It’s not often you hear about cobblers anymore, but Sudbury shoe repairman Daniel Frappier has earned a spotlight by climbing to the top of a very niche international group of professionals.
Earlier this month, Frappier returned from a trip to Germany with a gold medal and trophy of honour from Inter-Schuh-Service ISS 2023.
The event is Germany’s international shoe repair competition, and Frappier was the only Canadian to receive recognition at the renowned event billed as the “world’s largest exhibition for cobblers, shoemakers and shoe repairers.”
“These guys out in Europe are third or fourth generation cobblers, so it’s in them. They’ve lived through it, they’ve been brought up in it,” Frappier told Sudbury.com.
“To compete with them in that category, and do a little better than them, it’s very rewarding.”
Sudbury.com caught up with Frappier at his Sudbury shop, Heels ‘n’ Soles, at Montrose Mall on Lasalle Boulevard this week, where he had the pair of shoes he brought to Germany on hand.
He spent approximately 60 to 70 hours repairing one of the beat-up old shoes, bringing it up to the quality it was in when it was still in the box 45 years ago. It’s this shoe he presented to judges in Germany, which earned him accolades.
“Back in the day, everything was done properly, everything was leather, everything had steel shanks ... so it’s nice to work on things like that,” he said.
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Frappier last competed in the international competition in 2019, when he also received gold. This time around, he did slightly better by pulling a score of 98 per cent.
In addition to the feeling of satisfaction that comes with ranking so highly among his international peers, Frappier said it was nice to socialize with other cobblers.
“It’s very enlightening to talk to someone in the same boat as you are,” he said, adding that he is now the only one left in Sudbury.
There were 13 cobblers in town when he purchased Heels ‘n’ Soles 30 years ago, but they’ve all retired or left the trade without training the next generation.
Frappier didn’t always intend on getting into shoe repair, having originally taken up welding.
“I passed with all my tags, all my tickets, and went into the workforce and found there wasn’t much work in town,” he said.
He’d already learned all the basics of shoe repair while working at Heels ‘n’ Soles after school for a few years, so he bought the business when the opportunity arose.
The shop has changed locations several times over the years, and settled in its current location at Montrose Mall in 2020.
Although Frappier is alone locally in a once-crowded field, he said shoe repair is more important than ever in today’s economy, where “everything is expensive.”
“It just makes money sense,” he said. “You’re not going to go out and spend $100 on another pair when you just need a stitch or a little bit of glue, or you wore the soles down.
“It’s important (for people) to recycle their stuff. If they have good quality shoes, or even an old pair, keep them out of the trash. Get them repaired, wear them a little longer so we can recycle them and make them last.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
