Shoe restoration

[Flyingkamakiri]

Well, right now i am sitting to a box filled to the brim with ladies Standard Heels. All of them were donated by our generous patrons. The problem is some of the heels have been worn down to the metal part of the heel. To raise a little money for the team I am on I was thinking of reselling some of these shoes for a very cheap price to some of the newer members. The shoes are not bad on the outside, they just have bad heels. I was talking to someone who worked ad the Cobblers bench in San Jose about replacing the heels. They said they could do it for about $11 for a pair i think.
My concerns are:

Is it a bad idea to sell used shoes to newcomers?

Is replacing the heels of dance shoes no good? Would it be detrimental to floors?

What about putting a layer of suede over the soles of old shoes? IS that an ok fix for dance shoes?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for repairing or reusing REALLY worn down dance shoes?

 

[TAK]

Is it a bad idea to sell used shoes to newcomers?

I can't imagine anyone would want to buy my used shoes, since they're kind of gross, but if they seem reasonable, sure. I've used some gently-used-by-someone-else shoes in the past myself. Why would it be a bad idea?

Is replacing the heels of dance shoes no good? Would it be detrimental to floors?

No, I have done it a few times, at the advice of my coach. You would still need some kind of heel tap or cover, as on a new pair.

What about putting a layer of suede over the soles of old shoes? IS that an ok fix for dance shoes?

I think it would make them too inflexible. Why would you do that though?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for repairing or reusing REALLY worn down dance shoes?

Personally, I usually get rid of a pair of shoes once I can't superglue it into wearable shape...

 

[hereKittyKitty]

Keep in mind, the following post is from someone who has washed her standard shoes in the washing machine

Worn standard (and latin for that matter) shoes can be resoled, re heeled and reused as well as dyed. What brands do you have?

Supadance and International can be re heeled pretty easy. You pull the old heel tip out with a pair of pliers and then you put a new tip in and hammer it against a hard surface until it is all the way in (carefully so you don't split the heel itself). I would then cover them with suede. This keeps them from wearing down. Gorilla glue is great for keeping the suede on, at least it has been for me. Heel caps wear down too quick and ruin the new heel tip, so suede is best.

If the heel tips are worn down to an uneven surface, then I would definitely replace them because this can cause balance issues.

As far as resoling, if the sole is very worn down (almost with holes), then you can glue a new sole on top. A good rule of thumb is, if you can brush the suede back up with a shoe brush, then have an expert do the re soling. The reason is, they can file or sand down the old sole so that there is a place for the new sole to be placed. But if the sole is already very worn down, then this isn't necessary.
I know Showtime and Dance Dresser sell soles as well as heel tips for supa and international. Beyond these brands, I would say have a shoe shop come up with something, but make sure they know it has to be a non skid heel.

I worked for showtime for a few years, and there were days when we practically "rebuilt" shoes for customers who couldn't part with their old shoes.....it can be done.

 

[Flyingkamakiri]

Thanks for the advice! Most of the shoes are International so perhaps i'll buy the heels and do it myself. But first i think i'll give the store a try with some of the really bad cases.

 

[Joe]

Why don't you just give the shoes to the newer members and let them deal with getting them fixed?

 

[latingal]

If you are going to resell these gently worn shoes, I would do so at a very, very reasonable price. Your patrons might have meant them to be donated to your students, using them to raise funds for your team might raise a few eyebrows perhaps?

 

[Alice.W]

If the heels are falling off, that means someone danced in those shoes for many hours, so I suspect the shoes themselves are not in very good shape. Don't take it too close to heart, but I question your plan to raise money this way. I think people will be more inclined to simply donate money (or buy home made cookies or something) than buying old shoes. My opinion.

 

[NonieS]

I cannot imagine anyone wanting to spend any money at all on my stinky shoes.... i wouldn't even want to ask someone to buy them!! lol unless they've been worn like once, they are officially labeled as "nasty" and not fit for purchase!!

 

[Unju]

I cannot imagine anyone wanting to spend any money at all on my stinky shoes.... i wouldn't even want to ask someone to buy them!! lol unless they've been worn like once, they are officially labeled as "nasty" and not fit for purchase!!

ew nonie, are you telling us you have stinky feet. justtt kiddin.

i sold my pair of rayrose pretty quickly. i've worn it only a couple times but not for a long period of time. they're still fabulous and smell-free, lol!

 

[Lorelei]

The shoe repair shop in Manhattan that I used to go to did a very good job replacing heels multiple times on my Paouls standard dance shoes (they have a slightly wider heel then Supadance). They used some sort of plastic-y material that was much more sturdy then the native heel, and just nailed it to the shoe, and then used that polishing wheel that shoe repair places have to take off the excess plastic. I would then cover heel with suede and the heels would last a really long time.

 

[dlgodud]

There must be shoe repair shops that will do decent jobs for dancing shoes. Just ask around and someone might suggest a place for you.

I've also replaced soles a few times and it worked very well with me.

 

[Bailamosdance]

Well, right now i am sitting to a box filled to the brim with ladies Standard Heels. All of them were donated by our generous patrons. The problem is some of the heels have been worn down to the metal part of the heel. To raise a little money for the team I am on I was thinking of reselling some of these shoes for a very cheap price to some of the newer members. The shoes are not bad on the outside, they just have bad heels. I was talking to someone who worked ad the Cobblers bench in San Jose about replacing the heels. They said they could do it for about $11 for a pair i think.
My concerns are:

Is it a bad idea to sell used shoes to newcomers?

Is replacing the heels of dance shoes no good? Would it be detrimental to floors?

What about putting a layer of suede over the soles of old shoes? IS that an ok fix for dance shoes?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for repairing or reusing REALLY worn down dance shoes?

I think you should give the shoes away and let them fix them if needed. We GAVE you those shoes for just this purpose - so that they could be made available to newbies and poor students. The people who donated them (and for us, who paid $$s to ship them) were under the impression that they are to be GIVEN to the STUDENTS, not used by the organizers to raise money.

Sell OTHER ITEMS to those who can afford it, and keep the gifts in the spirit that they were given.

 

[19DancerBabyLin]

I agree that these donations should not be sold. That totally defeats the purpose of the shoe donations; you might as well solicit monetary donations to begin with. If you were going to charge your members for old shoes, especially newer members who have no idea what good/bad shoes are and how to restore them, I think they'll be better off just buying new shoes completely.

On my team, we can't sell/give shoes away because there isn't enough to go around. I log all shoe donations in and the cost of any restoration work is done using team funds. Even if shoes are new or gently used, I'll still glue suede on the heel tips using team money. Then we outfit them to whoever needs them, be it competitors or poor students. They check them out by semester, and bring it back to us at the end of the term, and we continue fixing and repairing the damages due to wear and tear... (we tell them to love and care for the shoes, or else they'll be responsible for replacement costs if the shoe is damaged beyond normal wear and tear).

Out of funds for the team? Go sell donuts. Or put on a street performance with donation jars sitting out, and you'll even get some publicity for that.

 

[latingal]

Ah so we have heard from the donors now, I thought that might be the case, but did not know what arrangements had been made. So I do believe Fkk that it modifies your issue a bit yes?

 

[Joe]

Uh, isn't that what I already suggested?