Recommend me a cobbler?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by woob

peter12 looked to the sky at the signal, as a tear rolled down his cheek and he turned away, mourning the chance to impart his wisdom upon this thread.

I enjoyed peter12.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by woob

peter12 looked to the sky at the signal, as a tear rolled down his cheek and he turned away, mourning the chance to impart his wisdom upon this thread.

Maybe we could let him back in, but he'd be restricted to posting in the cobbler thread and nowhere else.

[Northendzone]

even in the boom times, I don't know anyone who was spending $300 on shoes.

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Yes, won't anyone think of those poor people that can't spend $300 on a pair of shoes this year. Hard times.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Maybe we could let him back in, but he'd be restricted to posting in the cobbler thread and sports jacket with leather elbow patches and nowhere else.

can't have a 1 trick pony.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

even in the boom times, I don't know anyone who was spending $300 on shoes.

What does a pair of Allen Edmonds cost nowadays?

[CaptainYooh]

I have two pairs of brogues that are my absolute favourite shoes to wear. They are not only good-looking well-made shoes, but also just perfect for my feet in terms of cut, toe-width, height, arch support and overall comfort. I do own lots of shoes, but I keep having these two pairs maintained and repaired as necessary, because of how comfortable they are. Each pair is more than 10 years old. As top pieces on the heels wear out, I have them replaced. I've had the heels replaced once. And then, when the soles finally started to get thinner, I've had them replaced. Each time I get my shoes from service at Calgary Shoe Hospital on 8th Avenue, they get a good polish and look and feel like new.

Yeah, cobbler is a dying profession, unfortunately, because cheap new shoes can be bought at Payless or Aldo nowadays for $50. Whatever.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

What does a pair of Allen Edmonds cost nowadays?

Depends on where you buy. Harry Rosen sells them for retail prices ($300-600). I buy them online when they have big sales. Quite a difference, even after adding shipping costs.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Depends on where you buy. Harry Rosen sells them for retail prices ($300-600). I buy them online when they have big sales. Quite a difference, even after adding shipping costs.

Still, that's like the most basic, utilitarian, lasts-forever, no frills or gimmicks or flash, pure substance shoe you can buy... and even that costs $300.

I am of course referring to actual shoes, not disposable glued-together pieces of crap you find at the mall; anyone suggesting that that's a reasonable alternative is basically saying "why would you ever eat at a restaurant when there's a perfectly good McDonalds right there".

[curves2000]

As I had mentioned in my earlier post, my grandfather was a cobbler in Greece and when we would go and visit in the summer there was always life lessons and things to learn!

If you think about the way most men used to dress many years ago they would go to places like tailors, cobblers, a hat shop, classic department stores etc. The wardrobe was made of quality and if you ever needed anything, you would go to the repair shop and have it repaired by a professional.

Buying high-quality dress shoes, shoes with a leather sole does allow you the ability to extend the life of the shoe by many years as you can always change out the sole and the heal when it has worn down. It's very cost efficient. I do purchase high-end dress shoes as I have a use for them on a very regular basis but I will be the first to admit the cost of some of these shoes in Canada are just flat out a rip off. You shouldn't need to spend $200-500 for a nice, quality pair of leather dress shoes and the truth is more and more higher end designer shoes are going with a rubber sole which is criminal!!

I strongly recommend that that if you are ever traveling to places in Europe, Asia or other foreign country to look at the shoe shopping. In countries like Greece and Italy you can get fantastic quality shoes, hand made with leather soles for a fraction of the cost here in Canada and the lifespan goes on for many years!

A tip my grandfather once told me and I heard repeated in similar form from an ex-girlfriend's mom who had grown up poor in the Czech Republic during the Soviet Union was to BUY QUALITY becuase you can't afford to replace items twice. If you think about our throw away culture with everything these days, nobody repairs anything anymore. It's always buying it again and again and again and then people wonder where their money is going!

[81MC]

The issue I have with footwear, and clothing in general really, is the ridiculous markup for poorly made products by mistreated workers, so branding companies can make tons of money. Really, 90% of the footwear you can buy in a mall is made in China/India, with Spain and Italy providing the 'higher' end. Payless, Call It Spring, Aldo, most of the Bay etc, doesn't matter if it's $30 or $300, the quality of materials and quality of life for the shoe 'maker' is the same... Not very damn good.
A sign of the times, of course, and it's not going to change, but it does make me sad that if I want a pair of Canadian made shoes (we do have a few Boot manufacturers) I have to scour for a few select vintage brands. Johnston and Murphy has closed their last American plant, leaving Allen Edmonds and Alden as the only two (that I'm aware of) for formal shoes in the states. "Hartt Shoes starting up again... blah blah New Brunswick factory blah blah... shoes will be made in Spain." Well #### me. Yep, I will get my old shoes repaired, because apparently they are part of history that has all but died.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Still, that's like the most basic, utilitarian, lasts-forever, no frills or gimmicks or flash, pure substance shoe you can buy... and even that costs $300. ...

Well, I like Allen Edmonds shoes but what you said above is quite a stretch. Your probability of buying a well-made pair online is quite a bit higher with Allen Edmonds, because of their measuring standards and quality standards plus the life-time warranty they provide. But you can still buy a very decent pair of well-made shoes for $120-$150 or, if you have patience and can travel - for closer to $100 at premium outlet stores. Clark's, Johnston & Murphy, Cole Haan - all fall in that $$120-150 price category. Now, granted, they do make a lot of crappy shoes; but as long as you know what to look for in a shoe, there are some really nice ones to find.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Clark's doesn't really make dress shoes, and even the desert boots are basically disposable now. Johnston & Murphy? Maybe if you can find some new old stock from ten years ago, otherwise forget it. Cole Haan has always been junk. I don't know if you're buying second-hand, but $120-$150 isn't realistic for good quality new shoes. I agree you can get them cheaper than brick and mortar retail, but you're essentially saving $50-100 by knowing what your size is and being willing to take the time to find a killer deal.

The more people buy garbage, the higher the cost of actually decent shoes goes. 81MC is right, it's just Alden and AE over here now. There's still lots of good stuff in England, but it ain't cheap.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

... Johnston & Murphy? Maybe if you can find some new old stock from ten years ago, otherwise forget it. Cole Haan has always been junk. I don't know if you're buying second-hand, but $120-$150 isn't realistic for good quality new shoes. ...

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Hell, if you don't believe me, check the J&M Website. They still make Aristocrafts, but they're all made in Mexico now and they still cost $300.

[CaptainYooh]

I know. Re-read what I wrote earlier.

If you have patience and travel to US, you can find decent quality shoes made by Clark's, J&M or Cole Haan at premium outlet stores if you know how to choose a good quality shoe. They do have some. Not much. Some.

[btimbit]

Theres 4 places. Theirs the Cobbler hut, that's on third. Then there's Cobblers-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Foot-There. That's on third. Sole Low, Sweet Cobbleriet... Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the cobbler complex on third. Oh yeah, the cobbler district

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I believe you missed the point again. You can spend $30-50 to have your shoes resoled at a cobbler, or you can spend $300 to buy a new pair. I'm also saying that even if you have $300 for a new pair of shoes, it still makes more sense to take it to a cobbler. You've now argued on both sides of going to a cobbler, so I have no idea what your point is. Maybe you're just excited about all the happy new years you'll be receiving.

Listen, I know you take the internet very seriously, so I'll help you out a bit.

Not many people use cobblers anymore in 2017. Thus, it's funny to post the 'What year is it?' meme, because that's a question you'd have been far more likely to hear 50 - 100+ years ago. You give it a laugh and move on, not try to make some drawn out boring point about the economy and benefits of cobblers that nobody cares about. I wasn't trying to make an argument or make a point. Just to be funny. In summary: you just gotta chill out a bit every now and then man. Not everything is a confrontation.

[81MC]

I chuckled at it.
Thanks for suggestions folks. I have a decent customer relationship with the guy at Southcentre, maybe I'll try him with a pair, and some of the other recommendations for the others. AE, worst case they can be replaced... it's my original Dacks I'd lament were they to not turn out.

[Bean]

To OP, I can second that Conti’s is great to deal with.

If you’re looking to get welts worked on I’m curious if you’ve got a pair of Allen Edmonds to repair. If so, I’d take them to O’Connors or see who they use as their cobbler.


PSA - if you get an opportunity to have Vibram soles installed on your shoes, it’s definitely worth to splurge a little!

[Reggie Dunlop]

There used to be this little hole-in-the-wall shoe repair shop on 14th Street SW called Tom's Shoe Repair. It had a really cool neon sign. Built in the back was an attached house. Was there for years, even when I was a kid. Last time I drove by it was some sort of seamstress shop, but the cool sign was removed.