Ten Thousand and Counting

I’d like to share something with you. This may come out as a humblebrag but bear with me… I’d like to highlight something that my customers have done.

They’ve saved over 10,000 pairs of shoes and boots from going to landfill.
TEN THOUSAND PAIRS!

Take a second to think about what 10,000 pairs of shoes and boots looks like. That’s a shedload of waste that’s been prevented. Some will end up there eventually. But people from all over the world decided that they loved their shoes and boots enough to not throw them out. They decided repair them instead. I feel so proud of that.

I started The Little Cobbler because I saw a chap come out of a well known high street shop a new pair of white trainers. He took off the ones he was wearing and threw them in the bin. Disposable fashion at its worst. It got me thinking… I’d just repaired my high heels so maybe… hmm… what if?

I started with 100 pairs of heel tips and I wondered if I could sell them. If I needed them, then someone else might too. I offered customers the option to get them overnight because repairing their work shoes was urgent. I offered all sizes and colours so everyone could repair their heels no matter what. I shipped them to places without a local Cobbler like the Outback in Australia, the middle of America and the Falklands! I stocked boot soles, shoe glue, heels for men’s shoes…
I’ve even sold a pair to a famous Film Producer!

It may only pay me pocket money but the significance is so much more. It’s my tiny contribution to help change with way we think about and deal with our footwear when they need repairing. There is so much waste produced and I wanted to change that.

So, the reason I’m telling you this is to ask you if you’ll look into repairing your shoes and boots instead of throwing them out. Take a second before you dump the heels you lusted after last year and see if you can repair them.

Become the 10,001.

Thanks for reading.