Nomadic State of Mind, a grassroots-style handmade sandal company founded by Chris Anderson, began its voyage in the late 90’s. In the early years we ran the business out of a 1969 VW bus, which also served as Chris’ summer home (what nature loving, outdoor sports enthusiast, raft guide with a music guided-soul didn’t spend some time in a VW bus?). While we have come a long way since the days of Chris in his van, our philosophy has stayed consistent: “If it is done right in the beginning, it will last a long time.

At the turn of our century , Chris was introduced to a small community in Nicaragua that had been through some tough times and was in need of reliable income. He taught a small group how to make sandals, believing in fair trade and ethical practices, and sticking to our philosophy– Do it right. In the beginning, the road navigating the Wild West of Nicaragua was long and bumpy with scattered thunderstorms and occasional rainbows. But with perseverance and inspiration from lots of happy feet wandering the planet, we have found a home there for over a decade. So from a van by the river, to international availability and distribution (we even opened a Nomadic State of Mind store in the country of Cyprus) we have continued to grow and “do it right”. Occasionally we let our imaginations take over, which has helped lead to an increased product line with the addition of various forms of rope art (using sandal scraps!), from handbags to water bottle carriers, to rugs and more.