Meet Martin Jones, one of the founders of Original Cobblers.
I was born into a world where "make do and mend" was the only way to get by — hard work and perseverance were the cornerstones of everyday life.
At the age of 10, I had a small job with my uncle, who happened to be a cleaner for local factories and businesses. One of those was a shoe repair company called TW Clark & Son. I used to go along with him in the evenings to clean the factory. Back then, I had dreams of becoming a carpenter, I wanted to create something you could step back from and feel proud of.
When I left school at 16, I didn’t have much under my belt, and I don’t think anyone in my year went on to college. Prospects were limited. So, it felt like a natural progression when TW Clark & Son offered me a job. I started there in 1992 and stayed until 2004, when the company sadly went into liquidation.
With few other opportunities on the horizon and a real passion for the trade, I didn’t want to walk away from something I truly loved. So, myself and two colleagues approached the liquidators to ask what would happen to all the equipment TW Clark & Son had accumulated since their founding in 1932. I was told it would all be sold off or scrapped. I made a fair offer, they accepted, and we were able to purchase the entire contents — 6,000 square feet of machinery and tools.
TW Clark & Son had a rich heritage. They serviced all the fire brigades across the South of England, military barracks in London — places like Chelsea Barracks — and also worked with prestigious shoemakers like George Cleverley, Maxwells, Foster & Son, John Lobb St James’s, Wildsmith, Edward Green, and many more. They also catered to the High Street, repairing shoes for the entire Russell & Bromley chain, Ferragamo, Bally, and countless others.
So when they closed in 2004, it was a real shock — not just locally but across the UK shoe repair industry. But it gave me the opportunity to start again. I was able to take on some of the staff and historic contracts that were still viable as well as leave behind the less profitable ones — the very ones that had led to TW Clark’s downfall.
I set up my own workshop nearby, in a redeveloped school building where I had two former classrooms to work from. I carried on the trade, collecting and delivering work in and out of London. If there was ever a job I didn’t know how to do, I was lucky to have friends in the industry. People like Jonathan at John Lobb were brilliant — if I needed to learn a particular technique, I’d call him and he’d say, “Come in, we’ll show you.” I’d spend a couple of weeks there learning the craft — a bit of a busman’s holiday, really — sharing skills back and forth. The speed of the repair trade combined with the patience and craftsmanship of bespoke shoemaking gave me a real insight into what’s expected to be the best, and that’s what I always strived for.
In 2008 we began expanding our team. We hired 21yr old Pippa, a trainee stitcher. I had previously been the youngest member of the team at 32yrs old so it was nice to have some young blood and fresh energy in the workshop. Before long we soon had our very own dedicated stitching department.
In 2013 after landing the Redwing UK repairs contract a baby faced Jamie joined the team. Jamie worked close by me repairing Red Wing boots and as the brand grew in the UK so did Jamie's skill.
In 2015, we had to relocate. The school site was being redeveloped as you’d expect, playgrounds and fields are prime real estate. We moved into a High Street location. It wasn’t what we’d originally planned, but it was local enough that we could keep the same phone number, the same one TW Clark & Son had used since 1932. That meant a lot to us.
Our new premises is nearly double the size. We went from 800 to 1,600 square feet. Over time, we opened a small shop to serve the local community. Customers started asking for more than shoe repairs. Things like key cutting. It wasn’t something we’d done before, but we didn’t like turning people away, so we branched out.
In the last decade, we’ve expanded into watch repairs, laser engraving, glass etching, metal engraving you name it. We’ve always tried to meet the needs of local trades and customers. And if it’s something I can’t manage myself, either due to ageing hands or an old mind, I’m lucky to have younger team members who bring their own skill sets and fresh energy.
Now, after more than 33 years in the trade, I can really appreciate what the younger generation brings to the business. And that brings us to where we are today — in our little workshop on the border of North Kent and South London, just inside the M25, working away from early mornings to late nights.
For us, it’s always been about passion. Taking something old, worn, and tired, and bringing it back to life.
