Shoe Recoloring, Refinishing, Antiquing in the US

[Roger]

I've posted this on the other forum as well, as it is of some importance to me.
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Does anyone know of a person or company who does shoe refinishing? I'm thinking of someone expert in changing leather color, refinishing it and building up a good finish, and, possibly (and ideally), in antiquing leather. I know that such specialists can be found in France (the antiquing part, anyway), but am interested in knowing whether we have them in the US as well.

To provide some context here, I was less than thrilled with the color of a new pair of shoes I bought recently (sight unseen, except for pictures) and have attempted to remedy the situation myself through some darkening and antiquing efforts. The results are not terrible, and I have worn the shoes with the new finish, but the darkening and antique effects are certainly not the best. I'd gladly post pictures here, but my low-end digital camera seems completely incapable of capturing the effects adequately. They are expensive and very nice shoes, and, therefore, it would be reasonable to cough up a little cash (probably more than a little) to get the finish just the way I want it.

 

[Roger]

Holy monk straps, Batman, no leads in almost a day! OK, let me make this simpler. Can anyone recommend a good shop for shoe leather re-coloring?

 

[EvEr37]

they seem to do excellent work. They are in Ottawa, Canada. I'm sure you could ship to them. Not sure about the antiquing though http://styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=15310

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by EvEr37

they seem to do excellent work. They are in Ottawa, Canada. I'm sure you could ship to them. Not sure about the antiquing though

http://styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=15310
Absolutely! I've had them do work for me, and it's been topnotch in every respect. The shop is run by the father of our very own Meaculpa, and I recommend them in the highest possible terms. But I've never had them do anything vis-a-vis the finish and wasn't sure about coloring, etc. I should ask Dimitri about this. Good suggestion, EvEr37. Any others?

 

[lefty]

Does it strike anyone else as strange that people desire the patina of age on shoes they've never worn, but the idea of an pre-aging is abhorrent to denim aficionados?

Great work by Dimitri.

Sounds like a business opportunity for someone. What would people pay to have their shoes antiqued?

lefty