It costs between $6,000 and $9,000 to get a pair of bespoke shoes made at Old House Provisions in Old Town, and there’s a waitlist.
Shoemaker Drew Altizer opened his shop at 315 Cameron Street last December, selling custom-made men’s suits and high-end footwear from Alden, Edward Green & Co. and Viberg. If you want a pair of bespoke shoes, it might take some time, like eight-to-10 months, he says.
Altizer got into footwear relatively late in life. He’s a graduate of St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Alexandria and Amherst College, where he majored in economics and psychology. For five years out of college, he was a litigation consultant, focusing on antitrust cases.
The pandemic sent him down the proverbial YouTube rabbit hole. In 2022, he wanted to buy his first good pair of leather-soled shoes and saw a video comparing a $500 pair with a $5,000 pair.
“I didn’t know $500 shoes existed,” Altizer said. “It can be shocking to some people. So I started clicking away, which led me to shoemaking videos. So, over the course of the pandemic, when everyone was seeking a hobby, shoemaking became the big shiny object for me, and I just spent hours and hours watching those videos until I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to go and figure it out for myself.”
Altizer spent a week working with master shoemaker Marcell Mrsan at his workshop in Pennsylvania, then made serious investments in his new hobby. He also said his legal work slowed down during the pandemic and wasn’t fulfilling.
A year later, in the fall of 2023, Altizer quit his job, took five pairs of his bespoke shoes, and attended the New York Super Trunk Show, which highlights some of the best-made shoes from around the world. He hopes to go back to the 2026 show.
“I probably invested $35,000-to-$50,000, including some training expenses,” Altizer said. “That’s leather, tools, machines. Then I spent about $10,000 for a 10-week course in Italy.”
Altizer opened Old House Provisions in December 2024. He gets his suits, sport coats, jackets, and accessories from tailoring companies Ring Jacket and New York-based J. Mueser. Altizer will send the clothes to local tailors, and the custom-fitted garments can be ready within two weeks. He also said it takes 180 hours or more to make a single pair of shoes by hand.
“Menswear is very complementary to bespoke shoes,” Altizer said. “And I want my shoemaking business to be sustainable and grow the craft of shoemaking in America.”
Old House Provisions is open 12 to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, and is closed Monday and Tuesday.
