It’s kind of cruel that a beautiful pair of handmade leather shoes gets its lot in life. Taking the brunt of day-to-day wear is going to wear down any pair—especially if you live in a walking city such as New York. No matter what kind of shoes they are, you will need to either replace or repair them after some time. The question is whether or not your shoes are worth the trip to the cobbler.

If the damage is to hardware—such as a buckle or a decorative bit—then a repair would be a simple and cheap fix no matter what the quality of the shoe is. However if the damage is more substantial, like a worn down sole or a busted heel, the repair is going to be more expensive. You may be tempted to go by price in this case. After all, if the shoes didn’t cost much, why wouldn’t you move on and buy a new pair? But if you’ve invested in a quality pair of Italian leather shoes, it’s definitely worth throwing a few bucks for the fix up.

There’s a general rule of thumb cobblers tell their clients when it comes to whether or not a pair of shoes need repair. If the upper (meaning anything that’s not the sole) is dry or if the leather is showing signs of cracking, it’s not worth the cost of repair. Cheap, processed leather like the kind they use on bargain shoes is very likely to crack. Quality leather with a substantial feel and a natural grain won’t do the same to you.  As long as that upper looks good, the bottom is worth repairing. You can keep those uppers looking beautiful longer with these tips for everyday shoe care.

Shoe repair normally costs somewhere around $20-30, depending on your location and the extent of the repair, and can extend the life of your shoes up to 3 years. If you’ve invested around $350 in your shoes, it’s easy to see why repair makes economic sense. But you should also take into account how you feel about the shoes. When you have a classic pair of shoes that accommodate various ensembles season to season, why go through the process of finding another pair that you probably won’t love as much?

Plus with the money you save, you can go ahead and find a new kind of style to try out. Need help with that? We have a great selection of Italian leather shoes for you to add to you collection. Find them all here.