Alden Cordovan Loafers

Posted on July 13, 2014

Planned Obsolescence.  The manufacturer’s credo.  Just about the time a pair of shoes begin to feel perfect, they fall apart.  Without need, there is no demand.  The decision-making process to buy  will not exist.

A sales position beckoned after an injury forced me to take a break from rigorous tradesman labors.  The product formerly installed would now, through new skills taught by Sales Training Managers, be sold (by me) for others to install.  I breezed through instruction, and two weeks later hit the pavement running.  And running.  And running.  Until my dress shoes fell apart.  The old adage, “Wanna be a success, start your day with a decent breakfast and a good shine on your shoes” was not quite working, with the upper detached from the sole.  The other salesmen started calling me Flappy.

Decades of living finally produced one new thought.  Shoes start to fall apart just when they begin to feel really comfortable.  So began the decision-making process with me.  I was to become a buyer of  premium-quality shoes.  The salesmen saw me coming!

I choose Alden of New England, shoes made since 1884 in Massachusetts.  They are recraftable,  a construction that is designed to allow rebuilding. Which I’ve done once so far;  the shoes came back looking, literally, brand new.  Most importantly, Alden is an American company that stands behind their work.  When a bit of stitching came loose, I posted the shoes back to Alden with a note, and they came back repaired and shined up, no charge.

You get what you pay for.  Premium shoes feel better on your feet, and, with care, will last for decades.  Run the numbers and you’ll see, it is less expensive to buy quality.

Alden is now the only original New England shoe and bootmaker remaining of the hundreds who began so long ago. Still a family owned business, still carrying forward a tradition of quality genuine-welted shoemaking that is exceptional in every way.