Recession proof cobbler….

I found Stefan's!!

And by cobbler, I mean shoemaker…shoe repair person, not a peach cobbler, thought this particular cobbler is a peach. Stefan’s Leather Repair, for many years, was on Roland Ave., right off 41st St. in Hampden(fringe Roland Park?). But Stefan Gegala moved about a year ago to Falls Road, but I haven’t been able to find him until this weekend. And there he was, in his little shoe shop, looking for all the world like Santa, with his great Polish accent. “Hello Doona“….like he saw me yesterday, though it’s been a year. But I’ve been saving up my shoes!

Stefan Gegala makes shoes look new again...

And his shop was packed with beautiful handbags and shoes and stuff that had fallen on harder times and needed a little TLC, from patrons who know that in a recession, repair it, don’t replace it. And let’s face it…if you have a nice pair of shoes, it is sooooo much less expensive to replace the heel caps, or resole them, or as I’m having done,  replace the pointy toe sole, not the whole thing. If you wear heels with pointed toes, you know the tip of the sole wears out pretty quickly, and will start grinding  into the leather if you don’t do something. And Stefan makes shoes look like new. You know how your little skinny heel will slip between cracks of bricks in a sidewalk….scrape…Oooooh, I hate that. But Stefan can smooth that scrape, and mae the leather covering look like it never happened. Don’t know how he does it. Hmmmm….$20 for like new shoes? Done.  Especially if you paid quite a bit for those shoes. 

I love these green suede shoes....fix them!

Stefan peered at me over his glasses, as I handed him a green shoe that had lost its tassel(I had the tassel)…and said, “Yes, I fix for you.” And he will. So don’t get rid of those nice shoes or the handbag with the broken strap…let Stefan make it all better. He told me his wife had made him a website, but I can’t find it, and Stefan didn’t know what it was. SO, if you go South on Falls Road into Hampden, once you pass 41st  St., , it’s on your right about a block in. You’ll see a big toy soldier in the window(see above)…..the phone number is 410-243-6852. Tell Stefan hi for me, and I’ll get my shoes Friday…..