You want to look good from head to toe, but it seems that while everyone’s got the head part covered, people often forget to tend to the toe. No outfit, no matter how fetching, looks good with dirty shoes in disrepair, so head to one of Fishman‘s eight locations and take advantage of all their new shoe cobbling service has to offer. Here’s what to expect:
Shoe Polish/Shine
Shoes are first put in a UV oven to kill bacteria that cause odor, followed by a good hand polish, top shine, and re-edging, which means inking and polishing faded shoe sides. ($12)
Winterizing
We use a lot of salt to melt ice in Calgary, and it can damage and discolor your leather footwear. Stave off your shoes’ winter blues by having them winterized with a protective coat. ($20)
Heel Lifts
Heel lifts are the most common repair made, because heels often become worn out and need to be replaced. Just be sure to bring them in before the shoe’s worn down to the heel block, as it’s far less expensive to replace the former than the latter. ($15 for women’s, $30 for men’s)
Protective Soling
Finer dress shoes often have leather soles and if you’re using them to walk anywhere but inside the office, they’ll wear out fast. Have a protective rubber sole installed to save them from walking wear before it’s too late you have to rebuild the shoe completely. ($30 to $40)
Heel Lining
After a while, the inside material next to the ankle bone will rub away so have it replaced with some deerskin and save yourself from chaffing. ($30 to $40)
Rebuilds
Rebuilds are the nuclear option when it comes to saving shoes. They’ll remove and replace everything from the welts down including the sole, stitching, heel block and filler cork, giving your loafers a new lease on life. ($150)
Zipper Repairs
Boot zippers can lose their teeth or have their sliders get stuck. If this happens, get them fixed up before you’re fed up. ($20 to replace a slider, $45 to replace the whole zipper)
Stitching
Using a high tensile stitch, Fishman’s can pretty much guarantee your floppy footwear won’t fall apart again. They also do bags and purses.
Shoeshines take a day, heel liners, stitching, zipper repairs and rebuilds take three to four days.
Fishman’s, 615 17 Ave. S.W., 403-228-6995, and seven other Calgary locations, fishmans.ca
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