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I may not have a lot of money, but I rarely buy cheap shoes. I only buy shoes I absolutely love, and they're usually not cheap. And because of that, I can't afford to buy a lot of shoes and the ones I have get worn to the point of disrepair. The outsole wears thin, the heel breaks or wears down, embelishments fall off and leather gets scuffed.
Most women I know simply buy new shoes when their old ones wear out. But my grandmother grew up during the Depression and my mother grew up in post-war Korea, so together they taught me the value of getting things repaired rather than replaced whenever possible.
It appears that the current recession is prompting women to recall the wisdom of older generations. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that cobblers all over the country are reporting increased business and higher revenues. And many of their new customers are women. This newfound frugality may be bad news for the shoe retail industry, but I still think it's a good thing overall. Not only is repairing something (and thereby extending its usable life) more eco-friendly than repeatedly buying new products, it's easier on the wallet and it just plain feels good to get back those shoes you love good as new (or close to it).
I've had entire outsoles, insoles, linings, straps and heels replaced on beloved shoes. I've had embelishments and buttons repaired and reattached. I've had my white wedding heels dyed a more practical color after the big day. I've even gotten shoes a tad bit too small stretched out to fit better. These repairs aren't exactly cheap, but they're much less expensive than buying new shoes altogether. And over the long run, it's more practical (and pleasurable!) to buy a few quality pairs of shoes I really love every couple of years and have them repaired as needed than to fill up my closet with a bunch of cheap, trendy shoes that end up hurting my feet and aren't even worth repairing.
So maybe the next time the heel on your stilettos breaks off or your puppy uses your pumps as a chew toy or you find a great pair of vintage shoes with a broken strap, you can consider visiting your local cobbler. And maybe instead of buying "budget-friendly" shoes that aren't made well and won't last, you can invest in well-made, comfortable, beautiful shoes that are worth maintaining for years, even decades to come.
