positive b. nelson experiences

Nothing but good news to report from here! I've had around 10 pairs of shoes fitted with the flush metal toe taps. Excellent and consistent work.

What I really enjoy about B. Nelson is I can drop a pair of shoes in the mail with a crumpled note saying what I want done along with my scribbled Visa number and they come back to me as I requested without further interaction.

I've worked with Nick twice. Both experiences (vintage shell Aldens and vintage shell Florsheims) were great. Not only was I pleased with how the shoes turned out, but I appreciate that he was very willing to spend a great deal of time with me on the phone to discuss what I wanted and what he could do. BTW, I was in New York this past weekend and stopped by his store so that I could meet him in person. Unfortunately, he wasn't working that Sunday but I received a nice email from him the following day thanking me for visiting. AHS

B. Nelson is not perfect. I sent him a pair of relatively new Aldens to be resoledrecently. While the new soles were ok, the shoes, which were a beautiful dark burgundy, with a matte-ish finish, came back dark brown/black-ish with an overly shiny finish. So my very attractive shoes are now ugly. Clearly the wrong polish was used. Also, there is now a lump in the left shoe where the ball of my foot rests, likely due to poor recorking. Next time, I plan to just send to Alden.

I also have a complaint about the quality of the sole used. It was the Toscana Superprime. Which is fine. But also what a lot of other shoe repair shops use. I've heard a lot of praise for the high quality of the soles Nick uses, but I guess he doesn't anymore.

TPowers,

Have you contact the shop about this? If you aren't satisfied, that is generally the first step. If you haven't, it is tough for them to make it right.

For an extra $30 you can get Rendenbachs. I was very happy with the job B Nelson did resoling my Lobbs. I'm awaiting the return of my C&Js now.

That's probably the right move. Next time, I'll go for the RBs.

No, I have not.

I've posted these before, but may as well go again.

OK, first example: brand new Alden boots, mode for Epaulet (the "Brixton Boot.") These came with a double leather sole, but I thought they needed the commando. They can't use the exact commando sole that Alden uses, so this is the one that Nick recommended. I very pleased with how they turned out. It makes the boots very wearable, especially with jeans, casual, etc.

I shipped the boots to New York and then picked them up in the store. It was easy.

Second example: New Alden PTBs in cigar. Also came with a leather sole. Here I went for the Dainite sole. It is a great option. You'll see that the trim has a different colour. I had not specifically requested, this, but I like the look. I think what happened is that when they put on the Dainite lower sole, they sanded the edges so that they would be smooth. This may have removed some of the original varnish.

These I sent in by mail, and they posted them back to me. Easy.

nice, how much did it run you?

did they replace the insole as well and the welt or just the outsole. does B even offer a complete recraft or is just resole? Thats all ive requested they do for me: resole