Should they stay or should they go? Your boots may have seen better days, but before you give up on your favourite pair of footwear, take those Fluevogs to one of the city's many repair shops.

Quick Cobbler at 430 West 2nd Avenue (www.quickcobbler.com/) repairs mules, ice skates–you name it, even snowshoes. And if your dog chewed a hole in your best leather Oxfords, have faith in miracles.

Owner Ronald Nijdam has been giving shoes a second (or third or fourth) life in Vancouver for more than 20 years. He grew up with shoes at his grandfather's repair shop in Holland. "In the end, shoe repair was more fun than anything else," he says.

The shop does resoling, stretching, patching, and orthopedic work. In the back, boxes of Chaco straps and Birkenstock soles lie at the ready. As long as it fits on your foot, he says, they'll fix it.

Business has been steady since he moved his store from the West End two years ago. Shoes, ready to return to their owners, are arranged neatly by phone number behind the counter of the bright, spacious shop. Nijdam's grandfather's and his father's shoe-repair diplomas hang on the wall.

The average pair of shoes costs from $25 to $35 to repair, taking anywhere from three minutes to three days. Nijdam's never met a shoe he couldn't fix–but he says if the pair of shoes cost less than $25, it may not be worth it.

"Unless you really like it, I would say it's time to buy new shoes," Nijdam advises. But a good pair, he says, can last 20 years, and they're well worth the investment.

Up at 3308 Dunbar Street, Gold Star Shoe Rebuilders (www.goldstarshoerebuilders.com/) will take in your tired and worn and give them new soles. Francesco Paolini has operated in this same shop since 1980.

Rock climbing and hiking shoes are his specialty, but he says at this time of year people are getting their street shoes in winter shape. Protective soles and waterproofing are a good idea, he recommends, especially if the shoes have leather bottoms: "It's [the shoe] like a piece of skin." The leather needs to be kept pliable and supple, he adds.

In Kitsilano, David Leung runs a busy business repairing, as he puts it, "anything". He focuses on leather repairs, but also refinishes belts, purses, and suitcases. He ran David's Shoe and Leather Repair in the 2700-block of West 4th Avenue for 32 years, but just moved to new digs a year and a half ago at 2169 West 4th Avenue.

To keep shoes in their best shape, Nijdam says, "It's not rocket science." If you're putting away your summer shoes, he suggests shoe trees to keep the shape and straighten out wrinkles.

His best advice: regular cleaning and polishing go a long way, and make waterproofing unnecessary. But then again, perhaps throwing out the old ones is a perfectly good excuse to buy a new pair.

Links: Quick Cobbler
Gold Star Shoe Rebuilders
David's Shoe and Leather Repairs profile page