Athens Cobbler Practices 'dying Art'

HOLLY HOLLMAN

ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — Dust particles dance in the dim light at Dobbs Shoe Shop as Mike Latimer grinds a custom sneaker sole for an orthopedic patient.

Grit and black polish outline his calloused fingertips.

The smells of beeswax, used for polishing, and cement glue, used to bind soles and heels, combine with the aroma of cut leather.

Shoes ranging in style from black boots to leopard print heels to neon green slip-ons line a shelf in the middle of the room.

These smells, scenes and Latimer's work as a cobbler are part of a dying art, he says. Shoe Service Institute of America backs his claim, stating there are about 7,000 shoe repair shops remaining in the country.

"You have shops in malls that don't do it the old-fashioned way, and the quality isn't the same," Latimer says as a train's horn blares through his shop's open door on a sunny June day. "We still do it the old-fashioned way."