Cobbler Corner is closing it’s doors next week after four decades of providing shoe repair service in Bridgewater.
Howard Van Tassel and his wife opened Cobbler Corner in September of 1981, after taking over LeBlanc’s Shoe Repair from his father-in-law who taught him the trade.
Van Tassel said he and his wife decided it was time for the business to close in order to shift their focus to creating and selling their custom leatherwork online.
“I’ve given shoe repair forty years, and in that time I’ve learned so much more than just shoe repair,” explained Van Tassel.” We wanted to take it further and the only way I could do it was to not have the shop.”
He adds although he is looking forward to spending more of his time creating custom leatherwork, the decision to close his business didn’t come easy.
“We have worked with the most beautiful, nicest people in the world here,” said Van Tassel. “We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and I’m dealing with four generations of customers now, so it’s extremely difficult for us to do this.”
Initially, Van Tassel hoped to find somebody willing to take over the business and continue to offer shoe repair in Bridgewater, but after five years of searching, he had no luck.
“There was nobody interested in taking up this trade, which is really tragic for us because after forty years, all that knowledge that we have does not get passed on to anybody,” explained Van Tassel.
When it comes to the business closing it’s doors, Van Tassel said he’s going to miss working with the public most of all.
“It’s the people of this area that we’re really going to miss the most,” said Van Tassel. “It’s been a really wonderful way to spend a life running a business and every day has been special here.”
He explained that he will continue to post he and his wife’s leatherwork on their Facebook page and hope to participate in local craft shows and farmers markets in the future.
Van Tassel said Cobbler Corner will close it’s doors for good on October 29th.
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