Who Will Save Your Sole?

About 2 years ago I bought a pair of Billy Reid’s Kentwood Ropers Boots at his store here in Nashville. They were pretty blah right off the bat, but well-constructed and looked like they would gain character with time:

I’ve been wearing them fairly often, from just walking around to going out at night and even with a suit. Over time they got unbelievably comfortable and really molded to my feet. I clean and condition them with Bick’s and use a bit of colored Meltonian cream to fill in the scrapes and scuffs, and have grown to love their deep color:

But after all that time, the soles had been getting pretty beat up and had almost worn down to the welt. I had a local cobbler replace the heels, but I thought they deserved better than the usual half-sole when it came time to replace the whole thing. So I sent them off to B. Nelson Shoe Repair in New York and got them back yesterday.

I couldn’t be happier with the results. Nick at B. Nelson and his guys really took care of my boots, stripping the old soles and heels off, replacing the cork footbed and welt, then putting new Italian-made soles and heels on them.

These kind of results aren’t exactly cheap, but it’s a whole lot less than a new shoe, and I see no reason why these shoes won’t last pretty much forever. Check out their web site and take care of your shoes. They’ll take good care of you.