speedmaster
New in Town
- Messages
- 32
- Location
- NY
Thought some of you gents might like this.
Online Cobblers Fix Footwear From Afar - WSJ.com
Online Cobblers Repair Footwear From Afar; Services From Heel to Toe, With Polishing and Waterproofing to Boot.
"Last year, women purchased 728,808 pairs of shoes in the U.S., and men purchased 327,421 pairs, according to market research company NPD Group. Even with all that footwear out there, shoe-repair shops are becoming increasingly rare. Stepping up are a number of online cobblers, who accept and return footwear by mail. There are just 7,000 shoe-repair businesses left in the U.S. today, down from more than 120,000 during the 1930s, according to the Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group. Many cobblers now have Web sites where consumers can select from a wide range of services—from basic repairs to major refurbishments—and place orders, complete with printable prepaid postage labels. A few even offer to send shipping materials to consumers.
We tested four shoe-repair businesses that agreed to do the latter: Resole America, American Heelers Inc., NuShoe Inc. and Great Lakes Shoe & Orthopedic Service. Shipping materials arrived from each company within six days, and we filled them with four different types of worn-out shoes. In most cases, we ordered basic repair work—a new set of full heels and soles—and some of the services included standard extras, such as polishing, cleaning and waterproofing.
Overall, our shoes came back not looking new, but in much better shape than they were before. The downside: A longer turnaround time and heftier fees than what we'd expect from doing business in person with a local cobbler."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055411106601690.html
Online Cobblers Fix Footwear From Afar - WSJ.com
Online Cobblers Repair Footwear From Afar; Services From Heel to Toe, With Polishing and Waterproofing to Boot.
"Last year, women purchased 728,808 pairs of shoes in the U.S., and men purchased 327,421 pairs, according to market research company NPD Group. Even with all that footwear out there, shoe-repair shops are becoming increasingly rare. Stepping up are a number of online cobblers, who accept and return footwear by mail. There are just 7,000 shoe-repair businesses left in the U.S. today, down from more than 120,000 during the 1930s, according to the Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group. Many cobblers now have Web sites where consumers can select from a wide range of services—from basic repairs to major refurbishments—and place orders, complete with printable prepaid postage labels. A few even offer to send shipping materials to consumers.
We tested four shoe-repair businesses that agreed to do the latter: Resole America, American Heelers Inc., NuShoe Inc. and Great Lakes Shoe & Orthopedic Service. Shipping materials arrived from each company within six days, and we filled them with four different types of worn-out shoes. In most cases, we ordered basic repair work—a new set of full heels and soles—and some of the services included standard extras, such as polishing, cleaning and waterproofing.
Overall, our shoes came back not looking new, but in much better shape than they were before. The downside: A longer turnaround time and heftier fees than what we'd expect from doing business in person with a local cobbler."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055411106601690.html
