by James Kissinger
This week I paid a visit to Carl Walter. Carl repairs shoes in downtown Rogers, Arkansas. He’s been plying his craft for a whole lot longer than I’ve been around. Sixty one years to be exact. As I stood in his store I did the math in my head and figured out that our soldiers were just coming home from World War II about the time Carl opened up his shop. My eyes wandered across the store. It was like stepping back in time. It appeared little had changed inside these walls in those six decades. It smelled of leather and oil. It struck me that Carl had a place for everything. His tools were simple. Mallets, cutting dies, a rugged sewing machine, a manual cash register. A hand written ledger with the customer’s name, phone number and ticket number. I put my shoes on the counter and showed Carl the problem. The stitching was separating on a pair of Doc Martens I’ve owned for 10 years. They were sturdy shoes that had served me well, but were definitely in need of repair. “Shouldn’t be a problem,” he told me. His wife had me write my name and number on a claim ticket and sent me on my way. It was fairly obvious that Carl was going to be an easy person to do business with.
When I left, I began to wonder what will happen when Carl closes up shop. Who will fill the gap? The world is a different place than it was when Carl opened his doors for business all those years ago. I have no evidence, just a hunch, but I don’t think folks have their shoes repaired these days like they did in the past. Things have become more disposable. In this day and age when something has served its purpose more often than not we discard it in favor of something new. Something “better.” I’m talking about more than just shoes. Disposable razors. Disposable cameras. Disposable contact lenses. Disposable commitments. Disposable relationships. Discarding the old, in favor of the new.
Maintaining what we have takes effort. It’s much easier to throw money on the counter and walk away hassle free. Honoring commitments requires effort. Relationships take effort. Over time, the stitching frays. We feel slighted. Perhaps we didn’t get what we thought we were getting. The maintenance eventually seems too high for what we receive in return, and we decide to move on. So we cast aside the old. The problem is what’s now new will, too, become old. It will wear and require maintenance just like the original and we’re left with the decision once more. Spouses, friends, customers. They all deserve our best. These relationships are worthy of repair, of maintenance. They deserve the attention of a “Carl.” The attention to detail a craftsman provides.
I picked up my shoes yesterday. In addition to the area that separated, Carl reinforced the stitching in an area that might cause me problems later. He showed me his work, placed the shoes in a crumpled brown paper bag, and charged me $2.70. I think I’ll be good for another 10 years.
