Roger Shoe Repairs
88 Redfern St, Redfern NSW 2016
Cobbler /ˈkɒblə/ n 1. A person whose job is mending shoes.
2. An iced drink made with wine or sherry, sugar, and lemon.
At the inception of my website, I was a bit of a nervous wreck like any half decent artist should be at any given time of day, at any given point in time. Specific cause on this particular occasion can be attributed to me coming to terms with the dynamics of my situation after ceasing full time work in the name of proactively pursuing my creative endeavours - a portion of which you have your eyes on at this very moment.
While enduring the creeping horrors of my reality, a past collaborator reached out with a request to assist him with a documentary on a cobbler from Redfern. Yearning for a distraction from my existential crisis, I accepted without hesitation. You may have heard of Roger through the handful of articles already published on him in recent years or maybe you’ve even visited his shop “Roger Shoe Repairs” in its 55 years of operation.
That’s right, he’s been running this shop since 1964 and it’s open to this day. A cobbler, in 2019, in a time of excess, in the age of disposable culture… thriving. Not only that but people are seeking him out for photos, videos (and articles) like he’s the newest brunch spot on the block where the croissants (pronounced with a broken French accent) have funky fillings consistent with the spectrum of a double rainbow.
Thinking back to stories my father shared on his childhood, I can indeed imagine where a cobbler once fit perfectly in the world. Back when you could barter for cinema tickets with chicken eggs, when homes with 3 beds would house families of 10 and when having a single pair of shoes was indeed something special.
“There is nothing we won’t do” - he reads from a fellow “cobbler’s” business card and laughs. I guess when you think about it you wouldn’t go to your mechanic asking for a pack of smokes with your oil change.
It has indeed become the norm these days for a cobbler to also be a tobacconist, watchmaker, locksmith and retailer, but that was never something to be considered for Roger. He maintains the once undisputed truth that cobblers are tradesmen/women, people that have received specific training and acquired specialised skills as a result.
“Me? Nah just shoe repair…and maybe bags”- he assures us.
Despite him bringing up this major point of difference, he doesn’t attribute his shop’s authenticity or his concentrated expertise as the reason to his success. In fact, I don’t think he sees success as a causation of something so complicated whatsoever.
Through seeing his industry change, having his competitors adapt, from struggling for 20 years, to having a shop full of backlog, he remained the same in his conduct. This is where the key to his success lies: he was always going to be who he is despite how the world around him transformed.
To him, the decision to stick by his shop in its 20 years of struggle was as simple as the decision to become a cobbler in the first place.
We ask him why he chose to become a cobbler. His answer doesn’t quite cut to the point of the question at the time but then I consider why anyone working a 364 day year would give a bunch of wannabe filmmakers his time and patience and it does make sense. “I’m a people person, I like to help people. I’m working for the people but I work for myself.”
While casually smoking a handful of cigarettes, he told us the above and a whole film trilogy’s worth of stories that will surely be brought to light one day. I received little insight on a dying profession and no secrets in running a business. Instead, I got the one and only “secret”: success starts and ends with your mindset and, when you decide to pursue something wholeheartedly, it is inevitable that said mindset comes knocking. In Roger’s case his commitment to the path was so strong that he found success before even embarking upon it.
“I lived a good life, I’ve done everything. Money… I have no value for it because I want to be happy.”
With my departure, I left behind the anxiety that I held for the future knowing I had already made the decision to pursue what I love. My decision’s transition into mindset is inevitable, I need only continue along the path I set upon.
To be honest though, I learnt nothing of his craft, on how well he can stich a shoe or repair leather but I feel my soul now at ease and I rate him for that.
“You're sitting down talking to older people. Listen, son, today in ten years’ time it'll be the good old days, make the best of it if you're going to mention it. That’s the lesson of life. Now what do you want to know?”
