Why we resole rather than replace
A good shoe outlives 3 or 4 soles. Ours are built so the sole comes off without touching the rest, and we replace it for free.
By Nora Vang2 min read
The sole is the part of a shoe that wears out first, and on most shoes it is glued to the rest. When it goes, the shoe goes with it. Our leather shoes are made differently, so that the sole can be replaced as many times as the upper will allow. With care, that is decades.
How the shoe is built
Between the upper and the sole sits a narrow strip of leather called a welt. The upper is stitched to the welt, and the sole is stitched to the welt, but the upper and the sole never touch. To resole, a cobbler cuts the old stitches, lifts the sole away, and sews a new one to the same welt.
When to resole
Look at the ball of the foot. When the sole there feels soft when you press it with a thumb, or you can see the stitching wearing through, it is time. Do not wait for a hole. Once the wear reaches the welt, the repair is far bigger. Heels wear faster than soles and can be replaced on their own.
Making a sole last
- Rest a pair for a day between wears, so the leather dries out completely.
- Keep cedar shoe trees in them. They hold the shape and draw out moisture.
- Polish the uppers every few weeks. Leather that is fed does not crack.
Like every repair, resoling is free for anything we have sold. Hand your shoes in at either store, and they come back in about 3 weeks with a new sole and the same shape your feet gave them.
