Shoes are pieces of fashion that we wear every day. A world without shoes would be a painful world. Fashion statements were usually made with wing-tip shoes, high heels, or a nice sandal, but sneakers have gained popularity over the last few years. Sneakers scream personal identity with the combination of colors, design, and style. Sneakers are a primer shoe choice for everyone, not just sports fans and kids. But what happens when those chuck Taylors that you love are old, worn, and beat up? And what if you go to buy a new pair only to discover they don’t make that style of shoe anymore?

Fortunately for you, a shoe cobbler can help you with that. A shoe cobbler can take old, worn shoes and restore them to their former glory. Almost making them look brand new. Recently this dying work form has found new life in restoring sneakers. Many of these new cobblers go to Goodwill’s and thrift shops searching for old worn sneakers to restore. Some of these cobblers take it a step further and create their own custom design on restored sneakers. Joshua Marin a third-generation cobbler in Chicago is a great example of this new-age cobbler. At age nineteen, he would search high and low at a Goodwill or a thrift shop looking for the next shoe to restore. Now at twenty-two years old, he owns 4 fix your Kick stores, where he restores old sneakers for customers.

Restoring sneakers is a great way to upcycle and help the environment. Instead of throwing those old sneakers out, restore them, and give them new life. YouTube has thousands of videos and tutorials that show you how to restore and paint sneakers. If you need a pair of gently used sneakers to start your restoration empire, check out: www. shopgoodwill.com They have a variety of sneakers to choose from at reasonable prices.

If you're looking for inspiration for your shoe restoration, check out the short documentary about Joshua Marin on YouTube the link is below.

Joshua Marin Story