Too good to be true

You already know I have a lot of trouble finding shoes that fit. It’s not so much the size that’s the issue; it’s the fact that I get blisters just by looking at my feet too hard. Most shoes, even if they are the right size (length and width of the sole) for me, simply rub my skin raw. I had looked all over the internet to try to find a specialized store in Montreal to deal with this. I had written down the address of a shoemaker in the hopes I’d get to try that avenue eventually, if I could stomach the prices. It’s David Rogers, at 1397 Laurier East. Since we were in the area recently, we decided to pop in and inquire about his services.

The cobbler told us that he does indeed make shoes to fit his customers, that all I had to do was bring him a picture of what I wanted, and that he could reproduce any shoe. He gave us an idea of the price range and showed us the type of leather he uses – it’s very soft, so it seemed promising as something that wouldn’t give me too many blisters. He specifically asked what the problem was, and seemed to totally know what I was talking about when I explained about the blisters. So I went home and looked around online for pictures of round-toed kitten-heeled shoes, ideally with a cute bow or detail – to my surprise, out of my three finalists, two were Christian Louboutin shoes, and the cobbler’s price was a steal compared to retail value! The Engineer decided to pay for the shoes as an anniversary present to me, so we went by again today to place the order for the shoes I was already calling my red Sex and the City shoes.

Then it happened: the cobbler said that it was impossible for him to make that shoe. First of all, he does not have the sole-heel part needed for kitten heels. Second, he can’t shape the leather to fit my feet; it’s a standard shape. He said that if I had a pair of kitten heels that fit me perfectly, I could give them to him so that he could recycle the sole into the new pair of shoes, but that the shape of the “body” of the shoe itself was still standard and therefore could give me blisters like any other pair. You know what? If I could actually find a pair of heels that fit me perfectly, a) there’s no way I’d sacrifice them to be taken apart by anyone, and b) I wouldn’t need his services if I could find shoes like that! I inquired about ballet flats instead, since there’s no heel there, but he referred me to another store, on St-Denis, a few streets off (north of?) Sherbrooke; there’s a dance studio where a master cobbler makes ballerina shoes in the back. Shoes for ballerinas, actually, not exactly the street ballerinas I had in mind.

So that’s how I’m now mourning for my red Sex and the City shoes that never saw the light of day. I still don’t have any good addresses or recommendations for you, though I’m open to hearing yours. I’d even consider buying a pair of Louboutins if they fit me! As for an anniversary present, I think I’ll get a juicer instead. I’m still hesitating mainly between a Breville compact and a Hurom. I don’t want it to be too expensive or bulky, but I think I’d prefer a masticating juicer to a centrifugal one, and it has to be solid. I still have some comparison shopping to do, then I’ll see if maybe there’s one on eBay. Email me if you have recommendations!