Art of cobbling alive and well in local shopping centres as thirst for quality drives Mr Minit stores

It’s an age-old profession mentioned in the same breath as blacksmiths and candlestick makers – but what does it mean to be a cobbler in 2021? For Steve Whittard, who owns seven Mr Minit stores on the Gold Coast, it means cars, dogs and fashion can make or break him. THIS IS HIS STORY >>

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IN his bright red and blue Mr Minit polo shirt, Phil doesn’t look like a rare artisan of an age-old craft – until you see his shoes.

The tatty scraps of leather – scratched and yawning where the sole used to be – are on the bench next to him and they aren’t, strictly speaking, his.

But for now, they are his project and last night he was at home finding just the right piece of timber from which to shape them some new heels.

By the time he’s finished, Phil will have the well-loved footwear fresh, gleaming and better than new.

If there’s truth in the saying that you can tell a lot about someone from their shoes, it’s possible Phil and his workmates are privy to some of the Gold Coast’s biggest secrets.

Cobblers are a highly specialised profession.

It’s this literal down-to-earth connection with customers that drew Steve Whittard to the business as a 21-year-old trainee and now sees him own and operate seven of the city’s shopping centre kiosks and a mobile service.

“Some people don’t like it but some people walk in and say ’oh my God this is the best job I’ve ever had’,” Mr Whittard says.

“The good thing is, you’re doing something different every day, every customer is different and it’s a fun job.

“I love shoes, I’m a bit of a shoe man.”

“Shoe man” Steve has worked for Mr Minit for 30 years and has gone from fixing shoes to owning seven stores. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Despite the love, some well-heeled customers are beyond help – like the woman who trashed her $2500 pumps on a big night out the first time she wore them.

“She came up and said ‘can you repair these?’ We couldn’t – the material they used was specific to that shoe,” Mr Whittard says.

“She would have had to send them to Italy, they’d take three-four months and it’d probably cost $300-400.”

Every customer has a story and some of them also have very expensive designer shoes and teething dogs, which is lucky for Mr Whittard.

“Dogs are a big part of our business. It’s pretty sad when somebody comes in with a pair of Christian Loubitins and the heels have been chewed by their puppy.

“You’re looking at a $2000 pair of shoes – a lot of the time we can fix them but sometimes we can’t.

“The shoe trends definitely impact our business – if stilettos are in fashion, we do more shoe repairs, if court shoes are in fashion we tend to do less.”

Mr Minit was founded in 1957 as “Talon Minute” in Brussels, in response to an epidemic of broken stiletto heels, snapped and scratched on unforgiving cobblestones.

Quickly realising a reliance on cobblestones was not a long-term business plan, the company expanded its services to include key cutting, watch repairs and engraving.

But shoe repairs remain the company’s main revenue stream, which has been challenging in a world where a new pair of shoes can be bought for the cost of a sandwich.

Mr Whittard’s stores at The Pines, Runaway Bay, Westfield Helensvale, Robina, Pacific Fair, Australia Fair and Westfield Coomera are well-patronised by seniors.

“It’s that age of 60-90 who bring in their shoes, they’ve had them for a long time, they love their shoes and we just like to try and look after them and make them feel comfortable,” Mr Whittard says.

“Fortunately, quality is having a bit of a comeback, and we’re getting a lot of shoe repairs.”

While-you-wait services are still popular, with a high-profile local politician recently spending an hour barefoot in Harbour Town after a shoe emergency.

Cobblers

Key cutting forms 25 per cent of the business, but even that has moved on from shaping a simple piece of brass or nickel – with Mr Whittard spending more than $100,000 on new technology as electronics play an increasing role in how keys work.

“I think Mr Minit’s historically been known as a shoe repairer, but we do a lot more.”

Mr Whittard’s seven stores are in the biggest shopping centres in the region, so keeping up with the rent means selling a lot of keys and finding the right balance between the old art of cobbling and the new technologies needed to maintain the business.

Guys like Phil continue to be the point of difference for Mr Minit when compared to buying many pairs of $10 throwaway shoes or having your key cut for $3 at a major hardware store.

“If you get your shoes fixed, you want him to do it – he’s the best I have,” Mr Whittard says of Phil.

“The skills he has are just incredible – there’s not many like him around anymore.

“The younger people can do good shoe repairs, don’t get me wrong but he’s an artisan.

“We’ve got some really good shoe repairers in Mr Minit but there are some who are just that level above, who can do anything.

“Our people love repairing shoes and I think it’s because customers love their shoes.”

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