First of all, the grumpy old man you all can't seem to stand has a name (Ben) and has been a good friend of mine for years. Although he may not have the best customer skills, he certainly doesn't deserve all the disrespect you people like to throw around. He is a good man trying to service the community with his shoe repair skills. I've been in his store several times and witnessed first hand the customer abuse he has to deal with on a regular basis. Some people seem to think they can buy shoes at WalMart for $10 then when they fall apart (as they will) they think they can have them repaired for a couple bucks. You get what you pay for... buy cheap junk and that's what you get!\r
\r
Second, anyone who thinks there are better shoe repair shops around better look again. It's a lost art and a business that isn't going to see a vast increase in the coming years. The ""cheery"" man who owned the store before had to give it up because he didn't know how to run a business. Ben has the skill to do both; run a good business and fix shoes. He does them both rather well. But the ""satisfied"" customers never add comments to sites like this. They just appreciate the well-done job at a fair price and go about their lives. It's only the cry babies who get a kick out of slamming a good place like OK Shoe Repair. You didn't get stroked? Deal with it! And take your cheap shoes somewhere else (or break down and buy another pair for $10).\r
\r
Ben has been a straight up guy for as long as I've known him. He works the shop alone so he gets behind sometimes. It's not a ""drive-thru"" shoe repair shop. And he's honest. If he can't do the job, he'll tell you. Someday Ben will sell the shop and folks will have to fix their shoes themselves. Oh wait... they don't know how.
more