Time to make do and mend

In recent times, darned socks and patched elbows seemed to have become nothing but distant memories, relics from a long-gone era of thrift. As the consumer bubble continued to swell, everything on the retail smorgasbord from computers to shoes became disposable and upgradable, but certainly not repairable. Why fix something when it was far cheaper simply to turf it out and buy a new one?

It was a far cry from the days when the iconic guide to thrift, Make Do and Mend, was first published in the UK. Compiled by the Ministry of Information in 1943, it appeared at a time when both food and clothing were rationed. But the rapidly changing economic outlook has led to an unexpected return to those scrimping values and the repair trades are enjoying a boom in business.

"We've seen a big difference in the volume of shoes we repair," says Peter Dunn, manager at Timpson in the Savoy Centre in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. "It's obviously because people would rather spend £15 on a repair instead of £50 or £60 on a new pair." Peter, who has worked at the city centre branch for six years, first noticed a rise in business last September. "It tends to be a seasonal business anyway, busier from October through to February because of the change in the weather, but it has been unusually busy in recent weeks compared with last year."

Shoe repairs at the shop are up 10% on this time last year and constitute a larger proportion of the shop's overall takings. Peter believes a mixture of new customers alongside increased repeat business from long-standing customers is responsible. "We're definitely seeing new people, people who don't normally get their shoes repaired. There are customers bringing in three or four pairs at the same time. As long as the shoes are in basically good condition, you can do most things with them now. You can basically repair the whole bottom of them." However, the engraving side has been a bit quieter. "People perhaps think engraving is more of an add-on, an extra," says Peter.

The shop is one of 640 Timpson outlets in the UK which together employ 1700 people. Managing Director James Timpson, the great-great-grandson of William Timpson, who founded the company in 1865, says it is a similar story across the UK. In the last week of October, Timpson took a record £900,000 across its 640 shops in shoe repairs alone. The company is now in the ninth week of its financial year and shoe repairs are up 8%. Watch repairs are also doing well: they are up by 16%. "We work on the theory that if you can get something repaired for one-third of the price of buying a new one you are likely to get it repaired," says James. Indeed, watch repairs are an area which the company is keen to expand. "We have a very small chain of shops called The Watch Workshop in Aberdeen which does high-end watch and jewellery repairs and hope to open more."

Timpson, which has its headquarters in Wythenshawe, now plans to invest up to £1.5m by adding around 40 new stores this year, creating 80 jobs in the process.

Andrew Lyon has such faith in the future of the market that after years working for a shoe-repair chain in Bearsden, he decided to go it alone. He opened his own business at Charing Cross in Glasgow last month. Like most cobblers, he also offers a key-cutting and engraving service, in addition to the shoe repairs. "There is potential in the market," he says. "The thinking for years has been that shoe repairs were going to go downhill, which led to cobblers branching out into watches and jewellery. But I've always believed the demand for shoe repairs has been there."

According to Andrew, the majority of customers are women and the rise of budget clothing retailers has had a minimal effect on the demand for cobblers. "You always had cheap shoes but people still got them fixed. They would pay more for the repair than they did for the shoes. If you've got a pair of shoes that are comfortable you're not going to go out to buy another pair and have to break them in."

But it's not just cobblers who are holding strong in this uncertain retail market. Tailors are also seeing a healthy demand for their services as more people think twice about splashing out on new outfits. Nan's Alterations on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow has been repairing clothes for 35 years in the west end of the city and employs five part-time staff. "With this credit crunch, what people are tending to do is, rather than buy a lot of new clothes, they're getting a lot of their clothes altered," says manager Josephine, whose mother-in-law Nan, 78, established the business and is still involved today.

While most of her customers are middle-aged, they also get a fair number of students through the door. "We're getting new customers all the time. We're getting some things in here which before people would have tossed in the bin. The other day a guy brought a pair of trousers in and the whole crotch was out of them. I think people's mindset has definitely changed - they are more willing to get things repaired. He could have bought a pair of trousers from a charity shop for less than he paid for the repair, and I do explain that to customers, but he wanted to keep his old ones."

According to Josephine, the surge in cheap shops in recent years has not signalled the end of demand for alteration services. "Believe it or not, people are still buying their clothes out of shops like Primark - they're maybe paying £6 for a pair of trousers - and then paying £8 to get them altered because it's still much cheaper than going elsewhere and paying £30 or £40 for a pair."

The most common repair job at Nan's is patching up worn jeans, although in recent weeks there has been a marked increase in repairs to winter jackets. "This week and last week we've really noticed it; we've had about 40 jackets in for new zips. They're obviously ones that people have had at the back of the wardrobe and have now decided to get fixed because they're not going to buy a new one."

Yvonne McLaughlin, owner of Unique Alterations on Great Western Road, Glasgow, has seen an increase in demand for the same items. "It's mainly people getting last year's winter coat shortened or reshaped." The shop has been operating for the past seven years but recently Yvonne has seen an increase in new customers. She hopes that, if this year follows previous years, things are about to get even busier. "December right through to the end of January is traditionally our busiest time of year because we get people bringing in clothes that they have bought in the sales but which don't quite fit them. So we expect to be even busier in a few weeks."

It seems that some industrious individuals are even doing their own repairs at home. Figures released earlier this year by Argos reported a 50% jump in sales of Brother and Singer sewing machines. The most basic models showed the most dramatic leap with a growth of 500%. Richard Webster, sewing machine buyer for Argos, says: "We have been stocking sewing machines since our first Argos catalogue in 1973. Following a period when they were seen as unfashionable, we're now seeing them return to favour, particularly the lower-price models, popular with those embarking on home sewing for the first time."

Keeping your wardrobe in tip-top condition

Mend clothes before washing as the tear or hole may become unmanageable.

If a stain is treated soon after it occurs, the chances of removing it are far greater.

Liquid detergents work best when trying to remove protein-based stains, such as milk, eggs, blood and some grass stains.

Liquid detergents dissolve easily in warm-to-cool water temperatures and are easy to use for pre-treating stains.

Powder detergents are more effective in removing ground-in dirt and other clay soil stains. Powder detergents work best in hot water, which is more able to dissolve them.

Turn trousers and jeans inside out before putting into the washing machine to prevent fraying.

Store your shoes in shoe boxes or place them on a shoe rack. This will prevent them from getting crushed in the depths of your closet, and keep them away from the menacing jaws of your pets.

Insert shoe trees or forms into expensive dress shoes to maintain their original shape.

Let waterlogged shoes air dry, or stuff them with a clean, old T-shirt, as placing them in front of a heater can dry them out or cause shrinkage.

Use saddle soap on smooth leather shoes to remove water and salt stains. Polish shoes on a regular basis to nourish the leather and keep the exterior colour consistent.