Why Repair Shoes?
Shoe repair adds value to your footwear investment. We can save you money, make your shoes more comfortable and keep you looking good. We know how much money you spend on quality footwear, bags and leather goods, yet so often as we go about our busy lives, so many of us neglect to take care of them - that is until it is almost too late!

Concentrating on the area of shoe repairs, we can make your life a bit more comfortable in several ways:

Unless you are a person who needs to have their footwear altered to cater for a particular disability, we don't realise that looking after footwear is also important to our health. Overworn, uneven heels can cause ankle injuries with sudden trips and sweaty shoes can create problems with fungal diseases.

Due to cost cutting by footwear manufacturers, a considerable number of shoes these days are produced with plastic soles and heels. Plastic has no grip, does not wear very well, and can be extremely dangerous when the situation invokes someone having a bad fall and breaking a bone.

If you have a pair of shoes that are perfectly broken in, repair can keep them looking new while maintaining that broken in feel. While having non-slip Topy Elysee half soles put on your favourite or even your new shoes, will give you peace of mind on those slippery surfaces.

Caring for your shoes
The service which shoes give, and their appearance after months or years, depends very much on how they are looked after. If shoes are cleaned regularly the right way they will last longer, look better, and keep their shape and water resistance better. 

Looking after your shoes from the very beginning is important, and can save much money, heartache and disappointment in the long-term. Investing a few minutes each month in caring for your shoes is the best thing you can do to protect your footwear investment. Combined with regular visits to the Howick Heel & Sole Bar, it will significantly extend the life of your favourite shoes.

Just the mere mention of the word, “leather”, instills into the mind, a picture of quality and luxury. Although in most instances this is definitely true, there is another side to the picture that most people are not aware of.

There has been a decrease in the number of good quality animal hides being tanned, resulting in escalating costs. One result has been the strong improvement in the manufacture of PVC's and the products being produced are becoming more and more difficult to differentiate from the “real thing”.

To also compensate for the decreased availability of quality hides, and to keep production costs as low as possible, many manufacturers have opted to utilize hides that are inferior in grade. This creates an absolute minefield for the consumer as they attempt to decide as to whether or not a product is a mix of vinyl and leather, reconstituted leather, or just poor quality leather covered with a plastic coating to provide the strength and durability that should have been there in the first place.

Leather goods such as belts and watchbands are extremely susceptible to unscrupulous labeling laws. Many of these items, (although clearly labeled “leather” and therefore allowing the consumer to mistakenly believe that they have purchased a high quality product), are quite often a “sandwich” of a thin piece of leather and a synthetic backing, or front. Some belts which are labeled “bonded” leather actually have a piece of plastic in-between the two layers of “leather” to help give the impression of quality and strength.

“Bonded Leather” should really be avoided if at all possible, especially in regards to belts. This is also known as “reconstituted leather” because it is simply scrap, mixed with glue and moulded into sheets. It is comparable to purchasing “particle board” as against “solid timber”. Bonded leather most probably has a place somewhere in the world, but not if the consumer is intent on purchasing a product that is high in quality, and expected to provide many years of uncomplicated usage.

So seriously rethink how you take care of your leather goods, and let us competently and honestly advise you on which course of action to take. Remember ... guesswork as to which product you think may be suitable could turn out to be an extremely costly error.

Shoe Repair Services
Here are some of the many services that we offer.

• Protective non-slip soles that can be applied to prolong the life of leather or plastic soles.
• Heel tips can be changed from hard, dangerous plastic to non-skid rubber.
• Shoes can be stretched for increased comfort.
• Heel plates can be applied to prolong the life of the heel.
• Eyelets and other hardware can be replaced.
• Reattach broken or loose heels.
• Resoling of dance, boat and sports shoes.
• Shoes can be adapted to fit your unique feet. i.e. The building up or lowering of heels or soles to compensate for differences in leg length, or adjusting elastic to make for a better, more secure fit.

New Shoes
You can also visit us with new shoes. Here are a few ways we can add value to new footwear.  

• Protective soles can be applied to extend sole life and increase slip resistance. 
• Shoes can be dyed if a colour change is necessary
• Shoes that are too tight can be stretched up to half a size.
• Plastic heels can be replaced with slip-resistant rubber.

More than shoes
Our expertise isn't limited to your feet. We can also:

• Replace zippers. 
• Shorten belts. 
• Repair luggage. 
• Stitch handbags. 
• Replace buckles.

Plus…
We also offer:

• Key Cutting – car, house, post office, locker, boat, padlock, cabinet, plane, etc. 
• Engraving – by hand, machine, or computer. 
• Key Accessories
• Shoe care products