Athens Cobbler Practices 'dying Art'

Lack of business is not threatening Dobbs Shoe Shop. The threat is no replacement for Mike Latimer when he is gone.

Mildred Latimer says attitude hampers the future of such fix-it type businesses.

"It used to be that every town had a shoe repair business, but we've become a throwaway society," Mildred Latimer says. "It gets broke, we throw it away and buy more. Because of that, there's not a demand to learn this trade or other trades."

Mike Latimer's children are not interested in the trade, and no one has expressed interest in learning from him how to repair shoes "the right way," he says.

"When I'm gone, I guess this place will close up too," he says. "You can hardly find places to learn the trade anymore, and most people want to do quick, cheap work and not put the time in to do quality work."

Mike Latimer shrugs at that likely outcome and picks up another shoe and begins fixing the heel. For now, his work, this dying art, survives another day.