About
cobblers at byron
Cobblers at Byron began it's life as Cobblers of Prahran, in Greville Street Prahran, Melbourne. It was the 70's and 80's when small bespoke shoemakers were still around.
Arthur began handcrafting shoes in 1982 after finding "The Do-it-Yourself Shoemaking Book" in a library in Tasmania and before long was making shoes from beginning to end with just a small bag of tools. He created his own patterns and used people's feet as the last - full grain leathers, full leather midsoles, all hand made and stitched together. The sole was then glued on and trimmed up using a special tool. These shoes were always unique and long lasting.
In 1987 Arthur visited Cobblers of Prahran to learn how to use sewing machines and the old clicker press and returned home to Central Tilba after purchasing the business, with all it's patterns and small scale machinery and the prior owner Max who spent months teaching us both to make shoes, boots, sandals and belts.
So Cobblers of Central Tilba was born in 1988. and fitted well into Central Tilba's identity as a working village with cheese making, woodworking, saddlery, leadlighting, jewellery, pottery and even mask making.
As our family grew, so did our business, and in 1995 we ventured up to Byron Bay and created Cobblers at Byron. We opened a small shop in Feros Arcade near the centre of the tourist mecca and business flourished. Our shop initially sold only Australian and New Zealand products, incorporating the amazing footwear from The Last Footwear Company of Christchurch.
Last year we moved premises into a larger revamped premises, now 30 years on in Feros Arcade.. Our footwear ranges have evolved over time with some brands going and others coming, reflecting the ever changing needs of our customers and availability of quality product,
We now stock an enormous range of primarily European quality footwear from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Israel, France, Turkey ...
Trade since 2020 Covid years has been very varied as we ride the wave of increased cost of products, freight charges, interruptions to deliveries and the loss of some of our beloved brands. Arthur and I do however commit to continue to provide our customers with an awesome range of quality leather footwear, most of which is leading in sustainable practices.
We look forward to you visiting our shop in the heart of Byron Bay, NSW, Australia.
March 24