The shoe repair business isn’t what it used to be but one shop owner has found a place he hopes will embrace the dying art – the Heights.
For nearly two decades Habib Jamshidian has been repairing shoes and leather goods, everything from belts, purses and luggage, to boots, heels and pumps. You name it, he’s fixed it.
“It’s a dying art and no one wants to do it. It’s long hours and long days,” he said. “When people retire, nobody takes over they just close the store and they just leave.”
Jamshidian has been in the business since the mid-’90s. He was first hired at a Save-On-Foods in Coquitlam that had a shoe repair department back in 1996. Two years later he opened his own shop, and another in 2002.
“Then I went to Guildford and then I came to Brentwood, and now I have this one (in the Heights),” he said.
Jamshidian opened GAM shoe repair and accessories store in the Heights in mid-July. His location is still open at Brentwood Town Centre but the mall is undergoing major construction so Jamshidian felt it would benefit his customers, many of whom live in the Heights, if he opened another, more accessible location on Hastings Street.
“There’s a demand in Burnaby Heights,” he said. “So many customers from this area come to the mall and since the mall is messed up, I thought I would open up here in case it’s too difficult to come there they could come here and drop it off and pick it up.”
Jamshidian has no intention of leaving the Heights once the construction at Brentwood is finished, he’s already quite smitten with the neighbourhood, he said.
“It’s like a family here, not like the mall. We’ve already made so many friends here,” he said.
Jamshidian says his customers are thankful for the work he does. There aren’t many other places that offer shoe repair and most people end up throwing out worn or broken shoes rather than having them repaired.
“They’re very happy we are here,” he said. “Some customers, they like their shoes, their boots, it doesn’t matter what they look like, it’s just because they’re comfortable so they want to repair them.”
Jamshidian admits business has slowed down over the years but there are still many people who cherish a favourite pair of shoes or boots enough to have them repaired instead of buying a new pair.
GAM Shoe Repairs and accessories is located at 101A – 4161 Hastings St.
