How BedStu Unbroke My Heart & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #689
Tuesday was our 14th wedding anniversary. Life has been so crazy hectic lately that the day passed us by without much pomp and circumstance. In fact, I think Jeff and I saw each other for a total of an hour during the whole day. We did have a few minutes early in the morning to exchange gifts. Sadly, I dropped the ball completely and Jeff ended up purchasing his own anniversary gift. I guess it makes up for all the Christmas gifts that I have purchased for myself over the years!
But this post is not about my anniversary at all. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize it since it deserves recognition.
This post is about how BedStu unbroke my heart.
BedStu is a footwear brand that produces beautiful leather goods while ensuring that their processes are eco-friendly and sustainable. The company was founded in Mexico in 1995 offering leather footwear for men. As the company was quickly selling out of the smaller men’s shoe sizes, they realized that it was women who were purchasing these sizes. So in 1997, they introduced a women’s wingtip Oxford shoe to their line. 2002 saw the introduction of BedStu’s signature distressed finish on their rugged leather footwear and it was right around this time that I discovered the brand.
My very first pair of BedStu boots were gorgeous gray suede knee high lace up combat boots that had a wingtip detail. I freaking loved those boots so much. I loved them so much that I stupidly purchased them a half size smaller than my feet because that was the only size available. I wore them occasionally over the years and they were comfortable enough as long as I only wore stockings instead of socks. But then I had kids and my feet widened making the boots unwearable. I was heartbroken at the time but there was nothing I could really do about it. So I sold those beauties on Poshmark years ago to a lovely woman who adored them as much as I did! If I recall correctly, the average price of BedStu boots around that time was in the $200-300 range, which is pricey now and even pricier 20 years ago. I was able to get $150 for the gray combat boots on resale which was nice but still my heart was broken. I would share photos of the boots but I deleted my Poshmark account a while back and that was the only pictures I had of them.
Shortly after purchasing my beloved gray combat boots, my BedStu obsession began and I purchased these tan suede combat boots, these jute ankle boots, and my favorite of all of them, the ones featured in this post, my dark brown distressed riding boots. I also have a black leather belt and messenger bag from BedStu, both of which are total workhorses in my wardrobe.
So now you might be wondering how BedStu unbroke my heart and how my heart got broken in the first place.
I wear these boots constantly. They are my favorite all season boots and they work with everything in my wardrobe. They are 20 years broken-in and super comfortable because of it. I can walk long distances unphased wearing them and I often receive compliments on them as well. For all of those reasons, I always take these boots with me when I travel.
As usual, I took the boots to North Carolina for our fall road trip and they served me well as they always do. Until they broke on the return trip home, thereby breaking my heart in the process.
Below you can see how I styled my favorite BedStu boots for our 13th anniversary last year as well as some close up photos of the boots and the tear along the seam of the left boot.
When I noticed the tear, it took everything I had to keep myself from crying. But I cannot allow physical possessions and the loss of them to have any kind of control over my emotions. So I got myself together, accepted that the boots were dead, and started shopping BedStu for a replacement pair.
As I scanned through all of the gorgeous boots in BedStu’s current collections, I loved every design but found myself comparing each style to my old favorite boots. And every new style failed in comparison.
Then I remembered years ago that my sister had a 20 year old Coach bag repaired by that company and thought perhaps BedStu offered a similar repair service. I found a page on their website for a Repair Program but the page is under construction so there is no information available. So I decided to email customer service and inquire.
And their very quick response that they could, in fact, repair my 20 year old boots, slowly began to unbreak my broken heart.
The process was super easy and the service representatives were incredibly kind. Because these are 20 year old boots, it was a costly repair service, but well worth the money spent to have my favorite boots for another 20 years.
After our initial emails were exchanged, I had a telephone conversation with a service representative to discuss my options and get a repair quote. The quote was $175 which made me hesitate for a few days while I slept on it and shopped around the BedStu website for a new pair which would cost about $200 with the current holiday sales that were happening at the time. So I was torn between spending $200 for a brand new pair of boots or $175 to repair really old ones. The old ones clearly won because they are just too spectacular to toss in a landfill. And it wouldn’t be very sustainable or eco-friendly of me to not repair them.
So I paid the $175 and the BedStu repair team kept me informed of every step of the process, which took about 6 weeks, from acknowledging receipt of my boots to consulting me about resoling because they no longer had the original soles available to tracking the return shipment and following up with me to make sure I was satisfied with the end result.
I have to say…I. Am. Satisfied.
But I wasn’t at first. I really loved the old flatter sole over the new chunky lug sole. Although I do like lug sole boots, I guess I was just used to the old soles. When the boots arrived, the leather was very stiff and I almost couldn’t get my foot into the left boot. I actually started to panic a little. I was wearing extra thick socks so I changed to ones that were a little thinner, got my foot in, and wore them around the house for about 2 hours. And 2 hours was all it really took to perfectly break them back in.
After two decades, I no longer had the box but my repaired boots were returned to me in a new box and I absolutely loved that the inside of the boots is stamped with “Bed|Stu Rescued”. They not only rescued my favorite boots but they unbroke my heart in the process.
Below you can compare the original boots on the left to the repaired boots on the right.
I still like the original ones better but I am nonetheless thrilled with my rescued boots and can’t wait to rely on them heavily during my upcoming North Carolina road trip in a few weeks.
The weather here has been most uncooperative for taking photos. First we got buried in 3 feet of snow and now it has just been raining and raining and raining. I attempted some indoor photos to showcase my rescued boots but that was a giant failure as you can see below! That orange paisley muumuu thing was a thrift store find that was intended for a rag curtain but I thought it was too crazy and fun to chop up. After attempting to style the giant unflattering sack, I think I will be cutting it up soon!
Our throw-away culture never really emphasized the importance of repairing old things. Instead, it has just been assumed that when something breaks, you throw it out and buy a new one. The older I get, the more I realize how very flawed that mentality is. These days I find myself repairing, repurposing, recycling, and reusing anything and everything that can be repaired, repurposed, recycled, or reused. Sometimes it may cost a bit more money, but you pay for what you get and as my very wise sister always says, “Buy cheap, buy twice.” Don’t sacrifice quality just to have more quantity because the overabundant quantities of disposable things in our society is simply too much.
Are you a fixer or a throw-awayer?
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
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shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
26 Comments
Amy Johnson
I have never heard of this brand before, but that doesn’t mean anything as I’ve never been into brands. But wow. I can’t believe they repaired your old boots. That’s great! I also can’t believe it cost as much as a new pair of boots. That’s why so much ends up in landfills I guess: it cost too much to repair or no one knows how to repair old things anymore.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy. I am not really into brands either but I fell in love with these boots so long ago when they were just a fledgling brand without much exposure at all. Even today, I find that not many people have heard of this brand. So I was happy to spread the good word for them since I have been such a fan for so long! They sent me the nicest email in response to this blog post, too! I think it is worth the money spent to break out of the throw away-ness of our culture. I hope you have a most wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Oh Shelbee, I love a happy ending! Your Bed|Stu boots are like old friends with lots of good memories attached, and I am glad the company was able to restore them for you. I applaude you for attempting to repair, reuse and recycle first! Hope you have a great weedend and Happy Anniversary to you and Jeff!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Di, thank you so very much, my friend! I am so pleased that these boots could be rescued and made fabulous again! How cool that I will still be wearing them in another 20 years! I hope your weekend is wonderful, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
What a good service. I need to bring my beloved biker boots to the Repair shop. I wanted to write something wise but can’t erase letters for some reason. So this is a bit of a word text. Gosh, how outpatient. Grrrrr. Well, happy weekend.
.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oooh, I hope you are able to get your beloved biker boots repaired! It really is worth it! I hope you have a fabulous weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
I’m so glad you got your boots repaired. I know how sad it is when you love a pair of boots and then they break – I bought a pair of black leather boots on eBay years ago and I loved them and wore them so much. Unfortunately after a gig about a year ago I noticed that the sole had split on both and started to disintegrate. I haven’t bothered taking them to the local cobbler because I have another pair with a rubber wedge sole that split and he said he couldn’t fix them. I still have both pairs because I live in hope of getting them fixed!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am super happy about my rescued boots, too, Emma! It really is heartbreaking when you find shoes/boots you love and work with everything and are super comfortable and then they break. If your local cobbler was unable to repair your broken, maybe see if the brand offers repair services for them? I hope you are able to get them fixed! It really is exhilarating to know that my 20 year old boots can last 40 or 50 years! I hope you have a most wonderful weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
So glad they were able to repair them for you! I was encouraing my step-father to reach out to Keen the other day to see if they could repair his shoes– it never hurts to ask! Especially when you have an item you really like.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Joanne! So I just checked the Keen website for you and in their Warranty FAQ section, they state that they currently do not offer repair services. But maybe you can find a local cobbler that could repair them? I hope you have a most wonderful weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
My youngest son introduced me to BedStu years ago. I wonder if he even has those shoes anymore. I think it’s wonderful the company offers this service even though it’s pricey. I think they are fabulous, and I’m glad you decided to restore them. Thanks for the link up, my beautiful friend!
Happy Anniversary to you and Jeff!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, my friend! You get what you pay for, right? I paid for quality and I definitely got it! Not many shoes last 20 years when you wear them as much as I did. And now with this repair, these boots could last 40 or 50 years! Have a wonderful weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Barbara
You went with the right move! Hope they’re good for another 20 years and then some!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Barbara! I think it was the right move as well! I hope you have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jacqui Berry
What a great idea. The boots look fab Shelbee. Thanks for hosting the linkup too xx Jacqui x
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jacqui! I am so happy I went the rescue and repair route! Have a lovely weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
anne m bray
WAIT!!!! Hold the scissors!!!! What is the fabric content on the Loud Mumuu? Because it’s Loudly calling my name (unless it’s polyester). Heehee.
Great boot story. Clothing DOES take on energy from being worn (good or bad!) and I’m so glad you can continue your love affair with your wonderful boots!
xo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, my friend. Arrrghh. I cannot find a fabric content tag on the muumuu but I think it is likely polyester. I will bring it to you this summer and if you want it, you can have it. If you don’t want it, I’ll just bring it back home and throw it on the rag pile! There is a label that says “Yifeng” with the outline of a hanger and some hearts around it. I can’t find anything online about it at all though.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking very nice and I so happy that you got your boots repaired. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Patrick! I hope you have a fantastic week ahead, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
I’m so glad you were able to get your boots repaired! Repair servies are becoming few and far between. I had to take some boots 3 places before finding one that could replace the zippers. It’s frustrating.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Laura! It really is difficult to find repair services for things because everyone throws stuff away at the first sign of wear and tear or just out of boredom. We simply have to do better than that! I hope you have an amazing week ahead, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Cherylshops
Thanks for the feature, Shelbee! That looks like a most excellent pair of boots, and I can see why you wanted to hold on to them—they’re a classic!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Cheryl! I am so happy that my boots were able to be repaired!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melody Jacob
Good that your boots are repaired.
Thank you for the link-up.
http://www.melodyjacob.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Melody! I couldn’t be happier with my rescued boots!
xoxo
Shelbee