Clever Divas

 A Visit to the Cobbler is Good for the Sole and the Pocketbook!

Are you trying to be green or at least more conservative with your resources and money? A trip to your local shoe repair/cobbler might be in order. Repairing or renewing your shoes can be both easy on the budget and the environment.

Come home from the mall with the most gorgeous pair of shoes, but find they are too tight across the toes? Take them to the shoe repair and have them stretched.

The straps broke on one of my favorite pairs of sandals and the cobbler not only crafted new straps, but dyed the leather to match. My sandals are now ready for several more seasons of wear and I couldn’t be more pleased.

The heels worn down on your best pair of boots? The shoe repair can replace them.

Cobblers and shoe repair shops are not just for shoes. While they do handle everything from replacing heels and soles on shoes to shining them, they also handle many additional repairs, including to handbags, luggage, even backpacks.

My son had a very expensive designer backpack which unfortunately didn’t hold up. Considering the expense, I decided to take it to the nearby shoe repair shop to see if he could do anything with it. Not only did the cobbler replace the bottom of the backpack with heavy-duty suede leather, he reinforced the shoulder straps. That was five years ago and my son is still carrying the same backpack!

Cobblers also repair handbags. They can order replacement metal rings, zippers and the like and, even better, they also will dye not only shoes, but also handbags. If you love a handbag, but it’s getting that worn-out look, consider taking your bag to the shoe repair for a little color touch-up. The bag will come back looking like new again.

If your gorgeous leather pullman is damaged after a flight, then you might visit the cobbler to see what he can do to fix it. They work on most leather items as well as other fabrics.

A visit to your local cobbler will be easy on your wallet. It sure beats hitting the mall again, hunting for another pair of perfect black shoes when the ones you love now look new again!

Diva Kathy Carmichael