NORWICH – Even in tough economic times, The Village Cobbler is showing signs of growth, leaving behind its previous location on South Broad Street to take up a new, larger residence in the center of the city.
Following a 12-year occupancy at 29 S. Broad St., The Village Cobbler and Leather Shop made the move to its new location at 10 S. Broad St. – formerly Ives Cream – last weekend. It was a quick move, according to business owner John Behory, who partners with his son Mark.
“We closed at 3 o’clock last Friday and have been moving since,” John Behory said, adding that no time was wasted in the transition. The shop reopened in its new space by its usual business hours on Tuesday. “We still have a ways to go, though.”
“We were so cramped. We knew we wanted to expand,” explained Behory’s wife Carole, who works in the shop with her husband.
While the Behorys settle into their new location, their previous shop near the movie theater sits vacant, with boxes and merchandise still to be moved from the basement. It’s just one more vacant shop that adds to a line of empty storefronts on the eastern side of S. Broad, observed Carole.
The move was a slightly unsettling, “knowing stores are closed on the other end,” she added. “I’m hoping our old place will be filled quickly.”
The need for a shoe repair shop has slowly faded over the years and it has presented surmountable challenges, John Behory said, forcing the owners “diversify” their business. They adapted to changes in the market and experimented with different adhesives to repair shoes now made more of plastic and vinyl, he explained. Their shop also opened up to the alternative of having retail space to keep the business afloat.
“We could see that shoe repair was a dying art ... We had to evolve with the industry,” said the Behorys, recalling their most difficult years in business. “That’s when we got into the motorcycle line.”
The small cobbler shop now sells leather coats, motorcycle saddle bags, leather jacket patches and other leather accessories in addition to offering leather repair services.
Making adjustments to stay open has proven to be a success for the Behorys, who are now close to celebrating their twenty-first year of business in the city.
According to Roz DeRensis, director of the Norwich City Business Improvement District, The Village Cobbler’s move is evidence of an evolving downtown area where despite vacant storefronts, there is still enormous potential for small businesses to thrive.
“The Village Cobbler is now in a higher visibility area in our downtown district,” DeRensis said after the business reopened earlier this week. “It’s a great store and we are excited for them to be in their new, much larger space. I encourage everyone to stop in, say hi, shop and admire their new location.”