When the rubber hits the road

Shoe-repair business flourishes in recession

There was a time when Cal Westphal could guarantee a 48-hour turnaround on shoe and boot repair. These days, the worn-out soles have to wait up to 10 days until he can get to them.

For the sole proprietor of Cal's Boot and Shoe Repair, the recession has been good for business. Almost too good.

"I get here about 7 every morning and work 10 to 12 hours a day," he said as his focus remained on the repair job on hand and making every second count. "It's just me, myself and I."

Westphal, who has operated the shop on Meridian Road for a decade, noticed a marked upswing in activity in early August 2008, but his workload had been building for the past couple of years.

"The economy has had a large effect," he said. "People just don't have the money to replace shoes, so they come to me, trying to get whatever they can fixed."

That's obvious from the rows and rows of shoes and boots waiting to be picked up by customers. They range from well-worn Birkenstocks to women's fashion heels. Cowboy and work boots are most prevalent, but there also are purses, leather jackets, a couple of saddles and various other leather goods among the mix.

And the darnedest things turn up in Westphal's shop. A vintage leather footstool in the shape of a pig is among the latest conversation pieces.

"I had to sew the tail back on. It's a first for me," he said with a laugh.

It takes a lot to surprise Westphal any more.

"You think you've seen it all, but then something new comes along. I'll work with anything if it can be sewed and put back together, as long as it's not too big or too heavy."

As the UPS driver came through the door with an armload of heavy leather, she joined the conversation.

"Did he tell you about the time he had to sew up my pants?" she asked.

Indeed, Westphal did a rush job on the driver's torn attire so she could continue on her route.

Westphal has worked with all kinds of leather - elephant, alligator, anteater, ostrich and sting ray - to name the most unusual boot materials.

"Stingray can be a real pain in the butt because it's like little ceramic beads. It's hard to sew through," he said.

THE GREEN movement has bolstered Westphal's business, too. More and more people are opting to fix things these days because it's environmentally correct.

"We are first-line recyclers," Westphal said.

It is America's throw-away tendencies, though, that have made cobblers a dying breed. Not too many years ago there were five shoe-repair shops in Kalispell, one in Whitefish, one in Columbia Falls and one in Ronan. Now, Cal's Boot and Shoe Repair and Glenn's Shoe Repair in Kalispell are the only survivors of their age-old craft.

The Shoe Service Institute of America estimates that there are only about 7,500 shoe-repair shops remaining nationwide, down by half from 10 years ago. The encouraging statistic is that the remaining shops are reporting a 20 to 45 percent surge in business.

Westphal would like to retire one of these days, but there's no one to take his place. He'd consider teaching someone who was truly interested in the trade; someone with self-motivation and a craftsman at heart.

Westphal himself apprenticed under Robert Wadell when the shop was called Flatiron Shoe Repair. Before that, Westphal spent 10 years working for the Fred Meyer grocery store in Kalispell. A job injury prompted him to seek a new line of work.

"I like to think I'm doing a community service," he mused about his repair work. "People get attached to their shoes. And of course I enjoy it. You have to like what you're doing."

Westphal broke into the shoe business doing custom leather work. "That's my real passion," he said, adding that he just doesn't have the time any more for the custom end of the business.

He still makes a few custom knife sheaths, though. They're displayed in a glass case in his front counter along with a variety of other unusual collectibles. In fact, there are unusual items scattered throughout the one-room shop.

"I'm an eclectic collector," he smiled. "Whatever strikes my eye. People bring me things, too."

Westphal sells new boots, specializing in Chippewa Boots, a sturdy brand that dates back to 1901 in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and Schnee's, another high-quality brand based in Bozeman.

But the real bread and butter for Westphal is the repair work done by hand and by machine with equipment such as his 1920s-era heavy-duty sewing machine.

"It's a real cottage industry," he said. "There are a lot of people out there trying to fix things, or just trying to get by."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com