The legendary poet sandal-maker of Athens

Talk of the town: Stavros Melissinos has sold sandals to Jackie Kennedy, Barbara Streisand, Peter O'Toole and the Beatles, who came to hear his poetry as he cobbled.

It is said that the sandal shop Socrates once worked in as a young man was at the exact same spot as Stavros Melissinos' store, which is quite a lineage. It was re-established in 1927 by his father, and Melissinos himself has been here making world-famous sandals and writing poetry since the 1950s.

His designs, like his poetry, are influenced by Greek mythology, and if you buy a pair, you’ll be walking in at least similar shoes to the great John Lennon.