One of my Dad's sisters (Aunt Gert) married into a big Italian family. One of her new relatives owned the neighborhood shoe repair shop on Main Street. It really did look something like this:
Those booths had a swinging door where you could sit and watch as our shoes were repaired. But we did have to give up our seats for customers who wanted a shoe shine. Sadly, I don't remember his name, but he always let us kids hang out there.
He also fixed handbags and belts for our parents, but mostly shoes.
The "new" shoes were put in paper bags until we returned with the repair ticket:
The shop always smelled like boot polish and leather - a wonderful aroma!
We loved the sounds of the machines there - the sewing machines to put new soles on our shoes and the whirring of the brushes that polished them!
Our shoes were always repaired and passed down to cousins or neighbors. If there was extra money, we could get "taps" put on our heels for a nickle apiece.
Oh, what a wonderful noise they made! We would have to take them off in the house though - they made such a racket on the kitchen linoleum floor!
He always gave us girls the old and worn shoe heels. That's what we used to play hopscotch!
Such nice memories!
:o)
Love this post.
ReplyDeleteReading this reminded me of an old joke. A guy was cleaning out an dresser and found a ticket from a shoe repair shop dated years ago. He wondered if the place was still in business. Curiosity got the better of him and he drove to the address and noticed the place was still in business. He walked in and spoke to the elderly owner at the counter. He gave him the repair ticket and asked if they still had his shoes. The owner shuffled off to the back and returned a few minutes later. He handed back the ticket and said "Yes, they will be ready Tuesday."
LOL!!!! That's a good one, BW! Thanks for sharing!! :o)
DeleteWhat a great post. Memories like this are so interesting.
ReplyDeleteThere is still a shoe boot repair here, and I like to go and look at all the old cowboy boots they have on display.
I was looking at boots and the memory shop just popped in my head! I have two pairs of cb boots that are at least 25 years old - cannot get rid of them as they fit like gloves!:o)
DeleteNeat post, something you don't think about often. Seems that the only ones left are the ones that also do orthopedic shoes and repair is a bit of a sideline. And yes, the smells were great.
ReplyDeleteThank heavens I don't need ortho shoes .... yet! I live in boots now-a-days - can't remember the last time I had on a pair of 'real' shoes! (and to think I used to wear 5" heels to work everyday)!
DeleteWe have a very small shoe repair shop in the town I live in. Small town, but growing and I fear it will go the way of our corner Hardware Store (not big box, ACTUAL hardware, where you could get the EXACT nail you were after.
ReplyDeleteI also remember being intrigued by the sole machine, as I have sewn since I was a fairly young child - had one of those "children's sewing machines" that worked with a hand crank. I believe you had one on the site some time back.
Keep with the memories! I always want to write mine down, but they could fill volumes. My concern is that going forward those volumes will become less and less. So. Keep having those memories!!!
Cap'n Jan
Write them down, Cap'n Jan! Someday someone will read your writings and marvel at all the wondrous things you have seen and done! :o)
DeleteTaps! That's what they call those things?
ReplyDeleteOur shoe shop is run by a bohunk and when I tried to see if he would put them on my bike boots he just looked lost. I'm saving the pic and will go see him again - thanks, CM!!!
Oh - and that's a good post too!
DeleteThey might call them "cleats" up in your neck of the woods, Glen. Meant to say we had to take our shoes off in the house when they were on. They were nailed into the heels. And thank you! :o)
DeleteYup. The cowboys round here get them on their boots to save the heels from wearing down.
DeleteAnd they sound really good, too! :o)
DeleteAll the 'cool' 'bad boys' in High School had taps on their heels. I always associated them with leather jackets and boofy pompadore all slick with comb-marks (Bryllcreem anyone??)
DeleteThose were the boys that John Travolta's character in Welcome Back Kotter was modeled on. (I don't know that for sure, but it is a site concidental...)
Fair Winds, Chickenmom
Cap'n Jan
P.S. I tell you what, you write your memories and I will claim them as mine ;-> But if I ever do write them, you can claim them as yours - sounds like our young lives had a lot in common!)
OMG! My first crush in HS was a boy named "Eddie" - Leather jacket, white tee shirts and dungarees rolled up over those boots! He was always on the front steps singing Doo-Wop with the other super cool guys! He didn't even know I existed!
DeleteAnd you got yourself a deal on those memories, Capt n' Jan!! :o)