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The bench at the back of the workshop is where old shoes get a second life.
A pair arrives in a box with a note pinned to it, usually apologetic. The sole is worn through at the ball of the foot, the heel has gone over on one side, and the upper is still perfectly good. That last part is the reason we bother. Leather that has taken years to soften is worth keeping.
We pull the old sole off by hand where we can, so the welt stitching stays intact. If the welt has gone, it gets replaced too, which adds a week.
New soles are cut from the same leather we use on a fresh pair, glued, stitched and trimmed back on the finisher. Heels go on last. Then the whole shoe is cleaned, fed and polished before it goes back in the box.
Worth the wait
Most resoles take about ten days. It costs a good deal less than a new pair, and the shoes come back fitting the way only worn shoes can. Some of the pairs on that bench are older than the workshop.
FAQs
The resoling bench sits by the window, and most mornings a queue of tired pairs waits on it. We lift the old sole, check the welt, stitch a fresh one.
The resoling bench sits by the window, and most mornings a queue of tired pairs waits on it. We lift the old sole, check the welt, stitch a fresh one.
The resoling bench sits by the window, and most mornings a queue of tired pairs waits on it. We lift the old sole, check the welt, stitch a fresh one.
A pair of welted boots for a customer who walks the mountain every weekend, built on a wide last with a double sole and copper eyelets throughout.
