Club Obi Wan

Has anyone dealt with John Helmer Haberdasher Inc? I found their website by accident and am excited that there might be a place for me to go and try on a pair of Aldens before making the plunge. I know that the price is higher than the Alden Shop, but I can still find out if they fit and then order the right size.

They also carry quite the range of lids, but not sure as to the quality of them. I'm not big on the lid scene just yet.

If there is anyone who's been to their store, let us know what's there.

Mike

Looks like a nice shop. Maybe some one close should go check it out and send back a scouting report.

After you add on shipping, it might end up being cheaper to buy them from the shop instead of ordering them.

floatinjoe wrote:Has anyone dealt with John Helmer Haberdasher Inc? I found their website by accident and am excited that there might be a place for me to go and try on a pair of Aldens before making the plunge. I know that the price is higher than the Alden Shop, but I can still find out if they fit and then order the right size.

They also carry quite the range of lids, but not sure as to the quality of them. I'm not big on the lid scene just yet.

If there is anyone who's been to their store, let us know what's there.

Mike

do a recce mate. see whats up.

do a recce mate. see whats up.

what's a "recce"?

Military term for "Reconnaissance" - Check the target out prior to engaging. Surveil sneakily or generally have a butchers hook (Look)

It looks like I may be going over there this friday iv been meaning to take a look at it.

It looks like I may be going over there this friday iv been meaning to take a look at it.

Let us know.

Also indyguy, I think your avitar is too big. you might want to check the regs.

They cost 20 dollars more than aldens from San Francisco and well... i can't find any shipping option for over USA

Yeah it is too big I need to change it I just haven't gotten around too it.

I went to the shop today very nice store and nice people the only hat they have that somewhat looks indy like is the stetson temple they do however carry the alden 405s prices are quite decent too I got a very nice dobbs fedora from them.

Well, I made the trip down there from Seattle on Saturday. Rather nice shop with some old time items.

As for the Aldens. Aldens are the only shoe they carry. They had two pairs of 405s in stock: Sizes 9C and 9.5C (The 9.5C was a nice brown, while the 9C was a newer lighter color.)

They are supposed to be ordering a pair for me today and calling me with an estimated delivery date. I'll let everyone know what's going on.

Mike

Well, I picked up my boots yesterday. The Haberdasher ordered them on Oct 3, and got them on Oct 25. Looks like a three week wait. These are by far the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. The color is brown with a hint of red. Nothing like the pumpkin or basketball shoes of the past. I gave them a coat of Pecards and they have darkened up a bit. I am quite happy with them, and I'm even happy with the color. I will post pics when I get a chance.

Mike

Glad to hear about the boots, they're the next item on my "to get" list. So do you think going to the store was worth it? Since they didn't have your shoe in-store do you think it would have been comprable to get your foot measured at a place like Nordstrom's and then order the shoe? Just trying to figure out how I'm going to acquire mine.

I would visit the store in person. Since the are going to order the shoes, it would be their mistake and not yours if they came in and they were the wrong size.

Pyr.

I figured this is relevent, Im looking for a store in Southern California that sells the 405 Indy boots.has anyone one who lives here in california been to a store that carries this boot?
Best Regards,
- Joe

Indiana Williams wrote:I figured this is relevent, Im looking for a store in Southern California that sells the 405 Indy boots.has anyone one who lives here in california been to a store that carries this boot?
Best Regards,
- Joe

Joe, think of Europeans leaving FAR from Alden 405 sellers!! At leas you're in the same country and in the same state!!!!

I have no problem ordering most clothes on line or via telephone/mail order. However, when it comes to shoes, I know how easy it is to get the wrong size. I'll be honest, my original intention was to go down and get the fitted and then order them from the Alden Store in Washington, DC. Then it became a matter of conveinence. I didn't want to deal with shipping them back and forth if they were the wrong size. I had expressed my concern about getting the right size with the salesman, and he said if they didn't fit, they'd send them back and get me a different size. No cost to me, so I went with this process.

In all, I paid $295 for them. Oregon doesn't have a state sales tax, so that was nice. However, I made the 350-mile roundtrip trek twice. I really don't want to think about the cost of all the gas. I could have gotten them cheaper via The Alden Shop or The Alden Store, but I wanted the piece of mind of a properly fitting shoe. It's not every day that I fork out $300 for shoes; I wanted it to be right.

Mike

Good call, floatingjoe. I went out of my way to get to the DC store, even though their hours usually don't jive with my work schedule. Yes, Don'tCallMeJunior, it's VERY worth getting your feet measured for a pair of Aldens. Even though I knew what size Aldens I wear (from a previous measuring) I had them measure my feet again for the black Alden boots I just ordered this week. Since they are a bit of money, you want to be certain to get the right fit. What's more, the way these shoes are designed, if you get a pair that it ill fitting, they could actually harm your feet. They are, after all, an orthopedic boot.

What I would recommend is to open up the phone book, look up a good orthopedic shoe store, and have THEM measure your feet. Tell them you need to be measured for the Alden boot. Chances are, they may be able to order the boot for you. In that case, you can make sure they fit before leaving the store with them. And if they don't fit, they should reorder you a pair at no cost to you.

bink

Indiana Williams wrote:I figured this is relevent, Im looking for a store in Southern California that sells the 405 Indy boots.has anyone one who lives here in california been to a store that carries this boot?
Best Regards,
- Joe

Sorry, Joe, I'm here too, and I haven't had any luck. Best option I came up w/ was heading up to San Fran to go to the store up there.

J

Indiana Jerry wrote:Sorry, Joe, I'm here too, and I haven't had any luck. Best option I came up w/ was heading up to San Fran to go to the store up there.

J

Jerry,
where in California do you live? I wish I could head up to san fran but thats a pretty far trip.I cant believe I didnt notice this but there is a number of stores that carry Aldens in cali besides the san fran store.here is a list of stores.Im going to try some of these stores and see if I could get my feet measured but I wont even be able to order them until chritmas.
Best Regards,
Joe

Indiana Williams wrote:

Indiana Jerry wrote:Sorry, Joe, I'm here too, and I haven't had any luck. Best option I came up w/ was heading up to San Fran to go to the store up there.

I cant believe I didnt notice this but there is a number of stores that carry Aldens in cali besides the san fran store.here is a list of stores.

Son of a gun...good job, Joe, GOOD JOB. I finally decided against them - for now - based on the price, since I was concentrating on saving money the last time I needed boots, and went w/ Red Wings since those stores are ALL OVER THE PLACE here. I'm in the South Bay, just south of LA.

I see LA proper, Beverly Hills, and Pasadena apparently have a cluster of stores...hmm...okay, now at least I know I can GET there on a day trip if/when I ever decide to upgrade! Thanks for the info, I'm bookmarking that.

J

binkmeisterRick wrote: What I would recommend is to open up the phone book, look up a good orthopedic shoe store, and have THEM measure your feet. Tell them you need to be measured for the Alden boot. Chances are, they may be able to order the boot for you. In that case, you can make sure they fit before leaving the store with them. And if they don't fit, they should reorder you a pair at no cost to you.

bink

Thanks for the idea, I think there is a store that sells orthopedic shoes near me. I just didn't want to have to drive down to Portland to have my foot measured if it was something I could do locally.

Exactly. And it's worth asking if they can order Aldens, too. What's more, the orthopedic store I ordered my first pair from recognized that the fit was important for Aldens and knew how to measure for them. And just so you know how important that is for Aldens, my 405's are a 9D, but when I orderd my black cap toe Aldens (which may be in today!) I was told that model runs a tad narrower than the 405, so they ordered me a 9E. Good luck!

bink