When we arrived the the cordovan* JS Roberts greeted us and showed us into a side room where there were pieces of leather of all colours lying on the ground. The table was littered with strange looking shoe making tools that gave me the eerie feeling that this could be turned into a sadistic torture chamber at any moment. He genuinely wanted to show me around his workshop without any attempts to sell me anything and from the sounds of things they are busy enough anyway. When I asked JS Roberts whether he made many shoes, he answered that "There is a 3 month waiting list for my shoes."
The shoes are truly works of art, mostly one off pieces for gentlemen that want something beautifully made and unique. Below is a photo of one of the pairs he had recently finished. In another side room was the tailor’s workshop, who sadly was not there to show us his work.
Dark Brown Single Eyelet Derby
The main room is sparsely adorned with smoking pipes, and antique machinery. There are vintage ties and sports jackets for sale. A filing cabinet in the corner has old Hendricks Gin bottles that are used as water bottles to be drunk out of white enamelled tin mugs. This space is more a homage to the virtues that the artisans extol, a serene place for them to work rather than a place to agressively sell their wares.
Other than just a space for the artisans to work and show off their talents, there is a bona fide cafe with delicious cakes and coffee made by the same people that make the shoes and clothes. The hot chocolate I ordered was thick rich and dark, the perfect antidote to the brisk Melbourne weather outside. Perched by the window with hot chocolate in hand in the perfect vantage point to do a spot of people watching at all the passers by on Elizabeth St below.
Go here if you value the quality and attention to detail that men used to take in their appearance - even if you only want to admire - you will certainly not be pressured to buy anything.
*For those not in the know, a cordovan is a bespoke shoe maker
