Shoes Day Tuesday: Shoe Repair 101

As we’ve discussed on a number of occasions (like here, here, and here ), we spend a shitload of money on shoes.  Because our annual shoe expenditures are fairly close to our annual 401k contributions, we take care of our shoes with regular maintenance  and repairs.  We haven’t discussed repairs yet, so we’re going to do that today because Katie 1 just had two pairs of shoes repaired, so this is a good opportunity to take our readers through the shoe repair process she utilizes step by step (with before and after photos).

Before we get to Katie 1’s recent experience, here’s another reminder that you need a good cobbler. Just do it.  Don’t make us tell you again.

Now that our nagging is out of the way, let’s discuss shoe repairs.  No matter how much you baby your shoes, there will be a time when they probably need to be repaired because let’s face it; shit happens, especially when it comes to shoes that are in your regular rotation.  Katie 1 has found this to be especially true for ballet flats simply due to frequency of wear. If it’s fixable, a good cobbler can fix even the worst of shoe disasters.  Want proof? Here’s a list of Katie 1’s most epic shoe repairs: (1) She shattered the heel of a pair of Ferragamo pumps.  Her cobbler was able to rebuild the heel and you cannot tell there was ever any damage; (2) Her dog ate the inside of her L.K. Bennet pumps.  Her cobbler was able to replace the entire inside of the shoe; (3) She wore her black Chanel ballet flats so much that she wore a hole in the sole.  Her cobbler resoled the shoe and made the exterior look like brand new. 

In addition to fixing shoe’s we’ve broken, a good cobbler can work wonders on those amazing designer shoes you found at the thrift store, consignment shop or on Ebay (check this space later for our tips on shopping secondhand).  Also, unlike clothing, shoes aren’t body type specific so if the shoes are sellable they are in fact fixable and you can make them work for you.  For example, Katie 1 got a pair of black and gold Chanel ballet flats on Ebay for a steal because they had a small hole in the gold suede.  Katie 1’s cobbler was able to fix the hole and generally revive the shoes so now they look brand new (see multiples post for proof).  

Want more proof? Please see pictures of the shoes below which Katie 1 recently sent to her cobbler of choice, Cobbler Concierge.  She’s had the silver Chanel flats since college and as the pictures show, they’ve seen better days.  The Burberry pumps were a thrift shop purchase and were a steal because they were in horrible condition.  

 Let’s take a look at the after photos shall we?  Pretty amazing results, right?

Now that we’ve proven the importance of a good cobbler, Katie 1 now wants to discuss her love of Cobbler Concierge.  Please note that Cobbler Concierge has no idea that we’re writing this post.  They have not asked for this publicity and we’re not being paid for this post (although we wish we were).  We truly just love the service.  Also note that we think Nordstrom may be launching a similar service.  We saw boxes that indicated this may the case at the Trend Show. 

First off, what is Cobbler Concierge? Cobbler Concierge is a New York based online shoe repair service which specializes in luxury shoe and handbag repairs.  You simply take pictures of the items needing repairs and text them to SHOES (74637).  A customer service representative then texts you back with follow up questions and an estimate for the repairs.  They then send you a UPS label for you to ship the shoes to them for further inspection.  Once they’ve received your shoes they send you an invoice for approval and you pay for the repairs online.  Once the repairs are finished they send you pictures of the finished product and ship them back to you via UPS (in soft fancy shoe bags no less!).  Katie 1 finds this to be much easier than schlepping her shoes all over the city in search of a reputable cobbler with experience repairing designer shoes.  Other small things worth noting about the shipping process - Cobbler Concierge gives you an awesome box that kind of looks like a suitcase, complete with a plastic handle, making transporting your shoes to the UPS store so much easier.  The box is also reusable so save it for your next round of repairs.   Here's a look at the box. 

Second, how did Katie 1 discover Cobbler Concierge? Well, she had an amazing cobbler who was located in the office building across the street from her office.  Unfortunately, that building was converted into a hotel and she can’t find out where her cobbler relocated so she took to the internets to find a new cobbler.  Unable to find one that was both reputable and conveniently located to either her home or office, she stumbled upon an article in either  Bloomberg, Forbes or the New York Times (honestly, she can’t remember and it was 2 or 3 years ago so she can’t find it online now) discussing Cobbler Concierge.  After reading some online reviews and looking at some amazing before and after photos, she decided to try them out with a pair of shoes that she thought were beyond repair.  They weren’t and were returned to her looking as good as new so she was hooked. 

Third, how much does it cost? This is one area where Cobbler Concierge started out amazing ($30 flat fee for women’s shoe repairs which included shipping) and has kind of gone downhill a little bit.  Rather than offering a flat repair fee, they now charge for shipping and the cost of the repairs is based upon the extent of the repair.  Which is fair but significantly more expensive than in the early days.  Katie 1 still thinks the quality of repair is well worth the price for extensive repairs.  Although, if she is able to find a good local cobbler, she will probably have the local cobbler take care of easy fixes like replacing heel caps (note – please replace your heel caps regularly.  Don’t wait until you’re walking on the nail.  Walking on the nail creates a much more expensive repair).

So there you have it folks - how we fix our shoes (plus a love letter to Cobble Concierge).  Cheers!