Repairing your shoes will give them a fresh look and make them feel better, but it won't do much for their longevity. It's possible that repairing your shoes might shorten their life span by causing premature wear on certain parts of the shoe. Restoring your shoes, however, can bring back years of wear (and then some).

A follow up question is where the best place is to take your handbag to be restored or repaired and what type of costs to expect for handbag reservicing. While most cobblers provide a variety of leather-related services including handbag repairs, the scope of their work will usually be limited.

They can fix small tears or replace parts like soles or laces. Replace the damaged shoe: If the damage is extensive and cannot be repaired, you may need to replace the damaged shoe. Look for a similar or identical pair to match your remaining shoe.

Some shoe repair shops also offer "handbag repair". The rationale for offering handbag repair is that "we know how to sew leather" and there's no difference between repairing shoes and repairing handbags." In addition to "handbag repair", some shoe repair shops will also offer "handbag cleaning".