This category covers establishments primarily engaged in repairing footwear or shining shoes. Also included are establishments engaged in cleaning and blocking hats.
811430 (Footwear and Leather Goods Repair)
Shoe repair and shoe shining is a small industry that provides a moderate living for the craftsperson/entrepreneur. The shoe repairman has survived for many years in a constantly changing marketplace, but is struggling to find ways to maintain a profitable business in the modern era. Those business owners who have been able to adapt to the changes in the industry brought on by improved technology, manufacturers' emphasis on disposable goods, and changing consumer expectations have survived. Those who have not adapted or who have maintained old methods of business operation have slowly vanished. Many shoe repair and shoe shining establishments are small retail stores usually owned and/or operated by a craftsperson who, with the help of skilled employees, performs services for a certain rate. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures indicated that shoe repair workers held approximately one-half of the approximately 21,000 jobs in the leather goods industry at the end of the twentieth century, although increasingly, traditional services offered by the industry have been combined with other modern amenities. Additionally, some shoe repair companies are part of a larger franchise, and shoe repair shops appeared with greater frequency in retail malls and in shopping centers — locations deemed essential to the survival of the industry. Among the largest establishments in operation at the turn of the twenty-first century, Shoe Doctor Incorporated of Dover, New Hampshire, had sales as high as $7 million during the previous decade and employed approximately 100 workers.
The business of repairing shoes has been in existence as long as the shoe itself. Until advancements made in the twentieth century, shoes were expensive and difficult to manufacture, most times taking the shoemaker the better part of a day to create one pair. Therefore, it made economic sense to have shoes repaired when necessary, rather than purchase new ones.
The evolution of the shoe repairman can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with craftsmen called cobblers. Cobblers bought old, worn shoes, repaired them, and resold them. Eventually cobblers stopped selling repaired shoes and concentrated entirely on repair as a business. Meanwhile, many shoemakers stopped repairing shoes and concentrated exclusively on manufacturing.
In the early part of the twentieth century, the Industrial Revolution in the United States put an emphasis on manufacturing. Shoe styles changed quickly, and the consumer, in an effort to remain fashionable, began to ignore the benefits of shoe repair. But other circumstances began to harm the shoe repair industry as well. According to the journal Shoe Service, widespread economic hardships led to do-it-yourself repairs that became prevalent in the 1930s. Also, many unskilled shoe repairmen would fix and sell shoes at lower prices to retailers outside of the industry. Dissatisfaction with the level of craftsmanship was also cited as a reason for the industry's difficulties.
World War II had a significant effect on the shoe industry. Manufacturers and repairers found raw materials increasingly harder to come by, and the government urged the public to take better care of their shoes. After World War II, industrial advances made shoes cheaper. As shoes wore out, it was easier for the consumer to buy a new pair than to have an old pair repaired. Manufacturers were also increasingly using nonrepairable materials such as rubber and plastic in their products. The introduction of these innovations has continually challenged the shoe repair industry.
The number of shoe repair shops plummeted by 40 percent in the 1960s. Since that time the shoe repair industry has constantly tried to find ways to combat the effects of mass shoe production, nonrepairable materials, and ever-changing fashion trends. Overall the industry experienced a continued slow decline for several decades leading into the twenty-first century. The number of establishments decreased by approximately 16 percent, and the number of employees dropped about 11 percent during the 1990s alone.
In the 1990s, with the average payroll per establishment at $26,811 and average revenue per establishment at approximately $102,000, many shoe repair shops and shoeshine parlors remained very small, employing an average of just two people. BLS reported minimum wage conditions for new workers in the late 1990s, along with projected declining employment for the industry through the year 2006. The consensus among experienced industry members was that the key elements to the survival and growth of the industry included the ability to guarantee quality and convenience (the speed with which repairs are made). Shoemakers, when queried about conditions at the turn of the twenty-first century, concurred that the evolution of shoe styles throughout the final decades of the twentieth century resulted in designs that were effectively irreparable, because of a molded all-in-one structure that precluded heel or sole replacement. One craftsman in Grand Prairie, Texas, who was quoted in Arlington Morning News, suggested that by the year 2000 approximately 75 percent of new shoes were of the molded design. Another shoemaker in Colorado made similar comments and added that the high cost of service proved a further deterrent to repairs, in that replacement often provided the more cost-effective solution.
In the midst of diminished demand for shoe repair, one promising technology for insole replacement emerged late in 1999. The method employs a computerized fitting system, which utilizes a computerized scanner to record sole measurements, including pressure points where the footstep makes the heaviest contact with the ground. The technology enabled shoe repair personnel to fit custom insoles easily through the use of the digital measuring system, at a cost of under $50 per pair. The ability of some shoemakers to adapt to such new techniques lies at the basis of the continued existence of this industry. Other factors for survival involve combining shoe repair service with other services and products, relocating shops into high-traffic areas such as retail mall outlets, and changing the consumer's traditional notions of the shoe repair store by means of aggressive advertising.
Darnay, Arsen J. Service Industries USA. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 1999.
Flores, John W. "Heart and Sole: Family Keeps Old-fashioned Shoe Repair Craft Alive." Arlington (Texas) Morning News, 20 February 2000, 5A.
Jackson, Bob. "Shoe Shop Grew from Ground up." Denver Rocky Mountain News, 16 January 2000, 60A.
Liddane, Lisa. "Computer Crafts Foot Fixer-uppers." Dallas Morning News, 20 December 1999, 7C.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 26 February 1999. Available from http://stats.bls.gov/ .
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