My dad could fix just about anything; but he didn't re-sole shoes. He was a lineman, ad so his usual footwear was tall (up to the knees) lineman's boots. They had eyelet laces all of the way up and it took him a while each morning to lace up the boots. When my dad came home at night, I loved to sit at his feet and unlace those boots for him and help him take them off of his tired feet. Because he had to climb power poles all day in those boots, they had to have special soles, and they had to be in good shape, since his life depended on those boots as he climbed up the wooden power poles with his climbing hooks on. Mom would take the boots into Spokane to a special shoe store that mostly just worked on boots, and they would put on new soles or heels when needed. since the bottoms of the line boots wore out much faster than the tops, they were usually able to repair them rather than have to buy a whole new pair of line boots. Line boots were expensive, and my dad wore them year around, wading through mud and snow in the winter months. He took special care of those boots, and he taught me how to put neetsfoot oil on the boot to keep them soft and flexible, and in the winter, sometimes, he would use a product called Mink Oil, which was also water repellant. Since I had my horse, I also had cowboy boots, as well as all of my horse tack that needed to be kept oiled , soft , and pliable. Many winter evenings, I remember sitting in front of our oil stove, on the linoleum floor, with all of my bridles disassembled, while I cleaned and oiled them so they would be in good shape for horseback riding.
My dad used to go to yard sales and buy certain leather items. Purses made of plain leather, not patent leather, boots, belts etc. He used the leather to make or repair things. He got these items much cheaper than he could had he bought bulk lots of leather. I had several knife sheaths he made, as well as a pocket holster for a small pistol. One of the hand bags was made of a thinner, soft supple leather. He made a book cover for a favorite book of his. Some of the leather became custom made wallets.
It is neat to see some old fashioned shoe stores, there is one shoe repair sop in the aea. I keep thinking I should go in there. I bet the person who owns it is 60+. I can't imagine any young people who grew up in the throw away society going into a shoe repair business. Anyway, That was neat to see JOe. I hope the shop is a success.
WHO KILLED THE SHOE REPAIR INDUSTRY? "Perhaps you’ve heard the bedtime story about the poor shoemaker who would wake every morning to find that his work from the night before had been finished while he slept by a pair of elves. The cobbler, who specializes in repairing shoes, has been in business since the first shoes were made, but their numbers are dwindling. An estimated 4,300-shoe repair companies exist today, whereas over 100,000 existed in the 1930s. A number of factors are to blame for the demise of shoe repair: exploitation of cheap foreign labor, the hyper change in fashion trends, rising costs of leather and rubber, and consumer apathy".....(con't) Link
They're all cobblers - and so is the story: Adam Sandler's new movie can't be faulted for its cast but the script is nonsense, writes BRIAN VINER
New Shoes? Sometimes our shoes, just wear out and have to be replaced! I had an old pair of Speery Topsiders, that were just too small and worn down. I finally decided to try to order a new pair, through Zappos. I ordered a half size larger and ee wide. They came today (free shipping) and fit and look great! R.I.P. old Top-siders!
Midcoast man teaches himself shoe skills, opens "Kiss My Boots" cobbler HOPE, Maine — "When his passion for cabinetmaking faded, 63-year-old Carleton Leavitt turned his hands to shoes". “People’s shoes are funny. They’re very sentimental to them,” he said, picking up a pair of tawny, suede kitten heels. “These old ones, the piping was warped. Now she has a new pair of shoes for $30.” "The shop, named Kiss My Boots, doesn’t yet support itself. It’s only open Mondays and Fridays. Leavitt works as a goldsmith for a local jeweler the other three workdays each week, but hopes that one day he’ll be a full-time cobbler".