Northampton haul

[MPS]

Thought I'd post a few pics of recent acquisitions from Northampton. First up, the JL Canasta. More to follow.

 

[TimelessRider]

Does the "R" indicate that they were rejected by the Lobb's quality control. Hard to believe that such beautiful shoes don't meet their standards. Look forward to more pics.

 

[MPS]

Yes, the R means that they were turfed by JL. There is a small scratch on the left toe.

 

[timekeeping]

What's the JL factory store stock level like (I'm uk size 9)?

I intend to make a day trip to Northhampton when I visit the UK (from Australia so it's a long way) in Nov/Dec...

On the other hand, I suppose the Edward Green factory tour itself is enough an attraction.

Any other factory stores worth visiting in that area?

 

[MPS]

Stocks are very low for sizes 8-10 at JL at the moment - they had a sale a few months ago. There are tons of 7's for those out there with small feet.

EG factory - you need to phone ahead and talk to Suzie Jones. She's a smart lady in her late 40's/early 50's with a rather attractive speaking voice. Visits by appointment only (they can tell you what they have in stock before you head there - it avoids wasting their, and your, time).

JL factory - has a dedicated factory shop run by Jean Lack. Great sales about twice a year. All of their seconds have very minor defects, and they sell quite a few samples.

C & J - The factory shop is open on Friday and Saturday. You can get some unusual designs there (e.g. those made for the Paris store and for the Japanese market - I have a wholecut made for the latter and will post photos of it soon).

Tricker's - Excellent shop with very friendly staff. Open 9-4.30 Monday to Friday. They also have their own parking.

 

[brescd01]

I wonder what the dates of the sales are for each of these shops?

 

[MPS]

JL have factory sales whenever they have "enough stock" - this usually occurs twice a year. They send out postcards to those in the UK who are on their mailing list a few weeks before a sale. I don't know the sale dates for Tricker's or C&J; EG don't have factory sales.

 

[timekeeping]

hmmm... Hopefully, the master craftsmen at Lobb's will make enough mistakes with size 9s to ensure a good selection by the time I get there.

MPS, thanks for the tip with the EG tour. I'll make sure I call in advance. A Chelsea or something wholecut will be great.

What are the prices like at the factory stores? How much below retail should I expect?

 

[MPS]

Expect to pay:

EG £285
JL £125-£200
C & J £90 (£200 for handgrades)
Tricker's £75

 

[tattersall]

Thought I'd post a few pics of recent acquisitions from Northampton. First up, the JL Canasta. More to follow.

Such beautiful shoes. I look forward to seeing your other purchases.

 

[newtrane]

These shoes are beautiful.

Could you please post the contact details of the JL and the EG shops?

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[MPS]

I've been in Switzerland for the last 3 days. I'll post more photos in the next few days (after I get my digital images sorted out). I'll also try taking a photo of the antique leather on the cover of a book I bought in Switzerland (which was printed and bound in 1775) I'm sure the leather lovers out there will appreciate it.

The details of the factories are:

Edward Green & Co Ltd, The Chelsea Workshops, 74 - 76 Cowper Street, Northampton, NN1 3QR, UK
Tel: 01604 460666 Fax: 01604 460333

John Lobb & Co Ltd. Oliver St. Northampton. NN27JL, UK. Tel: 01604 715011 Fax: 01640 712762

 

[AlanC]

Forget the shoes (well, not really); tell us about the book.

AlanC
Bibliophile

 

[MPS]

Two more pictures: JL Chelmer on the 4800 last: C&J handgrade wholecut. This was made for the Japanese market and is on a last that I hadn't seen before. It's reminiscent of the EG 606:

 

[dorian]

Those C&J whole-cuts are fantastic. Did they have anymore?