No business like shoe-repair business

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/06/2015 (3757 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every pair of shoes has a story to tell, and Merv Chyz has been in the repair business long enough to know what they are.

Nobody has bestowed the “shoe whisperer” nickname on him yet, but surely it’s just a matter of time.

“One player from the Winnipeg Jets brought a pair of shoes in with really bad scuff marks on the top. I said to him, ‘It looks like you slipped on some ice and went down,’ and he said, ‘That’s exactly what happened!’ ” Chyz said.

The co-owner of the Leather Patch on Academy Road is part of a retail breed that’s has been on the decline for decades but will always be in demand as long as people wear shoes on their feet and carry things around in handbags.

Professional hockey players aren’t his only high-profile customers. When asked who from the city’s business and political elite might stop in, he replied, “All of them. It’s quite something. And they come from different parts of the city and other cities, too. Lots of people who used to live in Winnipeg drop stuff off when they come back to visit family.”

He’s wrapping up the spring busy season with the usual 12- to 14-hour days, and if you thought you could bring in a worn sole for a quick repair and be on your way that evening, you’re dreaming.

“We’re so busy, we can’t keep up,” he said.

It’s not surprising, considering the old Winnipeg Tribune article he found in his shop a few years ago. Written in the 1960s, the story is about how shoe and leather repair shops were on the decline, with about 60 in the city then, down from about 300 a few decades earlier. “Now, we’re down to 13 or 14,” he said.

Judging from his workload, they will never disappear entirely. In fact, it’s a wonder some industrious go-getters haven’t decided to enter the business themselves.

Chyz and his business partner, Nina Lund, bought their store from the previous owner 17 years ago. They had been running a trio of shoe and leather repair places called Moneysworth & Best in Kildonan Place, St. Vital Centre and the old Eaton Centre for five or six years, but they found it to be a lot of hassle. They lived in River Heights and decided to stop into Academy Shoe Repair one day while walking around the neighbourhood.

“We asked him if he wanted to sell it and he did,” he said.

Chyz does most of the work himself — which can often be seen from the front window — although he has tried to hire staff in the past.

“A lot of people don’t want to do it or the quality of work isn’t good enough,” he said.

When they first took over, they would repair almost anything with leather. Today, they do shoes and handbags almost exclusively.

But it’s not just regular customers who bring their shoes to Chyz. He also does work for a number of shoe stores and other retailers that include shoes in their offering when they need warranty work done.

As much as he likes to keep his customers happy, he has had to turn the odd one away. One woman dropped off a pair of shoes with the $4,500 price tag still on the box. She wanted a protective sole added onto an already thin sole, which featured some extravagant beadwork next to it.

“It was too fine to do it. One little slip and I’d be buying her another $4,500 pair of shoes,” he said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca