Cobbler P. Shanker and his son are planning to market their skills through Facebook and are hoping that their business will take off soon.

Discarding old shoes after they are worn out is one thing, but having to discard those that are slightly damaged is another, especially if they are branded or expensive. And chances are that even showrooms where they are bought from may not be able to fix them.

That’s where P. Vijay and his father P. Shanker come in. Calling themselves professional cobblers, Mr. Shanker claims that he can repair any damaged shoe, especially branded ones.

“I used to mend shoes for Bata. I would repair at least five to 15 pairs a day. They would tell customers that their damaged shoes were sent to the ‘company’ for repair. I was that ‘company’,” laughs the 70-year-old cobbler.

Vijay is now set to change how people look at those who mend shoes, claiming that he and his father can repair almost any shoe.

“A lot of times, people just discard branded shoes, even if they can be repaired. Showrooms may not do it. We even get the material on our own and deliver finished goods to the customers,” he says.

As a test, this reporter gave Vijay a pair of two-year-old Red Tape shoes, with completely worn out soles and inner leather. In fact, before giving it to him, the showroom where the shoes were bought from and a few other stores refused to fix the pair, stating that the soles were not replaceable.

However, Mr. Shanker proved them wrong, bringing back the pair to life, by making a new pair of soles and fitting them perfectly.

“I had to cut out new soles from a sheet of rubber. We ourselves purchase material required for our work. That was how we worked for a few Bata stores, earning Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 a month,” recalls Mr. Shanker.

However, a few years ago, he stopped taking orders and branched out on his own.

After working for an Army battalion in Mehdiptnam garrison for some months, he shifted operations to his own house in L.B. Nagar. Vijay now plans to market his father’s skills to get more business by starting a Facebook page.

“I will leave my MNC job once this takes off,” he quips. He can be contacted on 97009 90160 and 84639 76778.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Yunus Y. Lasania / Hyderabad – September 06th, 2015