Shoe Repairer

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Work Tasks

• Mend shoes and other leather items such as handbags, luggage, and belts
• Replace worn soles and heels of shoes
• May make orthopedic shoes
• Dye shoes and handbags and stretch shoes to fit
• Work for department and shoe stores, shoe manufacturers, or are self-employed in their own shoe repair shop
• Work with shoes, handbags, and other leather items; heels, soles, nails, polish, buffers, brushes, and sole-stitchers, heel-nailing, hole punching, and sewing machines; shoe stretchers, knives, hammers, skivers, awls, and nippers; and sales slips, purchase orders, and financial records

Salary, Size & Growth

• $29,500 average per year ($14.25 per hour)
• A small occupation (9,200 workers in 2010)
• Expected to decline (2.1% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: On-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: A high school diploma and an apprenticeship in shoe repair
• Skills/Courses: Courses in leather working, shop, applied math
• Certification/Licensing: Certification in prescription footwear is available.