Interview with John Won, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: This was around the time when I first moved to Aurora with my family. A very good friend of mine offered his business in cobbling to me since he knew I was looking for a job and needed sustainable income. He wanted to start another business in television maintenance, so he was glad to offer me this business. I would often go to the store to learn and watch how he cobbled and mend shoes. He taught me how to cobble, and here I am now, running the store.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: This line of business is old, but people will always need a way to maintain their leather shoes. Shoes of any kind are in a way a key component of how you want yourself to appear in any line of work, often times more so with leather shoes. My work is honest and humble, and I try my best to restore and mend shoes back to original quality. And, to tell you the truth, it’s probably the same with most other cobblers. We’re just trying our best to keep the quality and craft alive. My goals are simple: Stay humble, work hard and make the shoes look like they are brand new. I can say though, I do work fast and you would be surprised how brand new your shoes will look again.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: This line of work is independent and calming. I love to listen to music while I focus on my craft. It’s my own way of meditating and having quality time to reflect. The job is never stressful.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The greatest challenge is to keep this craft alive in a world where technology is advancing. There is nothing wrong with that, and often it helps my business out quite a lot. There’s tradition and history behind cobbling and keeping it alive is the biggest challenge. People will always need nice, suave leather shoes.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I never actually had an English name before working at John’s Shoe Repair. I only had my Korean name, Seung Won. The store’s name was here before I took over. I eventually took up the name John since it only made sense. The name John was my first English name and I had it ever since. In a way, the store gave me my name.
Profile
Business: John’s Shoe Repair
Address:12507 Mississippi Ave., #502
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
Founded:1996
Contact: 303-341-1679
Employees: 1
