Re-boot for the New Year

One way a fashionista can conserve rather than consume – the local cobbler.

While taking stock of my wardrobe I noticed that my boots needed some TLC. So rather throwing out the old so I could buy some new, I brought them to my local cobbler. This is one of the little things in life. It sounds silly, but I felt all warm and tingly inside knowing that I was bringing some business to a neighbor and extending the life of my beloved boots that have served me so well over the years.

Some background: I decided when I turned 30 that I would not buy cheap shoes. I have a pair of boots from 1999 and two pair from 2006 (I fell for the "buy one get the second for half price"). They were not cheap, but I wear them often and now they fit like a glove.

Cost: $60.00 for four heel repairs, adding protective rubber and a polish to top it off. That is significantly cheaper than a new pair of leather boots.

Conclusion: I have no intention of hanging up my boots! I am almost officially in the bragging zone – next year my black round-toed boots will be ten years old. That definitely qualifies as bragging rights over a fair-trade shade-grown latte with my girlfriends. At the 1369 Coffee Shop, of course. Buy local!