Old-World Craftsmanship In a Disposable Age

Children used to press their noses against the big window of John Shafakian's shop in downtown Bethesda. Inside, to the admiring eyes, the cobbler would carve out new leather soles, hammer on fresh heels and polish wingtips to a shine.

That was years ago.

Shafakian still puts his craft on display at Bethesda Shoe & Luggage Repair but now racks of laces, shoehorns and cedar shoe trees block the view. Hurried customers barely glance at Shafakian wielding his knife and pliers in the sole-stained shop room.

"Something changed," Shafakian said. "Everyone got busy."

Indeed, much has changed at the Old Georgetown Road shop. For 21 years, Shafakian has repaired shoes for big names like Lynda Carter and Sugar Ray Leonard and for scores of loyal customers. But those customers have aged along with Shafakian and new, younger ones are rare.

As an old-world cobbler, Shafakian is caught in the middle of a massive economic shift that has flooded the shelves of big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Target with cheap imports and changed the way people view footwear. Today consumers buy many pairs of shoes and don't expect them to last long.

"Footwear has become disposable," said Leon Nicholas, a principal consultant for consumer goods and the retail industry at Global Insight. "Who has the time and frankly the inclination to repair a pair of shoes when that pair of shoes can be replaced for $10 at Payless?"

In Shafakian's view, lower prices means poor quality -- a trend that would seem like a boon to the shoe repair industry. Instead, the shift poses new challenges. Economists say that cobblers, like those who repair typewriters and watches, will likely fade away, their skills becoming archaic in the fast-changing global economic landscape.

"Some shoes are just two pieces of plastic glued together. I can't even fix that," said Shafakian, 55, lamenting the unsentimental and poor workmanship of shoes coming from China.

The 55-year-old Turkish-Armenian immigrant learned his craft as a kid in Istanbul, hanging out at shoemaker shops near the Grand Bazaar and hoping to grab the attention of a willing mentor. After weeks of bringing customers tea and coffee, he was handed his first knife and taught how to assemble a shoe from scratch. He understood the importance of natural materials and learned how to customize a shoe.

Few shoemakers exist in the United States anymore and footwear factories have been shuttered, says Global Insight's Nicholas. Handmade imports are also a rarity, with shoemaking countries such as Italy and Germany themselves importing cheaper goods from China and other nations.

"The same pair of Sketchers I bought four years ago are cheaper today by at least $15," Nicholas said. He expects average shoe prices to decrease 1.4 percent this year and 0.4 percent next year.