Pete the pom is a Hornsby institution. He's been in the same location (a tiny shop, right at the…read moreback of an arcade off the Florence St Mall for 28 years. Prior to that he was in another location in Hornsby. All up he has been repairing the shoes of Hornsby for the past 35 years. Apparently he arrived from the UK and went to look at a shop in Chatswood but fell asleep on the train, ended up in Hornsby and never left. At least that's the story he tells. He tells a lot of stories. Part of the Pete The Pom experience is the patter. A constant stream of stories and general chatter in fluent cockney (35 years here has done nothing to dull the cockney accent). Gents are called Squire. Ladies are referred to as Darlin or Luv. The other part of the experience is the tiny little shop, packed to the roof with kicknacks and memorabilia. And yes, he does have a story about each and every piece. Even the shoe repair machinery has a story - it came over from England with him and dates back to his Father and Grandfather's time (he's from a long line of cobblers). A visit to Pete the Pom is an experience. Oh yeah... and he also repairs shoes. Really, really well. If it can be fixed, he will fix it. If it can't be fixed, he will probably manage to fix it anyway. And cheaply too. Usually the dodgy shoe repair kiosks in Westfield will charge more for a worse job.

Pete is a scream! Love his work ethic, customer service and efficiency. His offsider is great too!read more

I've already admitted to not having the daintiest feet…read more(http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/peter-sheppard-footwear-sydney), but couple that with a bung netball knee and from time-to-time I come perilously close to needing grandma shoes. Then I discovered Ecco. Don't get me wrong, these shoes are definitely on the 'sturdier' side of strappy, but these Danes know their design, and their comfort. So while you'll pay a premium, you'll also find a good shoe or boot that you can wear to death without killing your feet (or your bad knee).