar.
6. Click the "GYW" map.
7. Congrats, you're in edit mode.

Layers:

I started us with the below 4 layers, each it's own category of place with it's own label color. I also added one example destination for each category/layer to the map. If you'd like to add a new layer/category, go ahead and do so on map by clicking "Add layer" at the top left. If you think you can come up with a better classification system than the one I did and want to change it all up, please shoot me a message or comment and let me know. I have no particular attachment to the current scheme.

The 4 categories/layers are:

Layer: Factories/workshops Color: Blue Example: LL Bean Flagship Store in Freeport, Maine For this, I envision places where you can either get a cool tour to see how shoes are made, talk to an owner/employee/designer to set up a MTO, or shop at a huge/possibly discounted flagship/factory store.

Layer: Big-name outlets Color: Maroon Example: The Red Wing Store in Queens, NYC This I see being one of the less important layers. If you want to go to a place like a Red Wing or Allen Edmunds store, you just google it. But it might be helpful for some people, so feel free to use it. It shouldn't clutter up the map too bad because you can always uncheck the layer if you don't want to see results in this category.

Layer: Small-time outlets Color: Green Example: Reinhard Frans in Amsterdam, Netherlands This category is for smaller brand stores/outlets that people might not necessarily know about. Family shops in the such, but not necessarily at/next to the factory.

Layer: Multi-brand stores Color: Black (Bad) Example: Nordstrom in Chicago, Illinois So maybe you really like the local shoe shop. They give good recommendations and always pick the shoe with the right fit, or they have a nice selection, or low prices, or something. That's what this category is for. I don't know any places really like that, so I picked Nordstrom as an example because it's almost a good fit for this category. So don't mark every friggin Nordstrom in the country, but maybe mark a nice store or boutique you know of.

Edit!!!! added two more layers, idea credit to u/terror406

Layer: Cobbler Color: Yellow Example: Nils Kalf in Amsterdam, u/terror406 's cobbler Just toss your quality local cobbler under this category so people know where they can get quality repair work done.

Layer: Artisanal MTO-only shops Color: Brown Example: I don't know any, so I added the Empire State building so I could set up the formatting Name is pretty self explanatory.

How to add a location

1. In the left-sided control box, click the empty space in the layer you want your new location to go in. The selected layer will have a small blue edge on the left side of the box.
2. In the search bar at the top center of the map, search for the place your want to add. The search function is not as good as regular google maps search, so you may just want to look up the address/specific name google uses to reference the store first.
3. In the square bubble that pops up over the green pin, click at the bottom where it says "+ Add to map"
4. For places that are not self explanatory, click the little pencil mark icon in the bottom right corner to add a description of the location.
5. If you wish to remove the location, click the small trash icon in the bottom right corner.

I've covered everything I can think of for the moment, but I'm sure I left some important info out. Please message me or comment if you have any questions, need help, or think I left something out that would be helpful. Feedback on the idea itself would be good/is encouraged.

Here's the link again, and have a merry christmas!