Caulfield cobbler Steve Duncan fights to save his business amid rising costs to stay open

An iconic Caulfield cobbler facing the threat of closure is fighting back against the rising cost of business, determined to stick it out for his loyal customers.

A cherished cobbler in Melbourne’s inner south is fighting to keep his doors open as rising costs threaten the popular business.

Steve Duncan — Caulfield’s own modern day Geppetto — has been repairing shoes for five decades, now working out of his iconic shop at 342 Orrong Rd in Caulfield North.

So skilled at his work is he, that Mr Duncan says he can tell which customer is coming “by the sound of their steps on the footpath”.

Starting his trade at just 19 while living in Albury Wodonga, Mr Duncan “didn’t touch a shoe” for the first year of his education, learning from a strict Italian shoemaker who “wouldn’t let him touch anything”.

Mr Duncan has reached out to the community for help as his business is at risk of closing. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

His love for footwear eventually took him from regional Victoria to Melbourne, where he began fixing shoes in Glen Waverley before opening his own business in Frankston.

Despite it being his passion, Mr Duncan moved into the construction industry after getting married.

It was years later that he returned to his cobbling calling by chance, after fellow shoe repairer working near his son’s home in Caulfield fell ill.

For months he tried to help the 90-year-old sell St Kilda Shoe Repairs — a place where customers feel like they’re “going back in time — before eventually deciding to take over the decades-old business himself and setting himself up as a cornerstone in the Alma Village community.

Steve Duncan owner of St. Kilda Show Repair has been a cobbler for 50 years. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

But the rising cost of living, a lull of business from the pandemic and the availability of cheap replacement shoes has meant the business has fallen behind on rent.

Mr Duncan’s son Jaymz has reached out to the community to help his “icon on the block” dad.

By fundraising through online site GoFundMe, Jaymz is hoping his dad will be about to pay the overdue rent and set up an online presence.

“His heart is in the right place but he’s caught in the 1960s,” Jaymz said.

“We want to make it possible for people to book online, so he isn’t relying on foot traffic so much.

“These small businesses — the community needs them.”