ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — When they bought their shoe repair business in 1975, Glen and Shirley Jones[1] were taking a risk.
They would be competing against six established shops in town, and they knew nothing about fixing shoes.
How things have changed.
Thirty-eight years later, they have the only known shoe repair shop in Elkhart County. And these days, their customers swear by their work.
However, Jones' Shoe Repair, 739 S. Main St., will close for good at the end of the month. Glen, 78, and Shirley, 72, say they're ready to retire.
"We've done this many years," Shirley told The Elkhart Truth (http://bit.ly/1h6zn45[2] ). "We would like to enjoy a few years of not having to get up and go to work, especially in the winter time."
They tried to retire in 2009, but as they were cleaning out the building after closing, their customers kept coming through the front door with work.
"People wouldn't let us," Shirley said. "They said, 'You've got to open up.'"
But the Joneses[3] mean it this time. They're quitting. Really.
"We have made it definite that once we close at 3 o'clock Dec. 31, we're locking that door, heading out the other, and we're not taking in any more work," Shirley said. "I guess they'll just have to find someplace else."
Over the years, Glen and Shirley learned plenty about fixing shoes, but also about repairing purses, coats and anything else made of leather or cloth. Asked what she enjoyed about the work, Shirley said, "Trying to make something old and broken into something wearable and useful."
"So many of them throw away a purse or something just because the zipper might be broke," she said. "They don't realize it's easily fixed."
But when asked to reflect on their years running the shop, she and Glen talk more about the people they've served.
"Our tried-and-true customers are about like family," Shirley said. "Through thick and thin they come to see us."
"We've got the best customers in the world, right here," Glen added. "I will miss the customers. We are people persons, no question."
As if on cue, customer Linda Weiss[4] walks in and hands Glen her ticket stub, which helps the Joneses find her order among many in brown paper sacks on shelves behind the front counter.
Weiss paid $8 to pick up a dog harness and cloth bag that had been repaired.
"I'm going to miss you guys when you close," she said.
"Hey, we're going to miss our customers as much as they miss us," Glen told her.
The Joneses are referring customers to the closest shoe repair shop they know of, Violi Shoes, 118 E. Mishawaka Ave., Mishawaka. That includes their orthopedic customers, who come with notes from their podiatrist detailing their specialized shoe needs. For example, a person with one leg shorter than the other needs a heel "buildup" on the shoe. In a metal box, Glen keeps a 3-inch-by-5-inch index card on each orthopedic customer, listing the size of heel that belongs on each shoe.
Brian Hall[5] , Violi Shoes owner, said he is ready for the influx of customers. Hall, who also sells new shoes, said he expects to remain open for at least eight or nine more years. He said he is the only cobbler in Mishawaka, and there are two left in South Bend.
"There are very few shops around anymore," Hall said. "Shoes are built so cheap nowadays, a lot of times it costs more to repair them than to buy them new, with everything made in China."
Operating the business allowed the Joneses to buy their Dunlap home, raise three children, own other commercial buildings on their block, and take vacations over the years. Glen had hoped one of their two adult sons, both of whom are skilled cobblers, would take over the business, but they aren't interested. One drives a truck, the other a forklift.
"They like that weekly paycheck," Shirley said, "where they know what they're getting every week. This is long hours. It's dirty work. You never get wealthy because you never know how much work is going to come in and when they're going to pick it up (and pay)."
"You have to enjoy your job or it's no good," Glen said. "I enjoy what I do."
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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.etruth.com[6]
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by The Elkhart Truth.
References
- ^ Shirley Jones (www.beaumontenterprise.com)
- ^ http://bit.ly/1h6zn45 (bit.ly)
- ^ Joneses (www.beaumontenterprise.com)
- ^ Linda Weiss (www.beaumontenterprise.com)
- ^ Brian Hall (www.beaumontenterprise.com)
- ^ http://www.etruth.com (www.etruth.com)
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