A Family Repair
The rich scent of leather hangs in the air as the lively rhythm of cumbia music beats from a small speaker beside the door of “Quality Shoe Repair” in Bay City, Michigan.
The shop’s owner, Santa Valdez, emerges from the heaps of shoes and machinery crowding the small space with a warm, beaming smile.
Santa Valdez hems a pair of leather pants in his shop "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
A self proclaimed “shoe man”, Valdez was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and has been practicing the trade of shoe repair since he was 12 years old. With over 100 shoe repairmen in his family and 13 siblings, Valdez said that he learned the family trade alongside his brothers and cousins.
Though no longer in Mexico, Valdez’s family is still an integral part of his life. Valdez said that his brother repairs shoes at “Ann Arbor Shoe Repair”, while his son follows suit in Ypsilanti. His daughter is also trained on the family trade and is ready to take over his shop if needed.
“Once you learn (shoe repair), you can make money out of nothing. It’s like recycling,” Valdez joked.
Santa Valdez slices into the sole of a shoe in his shop "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Though shoes are Valdez’s primary focus, he has earned the reputation of a jack of all trades when it comes to repairs. Customers came into the shop with torn jackets, loose buttons, oversized belts and leather pants in need of hemming. He gladly took them all.
“We do not reject anything,” Valdez said.
He worked quickly and diligently to hem the leather pants, carefully measuring, folding and cutting until he was satisfied with his work. The entire process spanned under ten minutes. The customer knew to arrive soon after.
Though Valdez says his turnaround for repairs is seven days, it is apparent that the week is purely a formality.
A tip jar reading "retirement savings" sits on the desk at "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
With a reputation for quality repairs and quick service, Valdez has been enjoying his “retirement” for years now.
“I call this store my retirement fund, it’s fun to be old and have experience,” he said.
Valdez said that he worked for a shoe repair business in Chicago for 25 years before purchasing “Quality Shoe Repair.” The shop’s previous owner, Ramiro Facundo, was a beloved figure of the city who had run the business for 27 years prior.
Various materials for leather and shoe repair are displayed at "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Though the shop may look like a neat-freak’s worst nightmare, everything is in perfect order for Valdez. The location of every screw, strip of leather and bottle of polish is neatly stored in his memory.
He moves through the shop with intention, smiling and joking as he expertly brings one of his menacingly large polishing machines to life or embeds a nail into the sole of an ornately trimmed boot.
Santa Valdez (left) chats with a customer (right) as he receives payment for his work hemming the customer's pants in his shop "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Until two months ago, Valdez ran the shop by himself, only recently hiring help to take on some of his hefty workload. There are no complaints from the “shoe man”, though.
He grinned as he explained his favorite part of his job: the customers.
“You wait on these people all this time and you end up loving them,” Valdez said.
He appears to be on a first-name basis with every person that walks through his door. Similarly to his predecessor, Valdez said that he has built strong connections with his customers over the years.
A pile of leather boots awaiting repair sit on the counter at "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
The feeling seems to be mutual for the customers, as well.
“There are people that use lifts, even people that don’t need it, they keep bringing their shoes to me because they don’t want me to go
go away,” Valdez said.
Though Valdez said he is not worried for his own business, the threat of losing business is very real for many in the shoe repair trade.
“Instead of shops opening, they are closing every day,” Valdez said.
Valdez said that he believes that government aid and scholarships should exist for young people that want to pursue a trade such as shoe repair, emphasizing the need to keep them alive through the modern age.
Though the fate of cobblers across the United States is uncertain, the “shoe man” will not be leaving his shop any time soon.
Santa Valdez smiles as he returns a customers shoes in his shop "Quality Shoe Repair" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.