This is my cobbler, Kim, and the owner of Peachtree Shoes and Luggage Repair located at Peachtree Battle Shopping Center.

A couple of weeks ago I took in a pair of ostrich skin cowboy boots that I’ve had – I guess since 1999 or so. I’ve tried to take good care of them since they were not cheap – and I bought them from a high school friend who has since passed away that was managing a western wear store at the time (wearing them always make me think of him).

Well, they developed an issue – as in a whole in the hide – so I took them to Kim see what he could do for them. He took one look at them and proceeded to lecture me harshly on footwear care in broken English while shaking his head with a look of complete disapproval.

Apparently, me never putting conditioner on them took a toll on the skin. So, he took them, along with the $300+ dollar softbox (a photography light modifier) that I wanted to see if he could repair and told me to come back in a few days to pick them up. Additionally, he encouraged me to bring in another pair of boots I’ve had him resole for me when I did. I think he wanted to make certain I wasn’t mistreating them as well.

How could I take such a broken English tongue lashing without asking if I could do a quick portrait of him you might ask. So, I did ask, and he accepted. This is one of a couple I got of him that day at his work bench that I really like.

When I came back to pick up my boots he’d done a great job of patching the hole. Now I feel like I might be able to get another 17 years of wear out of them – AND he did a great job repairing my favorite softbox. Total ticket price for the repair of both was just over $50.

The moral of the story: Kim right here cares about the wellbeing of your footwear, and he does good work for a fair price.