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Legal Eagles

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Is Baker ever going to offer customization for the Main Street boot?
@sambam addresses this question in the interview...

Stitchdown: Can customers customize the construction on a pair of custom White’s?

Eric: We are kind of cleaning that up, because there was a time when a lot Hathorns, just the stitchdown versions were being customized a little bit. And we’re trying to push the Hathorn line into stock models, and then allow people just to customize the White’s. But we do get questions, even on our Goodyear welted line, people calling in saying, can I do this or that? And we’re trying to keep that stuff as stock models, especially with new customers coming into the market, to make it easier. Instead of thinking, it’s a White’s, you have to have your tracings, you have to get measured ... We’re hoping the new customer buys a stock model, loves it, and then delves into customizing.
 

Turns31

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We may need to agree to disagree on this one...
That's fine. You have to make too many sacrifices if your goal is to make as much money as possible. Whites could up the price of all boots by $25-50 today if they wanted to and people would still buy them. Not for inflation or rising production costs but just because they want more money. Same thing for Grant Stone. Both brands are underpriced in the market for the quality and service delivered. If Whites decided to make their Main Streets $550 because hey, that's still cheaper than Vibergs Service Boot or Alden Plain Toe in the same exact brown CXL and Dainite sole, they could. The fact that they offer custom-fit for you GYWed boots for $370 and hand-stitched boots for $579 (not on sale) is pretty crazy.
 

miggyramone

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The Stitchdown interview was a really good read. I wonder if the 9338 last they mentioned is the 38 swing. Anyways, the interview definitely left me feeling proud in my investment.
 

Legal Eagles

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The Stitchdown interview was a really good read. I wonder if the 9338 last they mentioned is the 38 swing. Anyways, the interview definitely left me feeling proud in my investment.
It is.
 

discomute

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I think turns31 perhaps meant "short term profits" without realising it. He's more saying that commitment to the product and customer yields more customers and sales in the long run so actually increases "long term" profits. Hope I'm not putting words into someone's mouth (who has an economics degree and I don't) :)

Anyway onto boots. I presume main streets are 6 inches. Am thinking of going to 7 or 8 for bounty Hunter. Think I like the look of 7 but wonder if it will be smack on my ankle line.
 

Rymanocerous

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... Both brands are underpriced in the market for the quality and service delivered...

How do you know that?

If Whites decided to make their Main Streets $550 because hey, that's still cheaper than Vibergs Service Boot or Alden Plain Toe in the same exact brown CXL and Dainite sole, they could. The fact that they offer custom-fit for you GYWed boots for $370 and hand-stitched boots for $579 (not on sale) is pretty crazy.

As you get more familiar with this type of footwear, you'll find that there are several competitors in this price brand. And the sell isn't always 'It's still less than X'. There are so many factors that come into pricing, brand strategy and customer retention; making such simple assumptions says a lot.
 

nwlifer

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That's fine. You have to make too many sacrifices if your goal is to make as much money as possible. Whites could up the price of all boots by $25-50 today if they wanted to and people would still buy them. Not for inflation or rising production costs but just because they want more money. Same thing for Grant Stone. Both brands are underpriced in the market for the quality and service delivered. If Whites decided to make their Main Streets $550 because hey, that's still cheaper than Vibergs Service Boot or Alden Plain Toe in the same exact brown CXL and Dainite sole, they could. The fact that they offer custom-fit for you GYWed boots for $370 and hand-stitched boots for $579 (not on sale) is pretty crazy.

I don't know about that. Viberg and Alden are both known for being pretty pricey for what they deliver, but they've also been putting out those boots for a while and have finely tuned particular lasts and patterns that people really like, so many are willing to pay that price. There's a lot of brands at a wide variety of price points making goodyear welt boots, a bunch based in the US. I think the Main Streets are a nice looking boot and a good value. I believe only hand-stitched White's models offer custom fitting, not the goodyear welt line. Though the range in available widths is definitely more than you'll find at most competitors.

BTW, did you ever get your Main Streets order in? Got any photos?

I think turns31 perhaps meant "short term profits" without realising it. He's more saying that commitment to the product and customer yields more customers and sales in the long run so actually increases "long term" profits. Hope I'm not putting words into someone's mouth (who has an economics degree and I don't) :)

Anyway onto boots. I presume main streets are 6 inches. Am thinking of going to 7 or 8 for bounty Hunter. Think I like the look of 7 but wonder if it will be smack on my ankle line.

I believe the Main streets are actually a 5 inch boot.
 

miggyramone

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The toes on my White's SD's tend to turn up. Does anybody else have this problem? Any way to fix it? I kinda hate it. I don't think it's a sizing issue. I only notice it with my curved heel white's. This isn't a problem on my regular block heeled boots.
 

linafelt

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The toes on my White's SD's tend to turn up. Does anybody else have this problem? Any way to fix it? I kinda hate it. I don't think it's a sizing issue. I only notice it with my curved heel white's. This isn't a problem on my regular block heeled boots.

That’s my favorite thing about them!
 

Legal Eagles

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The toes on my White's SD's tend to turn up. Does anybody else have this problem? Any way to fix it? I kinda hate it. I don't think it's a sizing issue. I only notice it with my curved heel white's. This isn't a problem on my regular block heeled boots.
Religious use of properly fitting shoe trees - along with resting the boot - can help minimize toe curl.
 

nwlifer

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The toes on my White's SD's tend to turn up. Does anybody else have this problem? Any way to fix it? I kinda hate it. I don't think it's a sizing issue. I only notice it with my curved heel white's. This isn't a problem on my regular block heeled boots.
Do you use shoe trees? They generally help reduce toe spring when used regularly.
 

Turns31

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They're here! Took about 7 weeks but they're worth the wait. The very first thing I did was put on my boot socks and check the fit. It was spot on. As tight as a new cxl boot should be. Fit and finish seams great outta the box. Nice and tight vamp creasing as well. I took pics besides my Blacksmiths and Grant Stones for a comparison. Super early but I do recommend these to anyone looking for a boot that looks just as good with chinos as they do with jeans. Planning on ordering my 2nd pair later this week.
 

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MisplacedCHEE

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Hey guys, looking for some unfortunate advice here.

I had a pair of MPs that developed a pretty bad squeak that I sent to White's to get fixed, and I just got them back, but for a lack of better word, they were simply butchered. The pair I had sent had no real flaws or concerns, everything lined up pretty well and was pretty neat, minus the squeak in the left boot that developed after 5 or so months but no big deal. I also have a pair of 350 Cutters and chukka's that have some minor aesthetic/crooked issues, but otherwise are awsome. The pair I got back has so many quality issues, and I am pretty sure they re-lasted one boot half a size down. It was so comical when I got them that I took a picture and put lines over to see if it was just my imagination. I'm pretty certain the left boot was lasted crooked, and then the right boot was lasted half a size down, as it feels tighter, everything is "pushed" further forward (even the welt join) and there is a weird seam now in the backstay where it looks like slack was taken out. Both pairs also have stitching in the heel/backstay coming undone, with the right boot having the thread broken, being pulled out of several places, leaving holes.

My question is, would I be justified asking for a new pair? I feel that "rebuilding" these would just be a waste of everybody's time as there are now so many issues that even rebuilding them will shorten overall lifespan and they will never quite be right again. I love White's but this pretty concerning to me. I'll attach the photos below:


Edited.jpg 20200120_203129.jpg 20200120_170253.jpg 20200120_171451.jpg 20200120_171446.jpg
 

linafelt

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Hey guys, looking for some unfortunate advice here.

I had a pair of MPs that developed a pretty bad squeak that I sent to White's to get fixed, and I just got them back, but for a lack of better word, they were simply butchered. The pair I had sent had no real flaws or concerns, everything lined up pretty well and was pretty neat, minus the squeak in the left boot that developed after 5 or so months but no big deal. I also have a pair of 350 Cutters and chukka's that have some minor aesthetic/crooked issues, but otherwise are awsome. The pair I got back has so many quality issues, and I am pretty sure they re-lasted one boot half a size down. It was so comical when I got them that I took a picture and put lines over to see if it was just my imagination. I'm pretty certain the left boot was lasted crooked, and then the right boot was lasted half a size down, as it feels tighter, everything is "pushed" further forward (even the welt join) and there is a weird seam now in the backstay where it looks like slack was taken out. Both pairs also have stitching in the heel/backstay coming undone, with the right boot having the thread broken, being pulled out of several places, leaving holes.

My question is, would I be justified asking for a new pair? I feel that "rebuilding" these would just be a waste of everybody's time as there are now so many issues that even rebuilding them will shorten overall lifespan and they will never quite be right again. I love White's but this pretty concerning to me. I'll attach the photos below:


View attachment 1321338

I guess I don't think the aesthetics alone would warrant a new boot. Boot proportions are often a bit off like that, with the bench made boots anyway (even Viberg!). But if the sizing was genuinely affected in a way that makes them unwearable, then for sure.
I actually had a similar situation, though much worse, when Alden resoled a pair of Indy boots. I had worn them for several years, and when the time came to resole I thought what could be better than sending them back to Alden? Well, they came back and one boot felt a full size smaller and probably two widths more narrow. Looking at them they looked now like they were from two different pairs. I politely told Alden and they said to send them to look at. They then immediately wrote back and to their credit said, Yep we owe you a new pair of boots, which they promptly sent.
Now, mine were much worse than yours, but if they don't fit now it does seem warranted.
 

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