Shoelace Shopping and Finding Ferrules

[liuzhou]

15 years in China, but there are still 3,847,936 things which I'm still trying to work out.

Top of the list this week are:

a) Where can I buy shoelaces? Shoes shops don't have them. General stores don't have them. There was once a road side shoe repair guy who had a fairly inadequate selection, but passed on or away. I've asked all my friends and they say "buy new shoes".

I do wear slip ons on formal occasions - which I avoid like the plague. I'm thinking more sports shoes.

Please don' t give me specific details of your particular shoe lace emporium in Beijing or Shanghai. I'm not planning on travelling over 1500km for some bits of string. Just a general idea of which sort of place.

Which brings me to

a ii) Why doesn't China have real string? Instead of that silly red nylon stuff which breaks into strands if you look at it too closely?

b) Walking stick / cane rubber ferrules. The rubber bit at the bottom. Walking stick condoms.

This may not be a majority interest, but twice I've had random laowai borrow my lovely stick after falling down holes. And they eventually wore out the rubber tip. And I've never came across replacements.

I even asked a passing walking stick vendor where to get one and he said "at the end of a walking stick". The idea that they might be replaceable hadn't entered his head.

Again, not specifics please, just an idea of where I should be looking.

[gato]

Where can I buy shoelaces? There was once a road side shoe repair guy who had a fairly inadequate selection, but passed on or away.

Shoe repair shops should have them. Or you can try Taobao.

[liuzhou]

Shoe repair shops? I've never ever seen one of those anywhere in China. Shoe repair sidewalk guys, yes.

But like I said only one guy did have them but he disappeared.

Taobao may have them, but really? All that hassle for a couple of pieces ¥2 string?

[heifeng]

This may not be a majority interest, but twice I've had random laowai borrow my lovely stick after falling down holes. And they eventually wore out the rubber tip. And I've never came across replacements.

This seems challenging. I mean there must be a fairly tight tolerance needed for the new tip to make sure the next one fits up properly on the dia of your cane. What I see people here do for their walkers is put tennis balls at the bottom. See here: http://www.ehow.com/...al-walkers.html maybe it will be an ok solution for the time being for a cane as well...

[liuzhou]

I mean there must be a fairly tight tolerance needed for the new tip to make sure the next one fits up properly on the dia of your cane.

Indeed. And I know in the UK at least, they measure your tip before supplying the appropriate rubber.

The tennis ball solution, while seeming practical is hardly dignified and anyway, I don't know where to buy tennis balls either. What's more the advice seems to be for the elderly. I am a mere boy. With a limp.

But thanks.

[gato]

There are two shoe repair shops on my block. They are tiny little shops, but still shops. There are probably some in Liuzhou, too. Probably next to some convenience stores.

[liuzhou]

There are probably some in Liuzhou, too.

If so, it's the city's biggest secret. I've lived here for a very long time and never seen one, and I am very nosy. My Chinese friends have lived here longer and have never seen one. In fact they all directed me to the guy who is no longer here.

[gato]

Baiduing "修鞋店 柳州" showed some possibilities. Anything familiar?

[liuzhou]

Anything familiar?

Nope. I've already tried that. And the few shoe repair places (roadside - not shops) that I did find didn't carry laces, anyway.

Bit of a dead end really.

[heifeng]

The tennis ball solution, while seeming practical is hardly dignified and anyway, I don't know where to buy tennis balls either. What's more the advice seems to be for the elderly. I am a mere boy. With a limp.

Ok, no problem. It's definitely not the best solution, just an idea. (admittedly the bright green tennis balls are not very dignified looking!)

Edit: Are there any medical supply stores (near hospitals) that might carry canes and have a replacement selection? Maybe you might need to just make your own end ferrule w/ tape and rubber pieces b/c the end of your cane is going to get mangled w/o the nub

(unnecessary Edit 2: I stepped outside my apartment today and w/in 20 seconds I saw tennis balls on a walker. Anyway, maybe this will make you feel somewhat better that China isn't the only country with a cane end ferrule shortage/traction issues!)

[Shelley]

I am tempted to say give me your address and size and colour of laces you want and I'll post you some. But as I am in the UK it would probably cost more to post than they are worth:)

As to the ferrules for your walking stick have you tried coming at it from a different angle. i have seen that sort of thing on stool legs, you know the sort like a bar stool with metal legs, maybe a furniture shop could help. Also they use them on microphone stands (my business uses these as I am in the PA hire business) I have a range of sizes on different stands here, and spares are available. Again i am tempted to send you some but again probably not worth it.

Sorry its not any concrete help but I thought a different approach might help.

Good luck

[liuzhou]

Thanks Shelley! I did mention this last week to my mother and she offered to send from the UK, too. Yes the postage would be a lot more than the financial value of the things sent. But you are so kind to consider it.. Really not that big a problem. I was just wondering.

Your different angles are interesting. I shall start accosting passing bar stools and singers.

Actually, you remind me. One of the rubber endy bits of one of the legs of my camera tripod is wearing out, but that's a whole new topic.

I'm off to bed. This has worn me out!

[roddy]

What about shoe-makers? If they don't have laces something's seriously wrong.

[edelweis]

how about stores that sell sewing stuff (needles, zippers, etc)

[edit]also, knitting wool, ribbons etc - might find something to substitute

[BlackBird]

Yep, I had a hard time too looking for shoelaces in China. I did found some in an Anta shop, after looking every others shops like Nike, Li-Ning, etc. but it was the only one to have some. However it was in Shenzhen, Dongmen Road, where you have a huge number of shops. As I haven't really traveled to others cities, I don't know if you could find Anta where you live (maybe you could find it on their website http://www.anta.com/new/, my Chinese is not so good and I don't have a lot of time right now, so I'll let you search).

Hope it will help, and wish you luck

[abcdefg]

Where can I buy shoelaces?

I can help you with this one. I bought some earlier this year. Get them easily at most any shoeshine shop. (Not the roving sidewalk shoe shine guys or the stands set up on street corners.) These small Mom and Pop shops often have one person, usually the boss, who does repairs and one or two others (usually relatives) who just do shoe cleaning/shining. 擦鞋。

More specifically, Kunming has a chain of these shops that are named Kinpin Cleaning Shoes 金壁擦鞋。Their business card suggests it's a national chain, based in Shanghai. Not certain on that (I didn't do an internet search.) But maybe Liuzhou has branches too.

And by the way, I was surprised to lean that it is 一对鞋带，same measure word as 一对夫妇, instead of 双 as in 一双筷子 as I had previously guessed. Well, you probably already knew that.

[Lu]

I found shoelaces at the expatty supermarket last week, but the selection was rather slim (that is, one type only, which does succeed in closing my shoes but is the wrong lenght and colour). There is also a shoe repair shop nearby my house, so the concept is not unknown to China, but a Beijing shoe shop is not much help to you in Liuzhou.

Have you tried asking these questions on Baidu Zhidao? Perhaps someone there knows?

[roddy]

Damn you Liuzhou. I spent ten minutes on Amazon.cn trying to help you out with your cane conundrum and now they're sending me their 老年用品排行榜 emails.

[liuzhou]

Well, it's always good to be prepared.

[Flying Pigeon]

I bought a pair at a Wal-Mart in Beijing today. Slim pickings. They only had one brand, and all were black. Beats using dental floss.

Looks like there are three stores in Guangxi; two in Nanning, one in Guilin.

http://www.wal-martchina.com/walmart/wminchina.htm