The Crispin Colloquy

All,

I have an offer from an individual for a, more or less complete, shoe repair shop...free!!!

The shop, which is in Michigan, would have to be picked up and moved out of a building within 6 weeks or less and I would need a commitment very quickly.

Among the items in this shop are two curved needle stitchers (one a "K" ) two "77" McKays, Three finishers including a Sutton S900 and a Sutton Express, four autosolers, two patchers including a new Adler model 29 and much else.

Again free.

I will pass on the info to serious parties on a first come-first serve, basis if you simply email me.


Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

(Message edited by dw on July 07, 2008)

What??!! No one interested in roughly $15k worth of equipment and supplies for free?

All it takes is the will, a truck and a few friends. What you do with it after that is your business but if I were a lot younger (or more ambitious)--I'd pick it up. You can't hardly lose even if you turn around a deal it off Ebay.

Well, it here...and an exclusive offer for members of the CC for a week or so. If no one is interested I'll turn it back over to the owner and tell him we can't help. He's on a deadline though...he may have to scrap it all.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

DW,

I would like the shoemaking equipment in Michigan.

Bill Harris

DW, Sure would love to have one of the McKay stitchers, specially a 66 or 77.

JesseLee

JesseLee,

You might email Bill Harris...I sent him all the details. He might be looking at taking the owner up on his offer. In which case he might have an extra.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

Thanks DW, where in MI is the equipment?

JesseLee

I placed this under "Of Interest" because it is so to me. Whether it is so to you is something I can only hope.

Penny and I have been working on a website with a friend. It is now somewhat functional, at least as far as the shoes go, and we present it to you for approval. We hope that all of you need a pair. We hope you like it and refer all your reenacting friends to it.

gossville.bravehost.com

We hope you enjoy it!

Proxy posting for Tim Noonan:

For sale; custom shoemaking business in Rode Island. Complete setup for Goodyear welt construction including machines, lasts and a large quantity of supplies.
To the person with the right skills a customer list a mile long!!!
Looking for someone who will continue the business.
Any reasonable offer tendered.

Email for details: tim@30cutlerstreet.com or call (401) 247-0110

Don't get discouraged... I just returned from my local grinder, buying supplies. When I casually asked "how's business", expecting the usual doom and gloom I've been hearing everywhere for months, he said "shoe repair is skyrocketing. People are getting things fixed again!".

And in case you were lamenting whether shoe manufacture might ever "come home" again, this just in from China: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/14/asia/14china.php

Al,
You just made my day. I spent my life savings, the last two years trying to learn to make a decent boot, and just got a job at a repair shop last week. I feel like all my friends have been wondering what the heck I'm up to, maybe some day I'll be able to claim it was a brilliant career move, not the worst idea ever!
Cheers J.

J,

These are strange times indeed, and only time will tell. But, I cannot escape the basic logic that any nation that cannot feed and clothe itself domestically is going to be in way-big trouble. Imports are great, for luxury items and exotic stuff, but only in addition to (and maybe in competition with?) domestic industries. If we produce nothing ourselves anymore to sell or export, we have lost the mechanism by which the nation can work its way out of economic hard times like those currently upon us.

Will America ever revert to self-sufficiency (driven by that age-old vision of autocracy) in agriculture and manufactures? I doubt it. Will we ever get back to exporting 40% of the world's food or 60% of its manufactured goods? Never again. But maybe, just maybe, we are poised for a revival on some levels if the spirit remains--or as Larry called it "the fire in the belly". Stick by your trade, it'll put you head and shoulders ahead of the unemployed cubicle dwellers who cannot drive a nail straight or sew on a button. We shoe and bootmakers may never become the single largest skilled occupation in the USA ever again, like we were from 1851 to 1929(?), but at least we will not go silently into the night barefooted

The pace of things is accelerated today. And another downside to globalization is, without national water-tight bulkheads or fire doors to contain economic disaster, it spreads around the world unhampered.

Consider this: http://www.321energy.com/editorials/dubyne/dubyne111508.html

Since I also do repairs I will throw in my $.02 worth. I have noticed an increase in womens shoe repair lately. The big problem is that many of the mens shoes I get in are unrepairable. This however gives you a shot at selling a good pair of your own shoes or boots.
Unlike 1938 when we had 20% unemployment we were still the largest producers of oil, steel, autos, electronics, aircraft etc. We don't have that base of industry and labor any more. Unless we rediscover the "fire in the belly" and the guts to be Americans again we are in for a long hard road. Those of us who can make our own clothes and can fill our own larders will be able to carry on. But we need as a nation to rediscover buying "Made in the U.S.A."
Tom

Tom,

One of the final steps I take great pride in before shipping out an order, especially over seas, is to attach my MADE IN USA lable to the package.

Joe Toth

Guys,

I hate to do this but this is starting to get a little political...nothing serious or inappropriate yet but I'd like to head it off before it becomes necessary to send this discussion to the Gulag.



Emmett

I will add that buying american is not a proscription against any good double malt whiskey from the old sod, the U.K. or Oporto port.
Tom

Hey, Penny and I are famous! We gave a lecture about the past shoemaking industry in Epsom and surrounding area, and followed it with a desplay of tools, I discussed the shoemaking process and finished with a demonstration of lasting. We were interviewed for one of the local newspapers, and today, we're famous!
I had to sent an email to the reporter who wrote the article correcting her errors, but in the meantime, what the heck, we're famous! I like being the center of attention!
Pretty cool, huh?

NICE...Heres a link to the famous man Bruce Graham

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Epsom+man%27s+calling+inspires+ the+sole&articleId=dd6d49fe-fe85-4fbf-8ce3-89819f2510a7

Bruce,

Nice article. Congratulations. Never hurts to get a little publicity.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

Bruce & Penny,

Congratulations! Nice piece on your work. Don't fret, newspaper people get things wrong constantly... my buddy from "the Great Grey AP" says, however, it's verboten to try and correct them. What nerve

Bruce and Penny,

Fantastic! You deserve it! Ahhh, 15 minutes of pleasure!

Really, though, that's great. Personally I believe more and more of us will be so featured as this world begins to appreciate the things that don't, or rather haven't changed! I'm actually thinking we all need to stay connected to our local historical societies, as you have demonstrated.

Good on you, my friend.

Paul

To All,

I have always wanted a new set of LETTER & NUMBER punch set, i found a company out of Windsor, Ontario Canada called "BOSSTOOLS" which carries them at good price, so i bought a set (1/4"- 36 piece letter& number punch set -A to Z & 0-9- chrome vanadium steel- wooden storage case) shipping cost was fair. I thought i will share this with you in case someone needs the same. if you go to the site,look under "Hand Tools". they also carry hole punches.
BTW, I solemnly swear that i have no personal interest with this company.

Nasser.

(Message edited by dearbone on December 06, 2008)

Thank you, Nasser, for the tip on that website. I checked it out and put it on my favourites list for future reference. Ron

I've had pretty good luck finding older sets of letters/numbers in various sizes at flea markets or our local machine shop salvage shop (Dempsey's in Richmond, VA) where they sell off the contents of automotive machinists' tools and stuff. Don't think I've ever paid more than $15 or $20 for a letter set, and the older ones have serifs too, like old typewriter letters.

For people with less than a perfect eye, here is a gadget that helps keep rows straight and letters equally spaced.
Chuck