September 6, 2011

The Street Shoes Repair Woman

The tools of her trade remind me of my grandfather's step mother who used to make and repair her own shoes  (for bound feet) in Sibu.
Every country has its own kind of shoe repair persons.

I am always fascinated by shoe makers and shoe repair people ever since I was a small child . As a young child I could sit for hours patiently just watching my great grandmother making and repairing her own very tiny shoes. But there has never been another shoe repair woman in my life since then.

And then all of a sudden here in this little town in Yunnan I found a special woman who repairs shoes. Furthermore she also has a good and rare machine - which can sew the uppers of a shoe to its soles. This is perhaps a rarity in Malaysia.

This lady works hard day and night at this corner slot. She sells other shoe related products.
Sewing machine for shoes.
I wonder how she carts her wares and tools around. I did not ask her if she moves from one town to another as I could hardly understand her dialect. But I did manage to have a photograph taken with her.

Memories of my great grandmother flooded back . She would have been 125 years old this year. Her daughter (my goo poh) Grand Aunt Yuk Ging was the gentlest of souls who only wore cheong sams. If Aunt Yuk Ging were alive today she would have been about 100 years old.

Good memories warm up the heart!

4 comments:

wenn said...

it's a hard life but they survive.

Ensurai said...

Hi Wenn

We are so blessed in Malaysia. If our ancestors worked hard and left behind something for us we are considered well off. And when we ourselves work hard life can't be any worser esp. when our Government is also democratic and providing lots of amenities.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Shoe repair is very expensive jere, they guarantee their work man ship. They were quoting me $21, I refused, got some one to take it to malaysia, very big but after 5 wears, the repair broken off. I show it to you when you come here.

Ensurai said...

Ann
shoe repairs in Miri on average RM6.00 - RM12.00
So can last another year or so. My grey Nike after resewing still good after 5 years. I wore it to China and then England after the repairs. Now I have a new one for the second trip to China...But I love my old grey Nike...which is like my second skin...Must see your shoes....

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