MooShoes, the New York City-based purveyor of chic, leather-free footwear and accessories, was born of desire. A simple desire, long-held. Since going vegan in her teens, Sara Kubersky, MooShoes co-owner, wanted to open a shop for quality, stylish, non-leather shoes. Erica Kubersky, Sara's younger sister (by five years) and co-owner, who went vegetarian at eight, shared the vision. Like many ethical vegans, the sisters shopped for non-leather shoes–cheap and functional–at Payless. But they knew a wider world existed. Passing through England, they changed travel plans so they could shop at Vegetarian Shoes, a shop in Brighton, England. That, Erica recalls laughing, was "one of the most exciting days of my life."

More than a decade passed. Sara went through college and graduate school, and Erica began and completed college. The desire, though, didn't fade. In October 2001, a few months after Erica's graduation, the Kuberskys opened MooShoes' first store in what had been an ailing butcher shop on Manhattan's East Side near Little India. How's that for karma? The sisters started small, with a loan, construction help from their father's colleagues and tiny inventory–often just six pairs of a style.

Since then, the business has grown in spurts and leaps, but steadily. MooShoes' customers are dedicated New York regulars and out-of-towners, who often ring up large tabs as they stock up on shoes, belts and make special trips to the store. Customers from overseas are especially keen, snapping photos and leaving multi-lingual animal rights literature. Internet sales are thriving and account for 40-50 percent of MooShoes' business.

In late 2003, MooShoes moved to a new location, a sleek and compact storefront in Manhattan's increasingly trendy Lower East Side, just below Houston Street. Foot traffic is much heavier than at the old store, and a progressive community is developing fast. Moby's Teany teashop is a block away, Vegan restaurant Tien Garden and Bluestockings, an activist café/bookstore, are down the street.

While the vegan clientele remains strong, the new MooShoes has seen a rapid rise in leather-wearing customers. Many are attracted by the shoe and accessory styles. Others–vegans, too–like the quality (nearly all the shoes are made in Europe) and the lack of sweatshops; the sisters only buy from manufacturers with good labor practices. For some, MooShoes products offer a karmic bonus: "I'm doing my good thing of the day" omnivorous customers say. And the prices. For people used to leather shoes, MooShoes can seem positively cheap. But vegans who've been shopping at Payless often suffer sticker shock (at least initially) when they see prices of $50 and up per pair.

Since it's birth, MooShoes has embraced, and been embraced by, local animal rights and vegan activists. Many customers have become friends of the soft-spoken, soft-selling Kuberskys. The store has hosted book signings (for Sue Coe and Carol Adams) and on a recent Saturday sponsored an adoption day with Oasis Sanctuary, which received 10 percent of the days sales. "If a group approaches, we cant say no," Sara says. MooShoes now has four resident cats, the two newest recent rescues.

Sara and Erica, both still under 30, admit to garden variety small business frustrations. They have their bad days–although other days, Sara says, "the nicest people come in and you feel like youre in the greatest business." They have the occasional high-maintenance customer, and the periodic sibling blowout.

Still, its the customers, both sisters agree, that are the best part of what theyre doing. "You have so much in common with them," Sara says. "You're enthusiastic about the same things–the food thing, the animals, dogs and cats." The sisters also enjoy seeing New Yorkers wearing MooShoes. "Even if I'm in a cab," Sara says, "I can identify a MooShoes shoe." The self-effacing sisters, too, are also increasingly identifiable. More and more, and especially at vegetarian restaurants around the city, they hear people exclaim, "I know you from MooShoes."

MooShoes Top 10

Here's what MooShoes' customers, hard-core vegans, and style-conscious omnivores are buying:

1. Hemp Toledos a unisex sneaker/walking shoe from NOVACAS ("No Cows" in Spanish)
2. The Zoe in blue, a stylish high-heeled womans sandal (popular with leather-wearers) (NOVACAS)
3. The Lisa an all-purpose women's loafer (NOVACAS)
4. The Power Boot , steel-toed, mid-calf, black (Vegetarian Shoes)
5. The Kalahari a unisex walking shoe (Vegetarian Shoes)
6. Birkenstock sandals in the summer
7. Handbags by ViaVegan including a small coach in black or brown
8. Belts by Truth for women and men
9. Animal rights T-shirts including some emblazoned with "Herbivore"
10. Cookbooks at holiday time Top titles: the PETA Celebrity Cookbook and The Garden of Vegan (authors Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer are customers)

Mia MacDonald is a writer, activist, policy analyst and adjunct lecturer based in Brooklyn, New York. She has a soft spot for black vegan shoes.