Toronto cobbler - Alex @ Valentina shoe repair

[suitforcourt]

Located at 4901 Dundas Street West, Alex is a cobbler with 30+ years experience. He was recommended by another forum member.

I have seen pics of his work and it looked good. I dropped by his shop with 3 pairs of shoes.

2 pairs of vintage Hartt PTBs in near NOS condition. Just wanted Topy on them.

And then a pair of beater Florsheim shell cordovans. I bought them in rough shape and figured they can be my rain shoes.

Alex only carries Emu brand leather sole (Moneysworth brand). $95 for new soles and heels. He said he will remove old stitches and restitch by hand.

He does not carry JR soles as his customers don't ask for it. He may seek it out now given there is interest.

I chose Alex for this job because the shoes are really beat up and not worth the investment of JR soles or a more expensive cobbler.

$30 for Topy. He had both Topy brand and Vibram brand. I chose Topy for the lighter flexibility. I played around with both and I like Topy for the light weight and slimmer profile.

Pics to follow.

 

[suitforcourt]

The shell Florsheim.

 

[suitforcourt]

As you can see, damage to heel counter and piping. Will be using these as rain shoes.

 

[suitforcourt]

The 2 pairs of Hartt PTBs. I only wanted topy. Done well enough. $30 for a set of topy.

I would definitely use Alex again for topys.

 

[suitforcourt]

Here are the shell Florsheim LWBs. Remember, these were totally trashed. Cracked shell at heels and upper body, and already had original soles and heels replaced

I got these for cheap and decided to extend their life and make them rain shoes. $95 for full recraft. Alex replaced the cork and used hand to resew to welt.

You can see the new stitching. The work is not great. You can see his stitching skills are not as tight as others.

For $95, I did not expect much. I knew what I was getting into.

If you have beaters, or a simple job like topy and heels, use Alex. For JR soles and better work, go elsewhere.

 

[suitforcourt]

Maiden voyage today. They feel great. Very comfortable and serves a great purpose as rain shoes.

That said, I keep looking at them, and always noticed the subpar stitching work on the welt area.

Well, can't win 'em all.