Annoyed Not to Have Bought for Life Despite Assurances

The story goeth thusly: I wanted to buy a pair of black flats for work (I'm a librarian and wear dresses but I am also on my feet all day). I wanted them to be repairable. I went to a local, small shoe shop and found a pair of leather flats that I liked. I went right next door to the shoe repair shop so that the cobbler could take a look at the shoes before I bought them. He declared them repairable.

Two years later, and I've worn holes in the bottom of those shoes. I take them to the same repair shop to get them fixed. The same cobbler showed me how they weren't fixable. I am very peeved. I've tried several times to find repairable flats and every time they turn out to be unrepairable. I'm starting to get to the point where I might as well buy a $20 pair of flats every year since I have to replace the $200 pair every two years. Does anyone else run into this?

Hi Caitlin;
I suggest finding a cobbler to build you a custom-fit pair.
For years I worked in the woods of the northwest.
When I started I was young and broke so I wore whatever off-the-shelf boots I could get.
Quite a few were well-known name brands... they all hurt my feet and quickly wore out.
Then I was told about handmade boots, specifically made for smoke jumpers.
I had my first pair made in 1983, they did not hurt my feet, and they did not wear out quickly.
I had that original pair rebuilt three times over the next 25 years.
I did buy a second pair between rebuild number two and three.
And now that I have retired, our youngest son is firefighting and he has both pairs. (Amazingly they fit him)

It hurts financially to buy once, but as the years roll by and costs keep rising it pays off.
My mom was a librarian, and she always bought top-quality shoes, I guess it runs in the family.

Howdy,

I also have worked in the woods most of my life. There doesn't seem to be quality shoe repair around like there used to be. I also still buy handmade boots that can be repaired by the maker. I just have to ship them back. I still have some pairs that are going on quite a few years old, and possibly will out last me.

The company I buy from is in the PNW and close enough that return repairs are pretty quick. The company also makes all types of boots and shoes. It was easy to measure my feet and use their measurement scale. At different times certain styles do go on sale and that was how I was able to buy my first pair, almost a $100 off. You may be able to find a boot/shoe maker close to your area.

I also do some "repair" on my own cheaper pairs of knock around shoes, especially when the soles wear out and just glue leather or whatever to the bottoms. I do get leather scraps from taking gloves apart etc. and I use Barge Leather cement

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Caitlin;
I suggest finding a cobbler to build you a custom-fit pair.
For years I worked in the woods of the northwest.
When I started I was young and broke so I wore whatever off-the-shelf boots I could get.
Quite a few were well-known name brands... they all hurt my feet and quickly wore out.
Then I was told about handmade boots, specifically made for smoke jumpers.
I had my first pair made in 1983, they did not hurt my feet, and they did not wear out quickly.
I had that original pair rebuilt three times over the next 25 years.
I did buy a second pair between rebuild number two and three.
And now that I have retired, our youngest son is firefighting and he has both pairs. (Amazingly they fit him)

It hurts financially to buy once, but as the years roll by and costs keep rising it pays off.
My mom was a librarian, and she always bought top-quality shoes, I guess it runs in the family.

I'd love to do that. The problem is that the only reputable cobbler in the area is said above cobbler who I'm hesitant to trust after his assurances fell through on the last pair. I'm looking at online custom orders such as

Adelante and Sumisurra, but I don't know how to even begin assessing them.

randal cranor wrote:Howdy,

I also have worked in the woods most of my life. There doesn't seem to be quality shoe repair around like there used to be. I also still buy handmade boots that can be repaired by the maker. I just have to ship them back. I still have some pairs that are going on quite a few years old, and possibly will out last me.

The company I buy from is in the PNW and close enough that return repairs are pretty quick. The company also makes all types of boots and shoes. It was easy to measure my feet and use their measurement scale. At different times certain styles do go on sale and that was how I was able to buy my first pair, almost a $100 off. You may be able to find a boot/shoe maker close to your area.

I also do some "repair" on my own cheaper pairs of knock around shoes, especially when the soles wear out and just glue leather or whatever to the bottoms. I do get leather scraps from taking gloves apart etc. and I use Barge Leather cement

Do they have a website and/or ship to the East Coast?

Hi Caitlin,

I can’t count the number of times I have had similar happen.

If you are looking for a flat to wear indoors, maybe look at moccasins? There are all-leather versions that should be repairable.

It seems counter intuitive but when I buy expensive leather soled boots and shoes, I often get the soles replaced before I even wear them, with rubber to give a better grip in snow and ice.

The cobbler may not have been able to repair your shoes if there wasn't enough surface around the edges for a new sole to stick onto?

Perhaps this was a reason that they couldn't be repaired.

The espadrilles are over 30 years old and well past their best buy date but so comfortable that I can't bear to throw them out.

What were the reasons that your cobbler gave for not being able to repair your shoes?

Megan Palmer wrote:It seems counter intuitive but when I buy expensive leather soled boots and shoes, I often get the soles replaced before I even wear them, with rubber to give a better grip in snow and ice.

The cobbler may not have been able to repair your shoes if there wasn't enough surface around the edges for a new sole to stick onto?

Perhaps this was a reason that they couldn't be repaired.

The espadrilles are over 30 years old and well past their best buy date but so comfortable that I can't bear to throw them out.

What were the reasons that your cobbler gave for not being able to repair your shoes?

It turned out that the sides were glued to the sole instead of sewn, and the cobbler said that if he detached them that the shoe would just lose all shape. The heel wasn't separated either. Both things he told me about the first time when I asked if the shoes would be repairable. So yah, I'm annoyed.

Also, those are neat shoes!

Mk Neal wrote:If you are looking for a flat to wear indoors, maybe look at moccasins? There are all-leather versions that should be repairable.

Do you recommend any in particular that hold up to a lot of walking on hard ground?

Caitlin Robbins wrote:

It turned out that the sides were glued to the sole instead of sewn, and the cobbler said that if he detached them that the shoe would just lose all shape. The heel wasn't separated either. Both things he told me about the first time when I asked if the shoes would be repairable. So yah, I'm annoyed.

Also, those are neat shoes!

Thank you.

Unless the sole extends up the sides of your shoes encasing the upper, I suspect that the cobbler was being lazy.

Neither the espadrilles nor the sandals have a separate heel.

I examined all my dress shoes and none are stitched to the sole, the uppers are all glued to the sole.

They have been resoled by shaving a thin layer off the bottom of the sole and a new sole and heel glued down in two separate sections.

The cobbler that I use is 290km away and there are various shops where you can drop off your footwear for repair.

If he can't repair the shoes, you get a call to advise you of the same.

Are there any other options for cobblers near you?

Why not ask that cobbler for names of brands of shoes that are repairable.

One clue is if the soles of the shoes are sown on instead of being glued.

The problem most folks have is that there ar no repair shops and shoes have to be sent back to the factory to be repaired.

Megan Palmer wrote:

Caitlin Robbins wrote:

It turned out that the sides were glued to the sole instead of sewn, and the cobbler said that if he detached them that the shoe would just lose all shape. The heel wasn't separated either. Both things he told me about the first time when I asked if the shoes would be repairable. So yah, I'm annoyed.

Also, those are neat shoes!

Thank you.

Unless the sole extends up the sides of your shoes encasing the upper, I suspect that the cobbler was being lazy.

Neither the espadrilles nor the sandals have a separate heel.

I examined all my dress shoes and none are stitched to the sole, the uppers are all glued to the sole.

They have been resoled by shaving a thin layer off the bottom of the sole and a new sole and heel glued down in two separate sections.

The cobbler that I use is 290km away and there are various shops where you can drop off your footwear for repair.

If he can't repair the shoes, you get a call to advise you of the same.

Are there any other options for cobblers near you?

That is entirely possible. I can look at the big city to see what they might have, at least call and see what they think. The fact that this cobbler at first said they were repairable and then said they weren't is incredibly suspicious to me.  Thank you so much for the advice!