The Southland Cobbler Still Repairing Shoes After 30 Years
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Invercargill's most renown cobbler Hamish Murie says his business is still going strong despite many others closing up around the country.
Arguably one of the best in the New Zealand, Hamish took over Bennetts Shoe Repairs from the past owner Ted Bennett, who he was the last apprentice for in 1996.
The 53-year-old said he’ll still be mending shoes for a good 10 years yet, despite his old boss warning him it was a dying trade.
A Southland icon for over 70 years, Bennett Shoes opened in 1956 and Hamish had the opportunity to buy it after his return from Queenstown - where he spent a few years in the hospitality industry.
Hamish had also worked in Bennetts Shoes Repairs previously as a 14-year-old after school, but then started to train as a mechanic at SIT back in the early 1990s.
But there were few jobs then in the automotive industry so he went to Queenstown and worked at the iconic Cow Pizzeria.
Describing Ted as a good boss and someone he could really learn from, he said he was also tough and “old school,” and when all of Hamish’s friends went overseas to travel, he had to bite the bullet and buy the business or miss that opportunity.
Working up to 80 hours a week for the next 30 years, Hamish picked up the occasional part-timer through his Southland cricket connections, and still enjoys what he does everyday.
“It has always been a good trade because it’s very creative and I love the interaction with all of my clients.”
The majority are females and predominantly in the 40 to 60 year-old age - he has six ladies that have been his clients for 35 years, and now their grandchildren are coming in too.
Although the numbers of shoe repairs was only half of what there was when he first started, that was mostly because people were buying junk nowadays - cheap shoes that only lasted a few months and then thrown out.
Hamish only fixes the shoes that are worthwhile fixing - he says there’s no point spending $60 to repair shoes that won’t last the distance.
Brands like McKinlay’s were still the same staple quality as when they started in the 1980s, and R.M Williams boots were an example of a shoe that was built to last and to be fixed.
“They last about 10 years - they are the Toyota Hilux of footwear in Southland.”
Hamish only has about six or seven pairs of shoes himself, but also invests in quality - he remembers the days of Nomads and Treks that many teenagers wore at high school, and were a huge seller for footwear companies.
“If I could wear Treks again I would.”
Surprisingly, up until a few years ago there were still about 300 cobblers in New Zealand - but recently two in Dunedin closed (one in Mosgiel and another in Mornington), and the Christchurch earthquakes destroyed many in the Canterbury area.
“It knocked out all the old boys in Manchester Street because their shops were damaged.”
There will still be plenty of boots, shoes and handbags coming in to keep him busy for a few years yet - with work coming in from all over the country.
Hamish has some words of advice for those who love fast fashion and footwear; “people need to stop throwing things out and just re-use the things they have already. Fix your clothes, your furniture and of course your shoes.”