I had a nice pair of leather boots that had a thin(ish) leather sole. I used them for work which involved walking on surfaces that were sometimes contaminated with oil or fuel and the leather didn’t last very well (didn’t have enough grip either). Anyway, I had a shoe repair shop replace the soul with something a bit longer lasting. Can’t say I was impressed with the results, it all looked a bit cobbled together.
I’ve rarely used cobblers before, but with age and problem feet, comes expensive shoes that are worth saving. I just sent two pair of Birkenstocks to CA to have them resoled, corks and all. It costs me just as much as the shoes did when new but since the styles and colors are no longer available, it’s totally worth it to me.
Had I realized what cobblers could do for me when I was younger, there were several other pairs I would have loved to have repaired. Older and wiser now.
I used to have a cobbler, & he was a peach! He wouldn’t repair a pair I took in for soles. He showed me how the uppers wouldn’t last & he didn’t want to take my money & me not have good results as that would hurt his reputation. Made me a customer for life right then & there. However, he must have retired/sold the business as the last time I went in there was someone else working. I also no longer work in the city so it’s not convenient anymore, either. Of course, with only wearing dress shoes once in the last two years I hardly need a cobbler anymore. Bass also closed all of their retail/outlet stores, too. ::sniff::
They tend to become clowns???
You know what they say about having big hands and big feet? Two out of three ain’t bad!
The cobbler I give my custom to accepts and repairs unwanted shoes and donates them to various charities who have clients who need shoes.
A week after I posted, I was in Leonardtown on an errand and I saw a dry cleaner/shoe repair shop!! It didn’t come up on my earlier search, which is why I thought there wasn’t one close to me. Good to know, I suppose. Not that I get anything dry cleaned, and I wear my shoes till they’re beyond repair anyway.