Piccadilly Cobbler

I’ve recently adopted a goal of working to live with more simplicity in my life. While such a concept takes many forms, the most perceptible lies with my decision to cut down on the amount of ‘stuff’ that I have lying around the house. There was a time where I would treat shoes and clothing like disposable goods, and any time a heel or sole was damaged, it was off to a department store to waste more of my hard earned money. I decided in August that I would limit my shoe collection to two pairs of really well made brown and black dress shoes, a pair of sneakers, and a pair of outdoor shoes. There’s not much in the world of fashion I like better than a solid pair of tan brogues, and I usually ignore the conventional wisdom and wear my Florsheim’s virtually every day. As you can imagine, such daily wear and tear has taken its toll quickly since August, with hundreds of miles on the odometer already. The bricks of New Street and the cobblestones of Rome are not kind to shoes. With a hole forming in one sole and bits of heels coming off, I needed to find a cobbler who could make the shoes look as good as they did the day they came out of the box.
Enter Piccadilly Cobbler, centrally located in the Piccadilly Arcade across Stephenson Street from New Street Station. Despite using their services in October for a quick waterproofing and shine, I was somewhat hesitant to take the plunge on a full sole and heel replacement. Back home, I’ve experienced horror stories with shoddy craftsmanship and poor replacement materials. I took my shoes in on a Tuesday and asked for a consultation on work needed and a quote. I was promised replacement of the soles and heels on both shoes with a quoted price of £22.50. The work only took one day to complete, and the shoes now look great. I have no qualms on the pricing or their cobbling skills. I am only giving four stars though because I am not as impressed with the quality of the replacement materials, going from an original leather sole to a cheaper (but still quality) rubber sole. I recommend them none the less, but be careful if this is an issue for you.

Great service, good pricing, and reasonable lead times too. This quiet little cobblers tucked away in the Piccadilly Arcade is worth a visit. I wouldn’t trust the reheeling of my lovely shoes to anyone else now.

What a great little place! I’ve been here numerous times to get shoes re-​heeled or just completely done over. They’ve always done a fantastic job and managed to fix the heel on my boots perfectly after they broke. The service is really quick and I’ve always been offered same day pickup. The prices are reasonable as well for a cobbler with such a central location in Picadilly Circus; it’s was £4−6 when I last went but the price does depend on what is required. I had my stilettos re-​heeled in May and I wear them almost every day for work and they are still going strong. While I may have moved offices so I’m now further away, I will still go here in the future.

I probably have to blame my parents for my need to find a personal cobbler wherever I live. I rate having a go-​to guy (or gal) above getting a GP or knowing where’s good for breakfast. No matter what happened to a shoe, bag or belt when I was a child, the answer was always Willie Connors. He was our shoemaker and possessed magical powers, it seemed. There was nothing he couldn’t fix! Since then, I’ve had a few of my own lifesavers and think I’ve found my Birmingham saviour.
I have a pair of sandals that I’ve gotten repaired over and over because they’re super comfy and I just don’t want to give them up. I was leaving work one day recently and the strap on one side snapped. I hobbled home and started investigating where to go. Unilocal pointed me here and it’s very close to me too so reckoned I’d give it a shot.
Opening hours are good-7.30 to 6 on weekdays and 10.30 to 5 on Saturdays. I went on a rainy Saturday morning and he said he’d have the job done in 20 minutes. He was friendly and chatty while multitasking and doing a lovely job on somebody’s heels. I returned to my perfectly mended sandal… and he didn’t charge me! He asked me to put a donation in his lifeboats box instead because it had been a small job for him. I was stunned. I don’t suspect you’ll be going in there and getting stuff for free, but this guy is honest and genuine.
Quick, friendly, high quality, super honest and all-​round decent guy? Sold. Go now! Get those shoes reheeled! Get that bag mended! Show some cobbler love!

I’ve been pulling my hair out (not literally) trying to find a non-​T****** cobbler in Birmingham. Not because I really have anything against the place, it’s just that I much prefer an independent cobbler, like the Picadilly Cobbler.
So I’ve had my shoes re-​heeled here many a time and not only is it super quick, but it’s brilliant value, too. it’s completely worth giving your shoes a new lease of life– you don’t need to keep on buying new ones.
And if you want confirmation of the quality, let’s put it this way– when I went there last there was a row of shiny dance shoes on the counter, as they were tending to gthe shoes for Strictly Come Dancing, which was being held in Birmingham at the time.
Send your shoes to a quality cobbler, where fabulous shoes go, too.

Great value cobblers in the city centre. I always go to Piccadilly Cobblers as the service is quick and the quality of work is very good. They can often work on your shoes while you wait.
I’ve just had a pair of boots given a new lease of life having been re-​soled. £12.50 for new soles that will last me through the winter. I’ve saved at least £60 as I was going to buy new ones. Whoop!

My beautiful, Jimmy Choo heels were rescued and restored to perfection after visiting Cobblers and for that reason and that reason only, I salute them. They are by far my favourite shoe repair specialists in Birmingham… I love them.
You just don’t understand… I’d bought a pair of Jimmy Choo heels (my first pair) over a year ago. I’d only wore them about 10 times in that year (yes seriously) and one night after partying in London, I got the heel stuck in a drain walking back to our hotel and broke the heel.
I was gutted for ages and couldn’t bring myself to look at the damage to the heel the next day. I instantly thought that I’d never get them repaired and it was all over for my shoes. Until a friend, who’s grown up in Birmingham advised me to visit this store in the Piccadilly Arcade. When I first heard the name, I was a little optimistic; don’t ask me why but I did think…‘Oh my gosh, they’re not going to know what to do with my shoes’…lol!
How wrong could I have been! They actually managed to restore the heel and put it back in place. There’s still a little damage to the heel, but that’s because of the scratches I got on them on that night. However, you can’t really see all of that unless you look up close and who’s going to really do that. As long as the heels are not broken that’s all that matters.
Overall, ladies if you want to fix those designer heels which you thought you might have to get rid off; I’d advise you to visit this place and see if they can be brought back to life like my shoes.

The word cobbler evokes a Dickens-​esque scene from the 19^th century for me. I have a soft spot for these old trades that still inhabit obscure spots around the city — I admire the artisan and I admire that in an age of excessive consumption and mass manufacturing there’s still enough demand for an ol’ cobbler.
My favourite brown oxfords had worn down to the point I was worried that they might wear through to the sole of my foot. So on a quest to find a suitable place to perform the repair on my beloved shoes, I was pointed in the direction of the Piccadilly Cobbler. I fantasised that I might have been greeted with some cockney rhyming slang and a nod of a flat cap, unfortunately my fantasy was not realised, but nonetheless he swiftly returned my shoes to their former glory as I wandered around town.
Some things just can’t be replaced sentimentally, aesthetically and economically so in the instance of waning soles here you have a cobbler. Good day.

I had a busy day of meetings, and whilst sat in the first one of the day I found myself picking at the elastic section at the top of one of my boots. I was fascinated by how loose it felt, and then I realised why — the stitching had come away completely on one side and I could poke my finger all the way through. I struggled to concentrate through the rest of the meeting, and then tried to rack my brain as to what I could do about this before heading off to my next meeting. No money to buy new shoes — and besides, I love my boots! Couldn’t picture where a Timpsons was in Birmingham (I’m sure there are plenty, but my mind drew a blank) and then my colleague said, «What about Piccadilly Arcade? I’m sure there’s one in there?»
So off we went to search out the mysterious cobbler — a service you probably rarely need, and pass on a daily basis without giving it much though! The shop is teenytiny — enough room for the machines required to stitch and polish and cobble and not a lot else. I sheepishly handed over my sorry-​looking boot, and stood there with one sock foot hoping he could help. A couple of quid and about 5 minutes later, my boot had been glued, restitched, and painted over where the stitches were — AND GOOD AS NEW! Hooray Piccadilly Cobbler — you rescued me!