Cobblers!

Yes, The Timpsons chain do have an ethos for employing ex offenders, and also offer apprenticeships for youngsters coming out of custodial sentences, I wholeheartedly support that!

We have an independent cobbler and a Timpsons, but the independent is the busy one. Getting shoes repaired certainly isn't cheap though.

jane I believe that there is a branch of Timpsons in Barnstaple, but as Bideford seemed to have only one cobblers on what passes for a high street, I took my custom there.

PS I think that heard something a while back about Timpsons taking on ex-offenders and giving them a chance to be employed etc, if so jolly good for them!

Timpson's have opened outlets in our local Tesco and Asda carpark areas and are actually providing a service which a lot of people wouldn't bother going into the town centre to access.

We have an independent cobbler in our small town. He does all the other things like keys, watch batteries and straps. He stitched up a strap on one of my sandals and you can't see the difference. He always seems to be busy, I'm glad to say and there's no competition here from Timpson's.

Timpsons was near to where I live now, ga, not far from Wythenshawe hospital. They have a very good cobblers in the grounds of the Tesco car park, just around the corner from there, where I got some winter boots re-heeled for £15. They'll repair leather bags, cut keys, and I got my watch battery and new strap there, too. I know of a few such cobblers in large supermarkets around Manchester. Sadly, the only independent cobblers shop I know of is rarely open.

Must admit I've not taken anything to be mended for years, I never seem to wear out the soles of shoes. I usually wear trainers or sandals when walking far and my other shoes mostly when I'm in the car and not walking far so the uppers eventually become shabby before the soles wear out.

I haven't taken any shoes to be soled/heeled for years. is this because of the PU we were talking about on the Hotter thread?PU, or even rubber seem to have replaced most of the leather soles.

I do still take shoes to the cobblers for mending and although the cost may seem a bit expensive I can't bear the thought of throwing perfectly good shoes away and buying new ones instead of getting them mended. My cobbler is a really nice man and I also like to support his shop, Timpsons, because of a number of reasons, not least of which is this:

John Timpson's philosophy is that "If you treat people well, it is blindingly obvious that they will do a good job." The company still has a final salary pension scheme in place, owns holiday homes for workers, staff get their birthdays off, and bonuses for exceeding targets. In 2007, to celebrate growing from £500,000 profit to £12m in 20 years of trading, Timpson's launched the "Dream Come True" programme for staff, which over 12 months paid for eye operations, reunited families and sent staff on dream trips to Australia. The business has won countless awards, and been in the top 10 of the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For every time it has entered. The company has a policy of employing ex-prisoners and runs pre-release training in several prisons. (from Wicki)
(I also grew up very close to their head office in Manchester.)

Cobblers need a living wage. I wanted to be a cobbler when I was a kid. Aah, childhood dreams... There are very few real cobblers left.

Ana
At least I'm not unique!

We must be very odd, loopy!

There's a branch of Timpson's in Fenwick's in Newcastle which is always very reasonable. Might be worth checking if there's one near you P
As for shoes which have become too tight, I got some leather stretcher from John Lewis that has worked really well. You spray it inside the shoe and then put the shoe on - the leather softens and adapts to the shape of your foot.

jings is right, well at least in my case! I have gorgeous red leather snake skin effect courts, worn once and now would cripple me after 10 minutes, ditto for some rather nice black patent trouser boots, and even ones that I can actually remember wearing all day long with no problem are practically impossible to get on.

Slight bunion on the right foot doesn't help.

My feet have shrunk from size 7 to a 6 or 6.5, goodness knows why.

I can't bring myself to count how many pairs most of which now too big. I have bought insoles but they also seem to be too wide, which is even odder because I've always had narrow feet

phoenix I'm glad I'm not the only one

£45.98!! - unbelievable. They would have to be very special shoes to warrant that much!

Mine haven't!

(yet...)

Feet spread.

How has that happened? Have your feet got bigger or smaller?
I used to take size 6.5 in my youth but now size 6 fits perfectly. Probably sizing has changed, as in clothes!

PS Forgot to add that they do include a 12 month guarantee for the soles & heels. I will be putting that guarantee slip in a very safe place!

Neither pair had leather soles, Mr P's were Clarks, cost about £65, mine were a rather lovely (and very comfortable) pair from either Clarks or Kays, can't remember which, a sort of slip on open back clog style, although that description doesn't really do them justice. Can't remember how much they were, only that I had lusted after them for some time and finally bought them when they were in the sale!

loopy I have a black bin bag full of shoes, but when I last went through them I was amazed/disappointed to find that many no longer seem to fit

I have five pairs of shoes which I use all the time , cheap leather but have lasted me quite a few years, wear a different pair each day and keep my heels for going out .

I know cobblers prices are quite expensive but haven't had any repaired for a long long while.

I wonder if nowadays only expensive shoes seem to have leather soles, which wore out regularly and needed mending?
I don't seem to wear out my shoes......I also have far too many pairs, whereas years ago I only had a few.

I am speechless !!
They would need to be quality shoes to merit repair

My shoes last for years and yet I've never had to have any mended. Last time I needed a cobbler was to do some stitching on a leather bag, and he has now disappeared. That leaves us with the usual mender found in the shopping malls.

Flipping heck phoenix!
I confess I haven't taken any to the cobblers for years since I was charged £18 to re-sole and heel a £25 pair of shoes, I was so I nearly told him he could keep them!