Resoling welted dress shoes by mail
A Goodyear-welted dress shoe is built to be resoled. The stitched welt lets a cobbler take off the worn sole and stitch on a new one without touching the upper. You can send a pair back to the maker (Allen Edmonds runs the best-known factory programme in the US) or to an independent cobbler. Here's how they compare, using prices the businesses published when we checked on 2 November 2026.
Is your pair a candidate?
The sole is the easy part. The upper and the inside of the shoe usually decide whether a resole makes sense. Allen Edmonds' recrafting FAQ says shoes with cracked or torn leather uppers, cracked insoles or worn-through linings are usually beyond repair, and that it can't repair cuts, deep scrapes, stains or "puppy chews" in the upper (Allen Edmonds Recrafting). That's a useful checklist for any brand. If the leather is sound and the shoes still fit, a resole is usually worth pricing. See also is it worth resoling?
Don't wait until you've worn through the sole into the cork and insole. A worn heel or a thin spot at the ball of the foot is the cheap moment to act.
Option 1: Allen Edmonds Recrafting (AE shoes only)
- Two full packages: $150 (new heels including the heel bases, outsoles, leather welts and cork, refinished and hand-polished uppers, new laces) or $175 (all that plus cedar shoe trees, a flannel shoe bag and a tube of polish). Smaller heel-only and refinish-only services are also listed. A different sole can be chosen only as an upgrade to a recrafting package.
- Turnaround: "about 4–6 weeks" from when they receive the shoes.
- How many times: "about 2 or 3 times maximum", depending on how the uppers and linings have held up.
- Only AE shoes, and not every AE model. AE suggests contacting its recrafting team (1-877-495-5564) or taking its online survey if you're unsure.
- Earlier cobbler work can rule it out. AE says some cobblers resole its shoes by stitching or nailing through the insoles, which stops it taking the shoes apart again.
- Built-in insoles stay. Most AE shoes have built-in insoles, which AE doesn't replace. It says this preserves the imprint of your feet.
- Shipping: AE asks you to remove anything you want back, such as laces, orthotics and shoe trees, because it can't return them. Shoes it can't recraft are returned free. Return shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada is $20 a pair. Dropping a pair at an AE store for recrafting earns $75 off a new full-priced pair.
Option 2: an independent mail-in cobbler
An independent cobbler will work on any brand, including AE, Alden, Crockett & Jones, Florsheim and unbranded welted shoes. The range of soles is often wider too: oak-bark-tanned leathers, closed-channel stitching, rubber or "combination" heels, toe plates and so on. Published prices from directory shops:
| Shop | Example published prices (per pair) | Turnaround stated |
|---|---|---|
| NuShoe (San Diego, CA) | Executive NuCraft $95 (full leather soles, leather heel base, refinish). Chairman NuCraft $125 (adds a 360° welt as needed, heel liners and other repairs, cedar trees). Its AE page gives a $95–125 range. | 3–4 weeks including round-trip shipping |
| Wyatt & Dad (Winston-Salem, NC) | Standard leather full soles and heels: $185 in house leather keeping the original welts, $285 with new welts. Gerberei Martin or JR leather upgrades from $230 and $270. Artisan "(RE)CRAFT" packages from $365. | Lead time posted on homepage (12 weeks when we last checked) |
| Aram The Cobbler (Springfield, VA) | G.M. oak-bark leather sole and heels $230. Closed-channel hand-stitched soles $375. Welt replacement $100. | Not stated on the price pages |
| McFarland Shoe Repair (Lakeland, FL) | JR Leather Total Package from $350 | Quote within about 48 hours of the request form |
| B. Nelson Shoes (New York, NY) | Packages on its order page. Describes a 19+ step factory method on wooden lasts, with cork footbeds stripped and replaced and welts and heel bases replaced when needed. | "Allow 10 to 14 days for return delivery" |
Sources: NuShoe Allen Edmonds, Wyatt & Dad standard leather soles and Oak Barrel (RE)CRAFT, Aram leather sole & heel repair and hand-stitched soles, McFarland homepage, B. Nelson. Checked 2 November 2026. Packages differ in what's included, so compare line by line. Aram adds a shipping fee on orders under $100.
How to choose
- AE shoes never resoled before, and you want them back to factory spec: AE Recrafting is the straightforward choice. Keep in mind the 4–6 week wait and the 2–3 recraft limit.
- Any other brand, or AE shoes already resoled elsewhere: use an independent cobbler. AE may not be able to take them.
- You want a specific leather or construction (JR or oak-bark soles, closed channel, rubber heels, toe plates): choose a cobbler that lists it by name, and confirm it on the order.
- You want the welt kept rather than replaced: ask. Wyatt & Dad, for example, prices "original" and "new welts" separately. Replacing a welt costs more and isn't always needed.
- Fit matters a lot to you: ask how the shop supports the shoe during the work. B. Nelson, for example, says it uses wooden lasts rather than metal jacks.
Our questions to ask a cobbler covers turnaround, insurance and what happens if a shoe turns out to need more work. For work boots, see factory recrafting vs. a cobbler for work boots.
Before you ship
- Photograph the soles, heels and uppers, including any existing damage.
- Take out trees, orthotics and anything else you want back, unless the shop says otherwise.
- Put the order form or a note with your name, phone number and the repair you want inside the box, and use a tracked service. More detail: how mail-in resoling works.