Repair over replace, when it is honest to say so
The bench has been in the same back room for a long time: a stitcher, a finisher, a wall of last forms in every width, and a shelf of leather dye that never quite matches until the third try. Most days start with a pair of half-repaired shoes still clamped from the day before.
We resole boots and dress shoes with a stitched welt whenever the upper allows it, replace heels, rebuild stitching that has let go at the seam, and condition leather that has dried out from salt and weather. What we will not do is charge someone to resole a pair that was built to be thrown away - we will tell them that plainly and let them decide.
Two of us work the bench most weeks, and between us we have handled nearly every last shape a shoe comes in.
