Here’s a word you don’t hear much these days: cobbler.
No, not cobbler as in that scrumptious apple cobbler. I mean cobbler as in the profession. Someone who repairs shoes.
It’s a nice old-fashioned word, isn’t it?
Anyways, I’ll never forget the first time I visited a cobbler…
I was in my 20’s and hanging out with my girlfriend, a goofy grin on my face, and I said to her: “Want to know what I’m doing tomorrow? I’m visiting the cobbler.”
She rolled her eyes. She thought I was being overly sentimental about old-world crafts. But what she didn’t know was that I actually needed the cobbler’s help.
The day before, I’d been brewing a batch of oatmeal stout, and some of that delicious (but stain-causing) black nectar had splashed onto my good boots. The dark stain had settled deep into the leather, and I had no idea how to get it out without ruining them completely.
So, off to the cobbler I went.
His shop smelled like leather and old wood polish. Tools hung neatly along the walls—awls and hammers and brushes I couldn’t name. Behind the counter sat an old man.
I was skeptical that this cobbler would have the strength to scrub the stout stain from my boots—he looked a little tired, and this seemed like a tough job.
I set my boots on the counter and explained what had happened. He picked up one boot, turned it slowly in his weathered hands, examining the stain from different angles. No rushing. No immediate judgment.
“Do you think it’s possible?” I asked him.
He set the boot down gently and looked me directly in the eyes. With big bushy eyebrows and a voice like Dumbledore, he told me:
“My boy… in here, anything’s possible.”
Something about the way he said it…
He wasn’t boastful, wasn’t trying to impress me. Just matter-of-fact confidence born from decades of bringing damaged goods back to life.
His certainty became my certainty, and I walked home knowing I was in good hands.
The takeaway for us?
Make every customer who walks through our door feel how the cobbler made me feel. Not through empty promises or flashy guarantees, but through the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your craft.
Look them in the eye. Take time to understand their problem.
And then, with the assurance that only comes from experience, let them know they’re in the right place.
