Tim Willig of Awesome Time Shoe and Leather Repair
Meet Tim Willig of Awesome Time Shoe and Leather Repair. Using old-school techniques, Willig is helping introduce a new generation to his trade, which values fixing—not discarding—broken and damaged shoes and garments.
What services do you offer?
I offer a full range of shoe, boot and leather repair, soles, heals, zippers and most anything people need.
How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I started doing shoe repair about eight years ago. I had been working at Casablanca for a few years already, and my boss at the time decided to buy the shoe repair from a friend of his in Reading, hoping that I would like to learn how to do it, which I did. We moved the shop into Casablanca, and the guy he bought it from ended up teaching me how to fix shoes for the next few months.
What would you do differently if you started your business again?
I don't know if i would do anything different, but I probably would have bought the shoe repair from my previous boss a little earlier than I did, which I did last summer.
Why is your job important?
I think reusing and fixing things is more and more important these days, considering how easily disposable most things are now. Keep what you have, keep what you love; why throw it away?
Interview by Sean M. Peters