Shoes can reveal much about the wearer

You can tell a lot about people by their shoes, insists Victor Garcia.

"When they keep their shoes nice and clean, that person keeps himself up," explains Garcia, 60, the longtime owner of Best Shoe Repair in downtown Libertyville.

The wrong pair of shoes are just as telling.

"Sometimes you see a man in a $2,000 or $3,000 suit, but their shoes are crummy," says Garcia, of Mundelein. "It kills it."

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We live in a disposable society, with people more willing to throw away broken televisions, DVD players and appliances than get them fixed, but that's not the case for Best Shoe Repair.

Garcia's small workroom in the back of the store at 622 N. Milwaukee Ave. is loaded with men's dress shoes, boots and ladies footwear of all shapes and sizes.

He figures he repairs 35 to 40 pairs a day, fixing broken heels, replacing soles and performing other acts of shoe resuscitation.

"People still get their shoes fixed," he says. "Especially corporate men (who work in offices). They buy expensive shoes."

Garcia has owned and operated Best Shoe Repair for 31 years in Libertyville, the last 18 at this location.

He learned shoe repair as a teenager in Laredo, Texas. It was his father's doing.

"My dad took me to a shoe repair place to keep me busy," he recalls. "My dad was the kind of guy who said an idle mind is the devil's playground."

The young Garcia started out washing windows and shining shoes but eventually picked up the repair trade.

Age hasn't hurt his skills.

"I feel like a champ," he says, surrounded by the tools of his trade and piles of shoes. "This is not a hard job. If you know what you're doing, it's an easy job."

He loves seeing customers' beaming faces when they pick up newly fixed shoes.

"It's the best tip I ever get," he says.

Despite the shop's name, Best Shoe Repair offers more than new soles or heels. A woman alters clothes at the front of the shop, and Garcia also repairs luggage and sells shoe-related products such as laces and creams.

Although he has plenty of business today, he considered shoe repair a dying trade.

"Kids don't want to get into it," he says. "To be self-employed is a commitment."

By Garcia's estimate, a good pair of shoes can last 20 years with proper care. Before he steps back to his work table, he offers some sage advice.

"Always keep (your shoes) clean, nice and polished," he says, knowingly. "And always check the heels and soles. Your shoes will last for a long time."