Not a dying trade: Guelph, Ont. cobbler sees high demand for shoe repairs

A Guelph cobbler is trying to keep one step ahead after a surge in business. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has more on how he’s stepping up his game.

Helping customers put their best foot forward is what a Guelph, Ont. business does best.

CTV News first spoke with Pablo Hadarits in 2024 after he saw a sudden surge in demand for shoe repairs.

Hadarits, who is the owner of Dimar Shoe Repair, says one year later that surge hasn’t slowed down.

“We’re just as busy, if not busier, than last year when you guys came by,” he said.

What first seemed like a random boom in business for a dying trade has only grown. In fact, he now has three employees helping him out.

“They’re picking things up very quickly, which is one of the reasons we didn’t have to close this July, because of the improvements they’ve made,” said Hadarits.

The help is much needed. During Thursday’s interview with CTV News, Hadarits was forced to take a quick pause after some unexpected foot traffic well ahead of the shop opening.

Inside the store, every inch of the place is filled with repaired shoes or ones waiting to be fixed.

Shoe aficionados across North America are mailing their footwear to him and Hadarits has had to increase his online presence.

So why has his cobbling career taken a step forward?

“Typically, when the economy has gone down, we’ve seen a surge in our business, which is great,” said Hadarits. “When we re-sole a pair of shoes, it could be a couple hundred dollars, but if it’s a good pair of shoes, they probably paid $500 for them.”

He has also seen a shift with younger customers less interested in fast fashion trends and more interested in what’s better for the environment.

“They ask questions like, ‘What’s a good pair of shoes to buy that will last me 20 years, but I can get re-soled because I don’t want to be throwing shoes out every six months?’” Hadarits said.

Just recently, his hard work was recognized on a big stage against other top cobblers from around the world.

“The Shoe Service Institute of America, they have a really big shoe repair competition, which is called the Grand Silver Cup. Essentially, you take two pairs of shoes, you do a full sole on one and a half sole on the other and you leave the other shoe in its original form,” he explained. “I actually entered for the first time and I won a gold award, which is the second highest you can win. One person ahead of me won the Grand Silver Cup.”

He says it emphasizes that his humble workshop in Guelph, which is his heart and ‘sole,’ is right where he’s supposed to be.