THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 9, 1995 TAG: 9506070168
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
CHARLES Di MARCO HAS a catchy slogan: ``Don't deep six 'em - let Di Marco fix 'em.''
The slogan refers to shoes with run-down heels or holes in the soles.
In the nine months since he opened Di Marco's Shoe Repair in Orchard Square Shopping Center on Kempsville Road, the 27-year-old Di Marco has probably resoled and heeled more than 200 pairs of shoes.
Most shoes can be repaired up to six times, if the job is done carefully, he said.
``I want my customers to come back,'' he said. ``I want to see that pair of shoes again. If a pair of shoes cost $80, and the customer spends $25 on repairs, that's a big savings.''
To prove the point, he keeps a photo album depicting shoes before and after Di Marco.
The ``before'' shots include a pair of Red Wing boots, which were made in 1975. For 15 years, they had been stashed away in an attic or closet. The owner came in wearing the boots with the soles attached to the boot top with masking tape.
``I haven't seen anyone else come in with a pair of shoes taped up like that,'' Di Marco said. ``The man didn't want to spend the money to have them resoled correctly, but he was kind of thrilled that I could fix them.''
Di Marco's sister, Liza, spends most days in the shop helping out or preparing advertising fliers for mail or delivery.
Di Marco provides free pickup and delivery service at business locations. There's no catch. No initial startup fee. No minimum orders. And prices are not inflated, Di Marco said.
Liza Di Marco picks up and drops off the shoes.
``Call us from your workplace, Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and noon,'' the flier states. ``There is usually a two-day turnaround.''
Di Marco takes pride in the trade that he learned from his father, Charles Di Marco Sr., who operated his own shop in Buffalo, N.Y., between 1955 and 1979.
From age 5, Di Marco cleaned, stocked shelves and vacuumed in his father's shop.
``I grew up in the shop,'' he said. ``If I acted up - well, dad believed in discipline. So, around the shop I was on good behavior.
``My younger brother would help. But in the old Italian way, dad pushed me harder because I was the older son.''
By 1981, shoe repair shops in Buffalo seemed to outnumber demand for shoe repairs.
The family moved to Virginia Beach and opened a shoe repair shop at Woodtide Shopping Center, where Di Marco assisted his dad after school.
``About my senior year, he had me doing the big stuff, like taking the shoes apart and putting them together,'' he said. ``He walked me through most of it.''
But Di Marco dragged his own feet when it came to getting into the business with his father.
After two years at Tidewater Community College, he tried his hand at construction. Then he worked as a computer-aided drafting and design operator for both Farm Fresh and Home Quarters corporate offices. He also managed two Mr. Zip quick-lube centers.
In September 1994, father and son opened their shop in Orchard Square, where the elder Di Marco planned to sit on a bench inside the shop, greet customers and offer advice. But he passed away in November.
Di Marco surveyed the 1,000-square-foot shop where he invested about $3,000 and six weeks of manual labor in constructing the interior.
He filled the shop with his father's well-oiled equipment, including a 1960s model Singer 12-inch long-arm patching machine and a tall 1939 stitcher with foot pedals.
``It's a pretty intricate machine. I hope it doesn't break down anytime soon,'' he said.
There's a 1940s, 13-foot Landis line finisher with seven independent sanders. The machine includes a trimmer, a knife sharpener, a buffer and a sole iron used for finishing touches and shining. A vacuum runs the full length of machine.
The person making the shoe repairs begins at one end of the line finisher and works to the other, he said.
``If you don't have one of these, you're not in business.''
``My dad always wanted me with him to learn different things,'' Di Marco said. ``He was not mechanically inclined, but he could take a table apart and put it back together. He'd walk me through it.
``With wood and with shoes, he taught me a lot of common sense,'' he said. ``He stressed hard work because he said `work gets you everywhere.' I haven't found that yet. But I care about the kind of work I put out.''
So to customers who say he's too young to know what he's doing, he says: ``Bring in the worst pair you have. If I can't repair them, you won't have to pay.
``People come in because a friend told them I took time with them,'' he said. ``Customer service comes first.''
Although many customers show little interest in shoe care, he says, it's very important.
Dress shoes should be polished often with a good shoe cream to repel water and keep the leather soft. During the rainy season, he recommends an application of mink oil. It's also important to avoid puddles, freshly treated lawns and salty roads.
``Don't drag your feet,'' he said. ``Unlace your shoes then take them off with your hands. Don't kick them off. Don't pile things on top of your shoes. Use shoe trees.''
To protect leather handbags, Di Marco recommends applying mink oil, then gently rubbing a non-pasty, cream polish. Finally, buff well to remove residue and to protect clothing. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Charles DiMarco opened his shoe repair business in September 1994
with his father, who passed away in November.
by CNB