BY ABIDGAIL MERTA GANGGANG
KUCHING: The saying, ‘walk a mile in my shoes’, may be apt to encapsulate the trying times facing street cobblers.
The state of the economy which is still recovering post Covid-19 is one thing.
Their daily hustle to make ends meet gets a tad harder especially during much of the fasting month when people juggle their finances to have enough for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Business only tends to pick up when the celebration is round the corner.
Under the Satok Flyover at the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) Cobblers Kiosk, one will come across Mohd Khairul Anwar mending shoes.
Having learnt his skills from his father from the age of eleven, Mohd Khairul Anwar has been through the works.
The 29-year-old cobbler who shares business with his father said as always business was getting slower with everyone is saving up for the upcoming Hari Raya.
“When Syawal is near, the women will send their heels and sandals to get fixed. Men usually will get their shoes polished and sneakers sewn here.”
Customers, he said, would typically send their shoes to their kiosk when they are about to close for the day on their way back home.
But Khairul and his father don’t quibble – they take orders from last minute customers for as long as the customers give them time to do their job.
“There is no rest for us but it is heartening to see happy faces get to wear their favourite footwear on the meaningful day,” he said.
He used to charge RM18 to mend a pair of shoes and but now asks for RM20 due to the rising prices of materials.
“My daily income can be anything between RM50 and RM100 on normal days,” he said, adding the lowest he had earned was RM30.
Once, he earned RM300 in a day when ten pairs of shoes were sent to him.
Despite prices being reasonable Khairul however said some customers are not easy to please when it comes to his charges.
“We are giving service to repair and restore your broken shoes. Cobblers like us buy our own material to fix your shoes,” he said, hoping these customers would understand.
In recent times Khairul has also been posting his services on Facebook to attract more customers.
But he has a preference for meeting customers at the kiosk.
“It is much easier for them to approach and discuss with me how they want to get their shoes fixed. It is better to have them come so I can meet their expectations and needs,” he said.
As for 27-year-old Mohd Sharul Nizam Azaman, mending people’s shoes has become his side income to support his family.
Working as a security guard at an apartment complex, Sharul has developed a liking for the craft.
“I worked as a lorry driver, caterer at a canteen but I did not find any passion there,” he said.
Taught by his uncle when he was 18, Sharul said putting shoes together is the easiest skill to learn and with lots of practice, he is now able to finish seven pairs of shoes in one day.
He charges between RM15 and RM20 to repair a pair of shoes, and higher if the repair involves more work.
“If the shoes are still new, it is easy because only a little work needs to be done. We just need to add extra modification to support the strength and lifespan of the shoes,” he said.
The part time cobbler gives his customers a choice, either to mend, sew or both, and he can complete a repair in less than 30 minutes, thus explaining how he has managed to gain loyal customers.
When customers present footwear that he finds to be beyond repair, he would just tell them to say goodbye to their beloved old shoes.
“I tell them their shoes cannot be restored anymore. I do not want them to waste their money,” he said.
