The Stitchdown Shoecast

Mark Barbera of Mark Albert Boots had a dream: make some Chelsea boots. Next thing he knew, he had an entire boot company, operating out of his hometown of Somerset, the little known maple syrup (and maple butter wings) capital of Pennsylvania. Fast forward a few years and Mark has expanded his line to include a made-in-Italy range to honor his master cobbler grandfather, and has plenty more big plans in the works. We get into the advice he would give to someone starting a boot company, the challenges the US footwear industry faces and where he sees it going, which other bootmakers he feels are working it these days, and of course, those wings. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

SHELL CORDOVAN! That most magical of shoe leathers. King of shine, paragon of durability, bastion of beauty. There really is nothing quite like it. But shell cordovan also has its downsides! The cost, the maintenance, rolls gone wrong.  So is it truly the best shoe and boot leather? Oh, and is it even leather at all?!? @tichoblancoshoes and Ben from Stitchdown.com are here to engage in the most probing possible discourse to figure it out. They also tackle: what even is shell cordovan? When and where was it first created? How's it made? Who's making it today and what do you need to know about those tanneries?There's a lot in this one! Give it a listen!This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

"How do I get my hands on some Alden rare shell cordovan boots or shoes?" It's one of the questions we get asked the most. So Ben from @stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes decided to crack it open, along with plenty of other listener questions you can learn a ton from.What are the best ways to store your footwear if you don't have a ton of space? Why does roughout leather never need to be conditioned?  Who's making the best suede out there? What's the next big trend in boots???We answer all those and more—give it a listen. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Neil Berrett, co-founder of the excellent Oakland booterdashery Standard & Strange, is many things. A Viberg and Wesco makeup wizard. A dutiful procurer of Japanese fashion (including John Lofgren boots). A kind-hearted soul who legitimately cares about the people who work for him and the community around him. And perhaps most importantly, someone who spent his time detained in a Japanese police station bribing cops with whiskey and attempting to get his hands on a really cool cop hat. In the latest Shoecast episode, Neil tells that (honestly 1000% fantastic) tale, talks about how S&S comes up with All-Name Team boots like the Axe Breaker and why nobody should be afraid of the wonders of engineer boots, and gets real on what retail life is like in a pandemic. This episode was sponsored by the excellent Viberg retailer Withered Fig—we wholeheartedly suggest you check out their boots and impressive collection of clothingTheme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

After a rollicking first season, the Stitchdown Shoecast is BACK for number two. And to make the return even more special, this first episode presents the first-ever Stitchdown Bootbate, an extremely formal and rigid debate...about boots!...pitting Shoecast co-host @tichoblancoshoes vs the formidable wide-leg-trousered opponent Jake, aka @almostvintagestyle.Let me tell you, over the course of the bootbate, these two get INTO it. Does the US or Japan make better boots? Horween vs. Shinki? Which kind of pants should be worn with engineer boots? CXL: very good, good, or less than good? How important is finishing on boots? All of these topics and more are viciously debated, and one winner will emerge—chosen by you.I can say quite honestly that this episode is not to be missed. This episode was sponsored by the excellent Viberg retailer Withered Fig—we wholeheartedly suggest you check out their boots and impressive collection of clothingTheme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

@tichoblancoshoes is many things: esteemed shoe collector, Harrison Ford appreciator, a man who knows his way around a pizza. He is also a scoundrel—but his very scoundrelness can help you get the secondhand shoes you want, at the exact price you want, if you follow Ticho's Outstanding Negotiating System, aka T.O.N.S.Ben from @stitchdown and Ticho also take you through everything else you need to know about buying used shoes: where to look, how to search, what to look for, and most importantly, where you can go very right, and VERY, very wrong. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

Quality shoes & boots—they cost some money! But it's completely possible to construct a well-rounded collection on the (relative!) cheap...you just have to approach it correctly. Ben from @stitchdown and Ticho both have managed to pull it off, and this week they share their 5-point system for how to think about long-term value, collection fluidity, the best ways to get things on the cheap, cash management, selling and trading shoes, and how to build a sustainable master plan that will keep your feet very happy for years to come. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

If you were forced to choose only five pairs of boots and shoes for the rest of our life, and had to give away everything else...what would those five be?Because we are masochists, Ticho and I decided to subject ourselves to this horrific—but enlightening!—thought experiment on the most recent Shoecast episode. It was NOT easy. We lost sleep. And we were both sickened by how similarly we thought about building a tight collection. But we did it.And if you feel like driving yourself insane, In strongly recommend you try it too. If you're on Instagram, post them and tag #myonlyfivepairs, @tichoblancoshoes, and @stitchdown— we'll be reposting plenty. This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

This week, the Shoecast is actually the Larscast, as Ben from @Stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes spend a whole bunch of time chatting with Lars Jensen, the one-man Norwegian wondermaker who creates—and indeed IS—Østmo boots.Things you should know: 1) Lars is the best. 2) We talk about a lot of boots stuff, including his inspiration, his process for making a pair, and his favorite tool (a gift from none other than @rizkyafnan of @onderhoudhandmade). 3) He reveals the two things in this world that you can give him in exchange for skipping the lottery to get a pair of Østmo boots. 4) According to Lars we’ve apparently all been pronouncing @vibergboot wrong. 5) Lars is the best.All in all it’s a really, really fun episode, and it was honestly a damned honor to have Lars on.This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

In the last episode of the Shoecast, Ticho and Ben did a birds-eye view of the US handsewn moccasin construction footwear scene: how the shoes are made, and the rise and fall and rise again of the industry behind it, largely in Maine. It's a deeply interesting and often inspiring ride, and you can check it out right here.This week, we go deeper on five brands crafting a truly amazing range of handsewns: Rancourt, Quoddy, Russell Moccasin, Maine Mountain Moccasin, and the most innovative and boundary-pushing of them all, Yuketen. We cover each brand's specific history, and of course, what they make. Also we say some things about Chicago-style hot dogs that will surely get us in trouble with the good people of the Windy City.This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps. Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/