By popular demand, a shoemaker
A singed yellow sign is evidence of the electrical fire that destroyed Macaluso’s Shoe Repair more than six months ago at its longtime location of 93 Locust St.
The sign, Vincent F. Macaluso notes, was hand-painted by his father. This and an antique cash register survived the fire, and now are fixtures in a new era and location for the venerable business, which has reopened at 33 Exchange St. in Lowertown.
After the June 30 fire, Macaluso said, customers peppered him with calls, asking when he planned to reopen. Within weeks of the fire, he searched the Internet — as far away as Kentucky — for specialized equipment that would get him back in the shoe repair business.
It didn’t take long for his customers to find him.
“Almost instantly,” Macaluso said. “I was just setting up, and I wasn’t even ready. They saw the sign outside.”
Business is so brisk that he could close his doors and still have enough work on hand to keep him busy for a solid week, he added.
Sandy D. Scrace, of Lockport, came in to pick up a pair of boots that Macaluso repaired and was delighted with the handiwork.
“I don’t even recognize them,” she said. “They are so beautiful. I’m just thrilled.”
The business, she added, is a mainstay in Lockport.
“My parents came here,” she said.
Mayor Michael W. Tucker, who had described the fire as a terrible blow to Macaluso and Lockport, is pleased the business is up and running again.
“He’s a great guy and offers a top-notch service that nobody else in Lockport offers,” Tucker said.
This widespread recognition of his high-quality workmanship is what puts Maurice Lacroix Watch Replica a smile on the face of Macaluso, who at 71 could easily be enjoying retirement.
“It makes me feel good,” he said. “I didn’t want to just sit around. I had lost my desire [after the fire]. It wasn’t even fun to play golf. It was not, ‘Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Now I got this time off.’ With my work I wish there were more hours in the day.”
In the aftermath of the fire, he worried about how he would reopen.
“I had a little insurance on the building, but I lost all my machines,” Macaluso said. “People kept telling me it would be hard to find new machines because they were so ancient, but I was able to make some deals.”
Macaluso said the seven new machines in his shop are different — a little faster, requiring him to be a little more nimble to avoid being injured. But it will also be much easier for him to get replacement parts.
The machines are used to repair heels, jacket zippers and work boots, apply new soles and lifts, and do any type of leather repairs. He also shines shoes and does specialized work on orthopedic shoes.
Macaluso’s has been part of Lockport since 1925. At age 8, he started hanging around the business, learning the trade from his father, Sam.
The new home for Macaluso’s is actually the fourth location for the business, which began on Main Street, moved to Elm Street, where it remained for 20 years, then to the Locust Street location in 1972.
“If they like my work, they will follow me anywhere. It’s not like groceries,” Macaluso said.
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