Being a shoemaker: a trade that resists in the era of use and throw away

The passage of time brought a greater supply of footwear with cheaper prices due to its origin. In many cases it is not even worth spending on a fix and the throwaway logic works there. But there are also shoe stores that remain open, some barely, with merchants who know the trade passed down by previous generations. In them they follow the same smells, the same advice, and machines or tools work that were not replaced by new technologies.

There is something that has not changed: the recommendation is what makes the shoemakers survive. "There are little girls who send me messages on Whatsapp, sometimes even on Sundays, because a friend gave her my name and they ask me if I can lower the heel of some sandals," said Edith Píriz, owner of the La Orensana shoe store, located in Zelmar Michelini street. She was widowed years ago and was in charge of the business. "I know how to do everything, if I were a capable employee who wouldn't give her such a hard time, but since I'm the owner, I try to make sure all the work comes out neatly, before putting it in the drawer to be delivered, go through my eyes to see how it turned out," she mentioned.

Píriz works with artisan elements and also has imported machinery. Within the traditional line he has a 3 Pies, an old shoe repair item. “The hammer, the nail, remain; I also have a bench that is a table full of cement that is used for repairs that must be more than 50 years old, ”he said.

In the case of La Orensana, work abounds. From other departments they send them footwear to make repairs; some pairs come by order. He also receives clients from different Montevideo neighborhoods.

The public is varied. “I have a lot of little girls between the ages of 15 and 20,” she said.

The merchant says that in some cases she tells her clients that the shoes they wear are not worth repairing. "You say that to the women and they ask you to please fix their boots and they leave you the payment in advance," he told El Observador. The most classic jobs in his store are changes of rubber midsoles and heels or soles. whole and taco. Prices range from $890 to $1,500. Piríz is also a shoe colorist.

"It's like painting a picture, a whole craft," he said. In the premises they also make custom orthopedic shoes.

Job of many years

Within the field there are also other realities. Juan Quiroz is the owner of the shoe store Suavepie, located on Avenida 8 de Octubre. His view of the activity is less positive. He has been in the shoe store for 32 years where he started working when he was 16. “I started as a cadet, then I went to the counter, now I am the owner and the one who repairs, I do everything; I started washing floors and now I continue doing it too, ”he said.

From his perspective there is a fundamental aspect that he is responsible for the little work. "People buy everything Chinese and the cheap shoe is changed, not fixed, and that's how the job is ending," he lamented.

According to customs data, 12.2 million pairs of shoes were imported last year. That is almost four pairs of footwear per Uruguayan per year. The largest amount came from China with 7.8 million pairs. That footwear is not of such good quality and that is why what Quiroz relates happens.

In his case, he works in the traditional style: hammer, nail and glue. “You can't invest in something new; we cobblers continue with the old trade; we are surviving, things are rough”, he indicated.

The most common repairs of Suavepie are those of gluing and sewing shoes. Clients are preferably over 50 years old. "They are the ones who wear leather shoes, it is difficult for younger people to have them repaired," he said.

The El Rapido shoe store is located on Yatay street. Adriana Cancela is in charge of the business and shares Quiroz's vision. “The activity is quite little because imported footwear is very cheap; people use it as long as they can and then don't invest in a fix,” he said.

But there is also another aspect that he highlighted. “There are fewer and fewer shoemakers because it is a job for big people; young people today do not dedicate themselves to that ”, he exposed. So, when the old shoemakers die, the shops end up lowering their curtains.

He explained that the trade maintains a good share of craft work. But he added that "every day" things are learned "because now it's not like before, when it was more mechanical, now you also have to work with shoes that are made of other types of materials."

The most frequent repairs in El Rapido are carried out on women's shoes. The most usual is the placement of badges (those that are on the tips of the studs). The cost is $250. Men ask for changes of heels or soles, which can be worth $1,300 for good quality shoes.

Cancela added that the shoe store is attended by people of all generations. The shop is close to the Chemistry and Medicine faculties and many students make arrangements on the premises.

"They start by bringing the mushrooms and then they come back with other shoes of theirs or of the family," she said.