POSITION: Owner
COMPANY: Militello’s Shoe Repair
WHAT THEY DO: Repair and shine shoes, alter boots and shoes, clean and repair leather and cloth handbags
REVENUE: $300,000 or so annually
NEXT GOAL: Staying in business
About 15 years ago, Fred Militello Sr. owned seven shoe-repair shops in Baton Rouge and two in New Orleans. He had locations in all the local malls and major shopping centers. Over the years he did work for Evel Knievel, repaired the boots Paul Newman wore in Blaze, and designed a canvas shoe for an elephant with a bad foot.
“I didn’t want to be just a mom-and-pop operation,” he says, when asked why he expanded as much as he did. His father was in the same business, running a one-man operation called Papa Joe’s in Gonzales until having a stroke in the mid-1960s. Fred Militello didn’t want to be in the same position, where if he got sick for a while, his livelihood could disappear.
But changing economics, difficulty attracting good help and the vagaries of fashion contributed to his decision to close most of his stores over the years. People don’t use shoe-repair shops as much as they used to, in part because many would rather buy cheap shoes they could throw out later. He says shoe repair isn’t hard work, but it can be hectic; his average sale only is about $18, so it takes a lot of volume to keep going. And the business took a big hit when narrow heels on women’s shoes went out of style, since wider heels don’t break as often.
So now he’s down to one location on Corporate Boulevard near Towne Center at Cedar Lodge, two if you count his son’s shop on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard. But even at age 72, he’s not getting out of the business completely. For one thing, small heels are back. Plus, his current location draws an upscale clientele that buys nice shoes and doesn’t mind paying to get them fixed.
“It’s amazing what women pay for shoes and handbags,” he says. “It’s nothing for them to pay $700 or $800 for a pair of shoes, or $1,000.”
His health is good, he says, and there’s always going to be a need for shoe repair.
“People buy good shoes, they’re not going to throw them away to get a new pair,” Militello says. Besides, he likes getting out of the house.
