The repairman: Bill Wells
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Bill Wells at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Jack Cardello at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Jack Cardello at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Harry Funk / Staff Equipment at Charles the Cobbler in Peters Township
Since its humble beginnings in Upper St. Clair, Charles the Cobbler, originally Charles Shoe Store, has survived – and even thrives – in today’s “throw away” world.
While other shoe repair shops in the country have fallen by the wayside, Charles the Cobbler owner Bill Wells continues to churn out a record number of repairs at his shop in Krebs Professional Center in McMurray. He and fellow cobbler Jack Cardello, who’s worked at the shop for 20 years but has been repairing shoes since 1959, repair a minimum of 300 shoes each week – not counting purses, luggage and more, that require mending.
Wells and his wife, Donna, who keeps things running smoothly in the front of the shop, drive 100 miles each day, six days a week from their home in Monaca.
Think a cobbler only works on shoes? Think again. Cobblers can also replace broken zippers, shorten belts, repair luggage, re-lace baseball gloves, stitch handbags, repair jacket tears, refinish leather coats and replace buckles.
We stopped by the store and talked with Bill Wells about the dwindling, but important, craft.
How did you learn the trade?
I learned the business as a kid in Monaca. When I was 11, I used to deliver newspapers. When I’d get to the end of town, there was a shoe repair store, so I’d go in to get warm. They wouldn’t let you just hang out and do nothing – they wanted you to sweep the floor or maybe run to the hardware store for them. So I started hanging out there and working and learning. It was a busy store. In my 20s, I worked in the automotive business, then I was director of maintenance for Hertz until one day I got tired of it and said ‘The hell with this.’ I went to Nashville for a while, working with a friend on a Budget Rent-A-Car franchise, and I also worked for a time at a shoe repair place in Nashville. That’s when I got the call about buying this business.
When did you open the store?
I bought the store in 1986, but it was located at South Hills Village back then. They were trying to find a buyer after Charles Concilla, the original owner, had a massive stroke. So we were at the Village for nine years, but left because the mall threw all of the independents out. At that time we had two stores going – the one at the Village and in ’88 we opened one at Donaldson’s Crossroads. We had as many as 10 people working there. The girls would polish shoes all day long to get them ready to go out because they were colors that were all done by hand that we can’t do in the back. In the evenings, they’d sit on the steps and if everything was caught up, do their school work. We moved to the Krebs location in 2001.
What is your most requested repair, and what is the strangest thing you’ve ever repaired?
We do a lot of sole replacements and repairs on ladies’ heels. We also fix a lot of purses. Right now, we’re repairing the handles on big black cases that are used to transport coins to coin shows, but in the past we’ve been asked to fix canes, trampolines … even the Pirate Parrot’s feet. And years ago, when the Pirates were in a playoff game against the Dodgers, I think, one of the big time players on the other team, I can’t remember his name now, but he had his name embroidered on his glove and the glove needed fixed. So I came to work at South Hills one day and here’s this kid sitting outside the doorway. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ He said he had to have this glove fixed right away so the guy would play the game that night. It was his favorite glove and he wasn’t going to play unless it was fixed.
What is the turn around time?
We try to do everything in less than a week. I’ve been here 9:30, 10 o’clock at night. And we never take anything we don’t think we can fix. We had a guy come in yesterday with five pairs of shoes in a shopping bag. You’re talking around $2,500 worth of shoes. But what we’re getting now are guys in the gas business – it’s incredible how many people we get from there. And a lot of kids who are going on interviews come here to get their shoes shined.
How far away do your customers live?
We have customers that come from Wheeling, Sewickley, a lot from Ohio, New Stanton, Somerset, Greene County. Almost all of the commissioners from Greene County come here. And a lot of people stop here on their way to the mall. There aren’t many cobblers around anymore, so they come here.
Why is that?
As they get older, they pass away. This is a rough business. It’s tough. It’s work. And it’s just me and Jackie doing the repairs. Jackie’s dad was a shoe repairman all his life, back when the business was booming. But we can’t get help. Nobody wants to work. The word ‘cobbler’ is a guy that cobbles stuff together and it’s looked down upon, like a low-grade type job. Probably the craziest thing about this business is the more successful you become, the harder you work, and there’s nobody that can do it.
Has business increased over the years?
We’re at the point now, we’re busy because of the lack of shoe stores. Some of the shoes we get in, like men’s dress shoes, can be around $400. Some cowboy boots can be $500-$2,000. But there aren’t many people left that buy those kinds of shoes. But we’ve been busier than we thought we should be.
What’s unique about your store?
We’re still family. We have regular people who loaf here. It’s incredible the people we’ve gotten to know. And just like old-time businesses, people call or stop in for crazy things. Elderly women bring in these scam letters they get in the mail, asking us to look them over because they don’t have anyone else they can trust. We’ve given people a ride home in an emergency. Places like this are all gone now. We weren’t raised that way. We were raised to believe that you always help others.
Do you see yourself slowing down any time soon?
No. I’d do it a lot longer than Donna wants to. We thought about closing the end of 2015, but I’m going to retire when I find another job.