The Cobblers Last

Great service. Had to leave before my shoe repair had finished and they posted it home to me the next day. Not an issue at all. Great repair job!

Great job by the team in repairing my boots at a substantial lower price than replacing them.

Had to get my boots fixed last min before an event. John fixed it asap with very affordable price and the shoes itself is in perfect condition. Honestly one of the best in melbourne would defs come back!

I am not the kind of person who would get personal with people. Instead, I always try to keep myself as objective as possible to minimize the impacts of irrelevant factors such as personal emotions that could hinder effective communication.

To start with, I went to the shop to do a full resole for my shell cordovan loafers. I am definitely not a professional cobbler, yet I am kind of a shoe guy and thus know what could or could not be achieved when resoling a pair of Goodyear welted dress shoes. After collecting the recrafted shoes, I noticed a number of issues on them:

1. The heel rands are detached from the uppers of the shoes, leaving a gap in between (see the first and second photos).

P. S. 'Detached' not in the sense of falling apart, but in the sense of having a clear gap in between.

2. The stitching on the welt is not very neat and clean, and the old stitching has not been thoroughly removed (see the third photo).

3. When stitching the new sole on, new holes were punched on the welt rather than using the original holes (Compare the original stitch density as shown in the fourth photo and the current stitch density as shown in the third photo).

To be fair, having not very neat and clean stitching is not a vital issue. Yet by not thoroughly removing the old stitching and not following the original holes (as many as possible) when stitching the new sole, it would adversely affect the longevity of the welt. The replacement of it is a much more costly and demanding job than a simple resole. The gap in between the heel rands and the uppers of the shoes will gradually accumulate dirt and dust, and other abrasive materials that could one day cause them to fall apart. On top of the above lie the aesthetic issues, the sense of completeness of the work, and the expectation of professional craftsmanship.

I returned to the shop right after examining my loafers, pointing out issue 1 (the gap) to the shop owner and asking him calmly whether he could help to fix it. I have to stress that the owner at the time was not rude in any sense, but he sounded defensive - he repeatedly stressed that the rands and the uppers are not separate ('separate' is the word I used at the time) and they have been screwed on and will not fall apart. But what I really wanted to say is regardless of the choice of words, there is a gap in between which is so obvious and incontestable. At that time I just wanted to get my shoes fixed so that they would be structurally solid in the long run (see the fifth photo for a comparison with my another pair of loafers). However, feeling his insistence and defensiveness, I left the shop with the unfixed shoes. Maybe I also have a part to play in this experience, perhaps I should be more insistent at the scene.

Please don't get me wrong - I surely have no intention to either disprove the excellent experiences of others, or approve the unsatisfactory experiences of some with the shop. As I said, I just want to share my experience in a way that is as clear and as objective as possible.

Had the experience of these amazing cobblers that saved my foot from rubbing off into infinity. Had a pair of new boots that one was rubbing badly on my ankle. They fixed it.am and was so greatful. Thank you so much. Totally recommend to others! Best service, with a smile. Warren Tucker

Working on the rail nearby and my old leather belt broke, found ‘the cobblers last’, problem solved! Thank you

It's difficult to find any cobblers these days, never mind ones that provide excellent service such that you will experience here. I had a pair of boots re-heeled and a new belt custom made.

Only had a few days in Melbourne, they squeezed my boot repairs in, had them done ahead of time, excellent quality of work, and a brilliant service

I came past here a few times while I visited Australia to get 2 pairs of my Rick Owens fixed and they did a great job!

I can’t not mention their fantastic customer service and communication. That’s what won me over and will definitely put the Cobblers last at the top of my Cobbler list in Melbourne

Amazing place! Service from an era gone by. Great work too. We wish there was a place like this where we live in Spain. Thank you

Got a pair of leather shoes topyed.
Quick turn around.
Great quality and communication.
Will be back.

John and Harrison are amazing. Took my shoes in to get re-glued, and I picked them up fixed AND with a leather nourish on them. Looking brand new again. Thanks folks:)

Repaired and restored a pair of my favourite black RM Williams boots after I got a deep scratch in them. Glued back the leather and filled it in, looked brand new. Great service and a very affordable price. Would highly recommend.

10/10 service and quality. Recently took 3 pairs of shoes to the Cobbers Last and they came back looking brand new. Fantastic service, price and workmanship. Recommend for a reliable and high-quality service. I'll will be returning soon for more shoe repairs.

I'm not sure if I've ever left a review before but I felt the need to this time. I handed over $250 to get a full resole which seemed like a lot but I felt I should get the boots repaired as opposed to adding them to landfill.

Long story short, I had to go back into the shop two times after having them repaired. Once because the upper was coming off the sole (I hadn't even worn the shoes yet). I was ok with this because people miss things, that's life. The second time was when I wore the shoes for the first time after picking them up and there were rusty nails that started to dig into my foot after about an hour on my feet (luckily they were sharp side down).

Unfortunately Jackson didn't apologise on either occasion until I prompted him about the situation and he responded by telling me he thought they'd done a good job and eventually apologised. He seems like a nice guy and I feel quite bad leaving this review but the way things were handled were not good. It really wasn't the experience I would expect for $250.

I've given them two stars as the boots do look good now. Only time will tell how they hold up.

Friendly and thoughtful service! Got two pairs of heels perfectly fixed. So glad that I finally found my trusted local shoes repair. Affordable price too. Highly recommend!

Wouldn't go anywhere else, the guys here are fantastic, and they listened to what I said and fixed my boots, got them back 2 days later, brilliant job, I highly recommend.

My pup chewed threw a zip and into the leather of a new pair of boots. John completed the repairs beautifully. A very good experience, I’ll be getting shoes repaired again now I’ve found someone who can do a great job. Thank you.

The place is at the top end of Lonsdale Street. Kind and initiative John has reasonable prices and does a great job.

Highly recommended.

I had some 25 year old handmade boots resoled by John. They came out looking like new.

He took the stitching from the old sole, put in a new midsole and then attached a Vibram sole.

Can't express in words how good John's work is. The new sole is phenomenal. He's given old boots a second life.