Finding and restoring old shoes

One of my favorite things to do is go thrifting. Theres nothing like the thrill of finding that one-of-a-kind article of clothing or pair of shoes at a great price. The only problem is that, most of the time, the things you find while thrifting are far from being considered “new.” Since one of the best things I normally find are shoes, I wanted to write specifically about how to spot good quality pairs and then restore them. I recently found two pairs of dress shoes at a thrift store that I had really good luck with from a restoration perspective. The first was a pair of wingtip oxfords. The brand was not one that I recognized (Comfort Plus), they didn’t seem like they were originally very expensive (I recently saw a pair go for $17 on eBay in similar condition), but they seemed to have good bones and a nice condition to the outside. The second pair was a more modern dress shoe who’s brand name was the first thing I noticed. They were by an Italian shoe maker by the name of Mercanti Fiorentini. I know this brand to be a reasonably expensive brand. I have a pair of their loafers and they are possibly the most comfortable shoes I own. When shopping in thrift stores you have to buy good items when you see them because this was a rare find and unlikely to be there later.
I got the two pairs for around $20. This is a steal considering the Mercantis sell anywhere from $150 to $200 new. Neither of the two pairs of shoes were in “ready to wear” condition. They both showed reasonable signs of wear and the laces were all but destroyed. The thing to look for is the restorability of the shoes. If they have holes or rubber soles rather than leather then they may not be restorable. Look for all leather shoes. In most cases leather soles can be replaced by a shoe repair shop upwards of 4 or 5 times before the shoe will be beyond repair. In some cases even more. Laces are obviously pretty easy to replace but you may be wondering how to restore the leather to a nice wearable look. All you need to do is pick up some leather shoe conditioner from a local Journeys or DSW. This stuff is cheap and works wonders on scuffed leather. Shoe polish is a nice touch too but doesn’t condition so make sure to use the conditioner first. After applying the conditioner your shoes may not look brand new but will be in more than wearable condition. They’ll look like you’ve had them for a while but that you take care of them. Thats the last step too. Take care of the shoes. Resist the urge to wear them every day. Let them rest a day or so between wears. if you have wooden shoe keepers then these will help preserve the life of your shoes as well. To see a before and after of my Mercantis just check out the photos section on fittedmale.com.