More often, Felix is only asked to rebuild aheel or repair a sole. Customers often bring in anew pair of shoes so he can attach a rubber bottommade by Pirelli, the Italian tire company. Thisrubber bottom protects the leather sole from wear.Most jobs cost 10 or 20 dollars, but he works onshoes that cost $200 or $300, or more. Shoes asdressy as a Brooks Brothers suit but ascomfortable as a well-worn flight jacket. "My timeis your time. I'm gonna be taking the time toexplain to the customer what it is that I'm doing.That's why I'm working every night. I'm happy if Iwork because at least I'm gonna have more than Idid before."
St. Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers,spread Gospel by day and made shoes by night. The3rd century Roman moved to the Aisne, northeast ofParis, and legend holds that he gave away shoes tothe poor. Some suggest that this Robin Hood offootware even stole his materials from the rich.In Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers,published in 1883, William Edward Winks writesthat "such tales are worthless," but honors St.Crispin as one of the first in a long line ofdistinguished shoemakers.
There was Sir Cloudesley Shovel, "The Cobbler'sBoy Who Became an Admiral"; William Carey, "TheShoemaker who Translated the Bible into Bengaliand Hindostani"; Samuel Drew, "The MetaphysicalShoemaker." John Greenleaf Whittier began as ashoemaker's apprentice and honored the occupationwith his ode, "To Shoemakers," not one of his moredistinguished works. ("Ho! workers of the oldtime, styled/The Gentle Craft of Leather!/ Youngbrothers of the ancient guild,/ Stand forth oncemore together!)
Winks drew inspiration from an earlier Americanbook, J. Prince's Sketches of EminentShoemakers, published in Boston in 1848.Prince reports that Roger Sherman, Connecticutsigner of the Declaration of Independence andConstitution, began life as a shoemakers. Whileserving on an appropriations committee during theRevolutionary War, Sherman uncovered fraud in anarmy shoe contract and proved his case byspecifying the market price of the leather andworkmanship. Prince argues, "This incident willserve to illustrate the advantage which may oftenbe derived from the election of practicalmen to fill the office of legislators." (Hisitalics.)
Felix believes in hard work. "As long as youcan move your hands, you are gonna have bread onthe table. In this business, you never starve, butyou don't make so much that you can retire." He isnot listed in the Yellow Pages because he alreadyhas all the work he can handle. In good times, 10or 12 pairs of day. Despite the recession, hecan't find good help. "The kids these day, thepeople, nobody is willing to work for $5, $6 anhour, they would rather get welfare than work."
He is honest with customers. If a $20 shoeneeds an $18 repair he tells them it isn't worthit. "Save these laces if they don't fit. Bringthem back and exchange them." But he jokes around,too. A woman comes in and Felix says I am his newboss. "This young man with the pad, he bought meout. He owns me now, I work for him." He tellsanother woman, a regular customer for 15 yearssoon to be married, "You gonna have to stop buyingexpensive shoes, you gonna have bambinos comingalong."
Felix speaks quickly, says everything threedifferent ways to make sure others understand, ahabit he acquired while learning English. "I buythe best materials, the best leather, it costs alittle more and I charge the customer, but theytrust me because I buy only the best, and I know alittle, just a little more about shoes than you,and I treat the customers with respect becausemaybe they come back and treat me with a littlerespect."
He is animated. Nailing a heel onto a shoe, hestops, looks up to the window and turns to me. "Ifyou are educated, things are different. It is aday, but it is a sunny day, or a rainy day, or asnowy day, you see, they are all a day, but eachis different." Felix is excited. He smilesbroadly, pleased at the thought. "Now, I'm noteducated. Maybe I have some street smarts becauseI've been on my own since I was 11, back in theOld Country.
"When I bought my business in the Square, therewas another guy, he charged 95 cents to fix asole, I charged a dollar. Everybody said, look atpoor Felix, he will go out of business and not beable to feed his family. But I used the goodmaterials and did a good job. Now the other guy isgone, and I still here."