[Lakeboater]

Originally Posted by shecooks

I have had a pair of Frye boots for over 30 years and love them, but they needed to be stretched. My husband, who had lost his job, drove almost an hour to go to LaBelles and have them stretched as much as they could be. I wear them with various socks and I have arthritis in one toe making some shoes uncomfortable. The man refused to stretch them when he got there saying he would do it if my husband went back and brought me in. He said the soles MIGHT crack and have to be replaced. My husband explained how far away we lived and that that was not possible, and that WE would assume all responsibility, and that IF and when the soles needed repair or replacing, we would cross that bridge when we came to it. The man still refused unless I was there. The boots could only be stretched a finite amount which we knew, and that was fine with us and would have given me the room to comfortably wear them again with socks and my dodgy toe, but this owner stubbornly refused. My husband took the boots and drove the hour back home. We decided then to DIY stretch them at home, which we did. NO damage to soles!
We would never, ever patronize this shop. The NEW owner is a pig-headed scrooge, unwilling to have a little common sense and he obviously doesn't care about losing customers. WE WOULD NEVER GO TO THIS SHOP AGAIN. There are shoe repair shops in Portsmouth and Dover, and we would go there if need be.

Hmmm...just joined and first post is to bash a local business that others seem very happy with. More to the story maybe?