Shoes

Downtown has the more familiar landmarks like the Bank of America tower and the Modis building, but tucked near the corner of North Laura and West Forsyth is a landmark less pronounced.

Welcome to the current location of Gus & Company Shoe Repair, now in its second century on the First Coast.
Though the shop's location has changed several times over several generations, it has become a mainstay of the downtown business community.
It is also something of a barometer of our economic times.

On this sunny Wednesday in February, customers are lined up to be greeted by owner Greg Vaccaro as they drop off and pick up their shoes.
The rear wall is filled with neatly placed brown paper bags containing finished repairs, each with the customers tag stapled to the front.
Tomorrow's repairs are piling up in a basket behind Vaccaro."We stay real busy!" he exclaims, while ringing up yet another sale.

Vaccaro says a slower economy means more business.

"This economy has all the lawyers fixing everything. The Bankers. Everybody. Instead of buying new shoes, they're getting their old ones fixed!"
Vaccaro says there's another advantage to re-soling versus buying new.

"Longer lasting by far. Three or four times longer lasting than a new pair of shoes. Plus, they're already broken in and comfortable!"
Many of Gus & Company's customers are downtown professionals wearing better than average shoes, with better than average pricetags."Anywhere from $150 to $350-$400-500-dollars and on up from that also," says Vaccaro.

And so he says many customers are foregoing the cash outlay for new shoes, opting instead to see him.
He says many customers are bringing shoes in by the bagful. "Four, five, six, seven, eight pair of shoes we get. everyday we get bags of shoes!"
Vaccaro says it's simple economics

"They'll get six or seven pair of shoes fixed for the price it would cost for one brand new pair!"
And while business is steady right now, Vaccaro hopes it won't get 'too busy.' He says reviewing 100-years of the company books showed Gus & Company's best week ever back in 1929 --just before the Wall Street Crash that led to the Great Depression.
The second best week, he says, was before 'Black-Monday' --the Wall Street Crash of 1987.

It's a pattern Vaccaro says he hopes he'll never see again.