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Local Shops Do Well As Consumers Look To Save

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT and LAURA FRAZIER

yhammett@tampatrib.com lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: March 11, 2009

RUSKIN - The children of The Great Depression, who grew up knowing the value of repairing what they have instead of buying new, may be coming out ahead of the game in this lingering economic slump.

And as others learn the value of frugality, cobbler and tailoring shops and television and vacuum repair stores are seeing a benefit. They are getting more traffic as more people opt to repair rather than replace.

'Fix The Unfixable'

For Jeff Corniello, a fourth-generation Italian cobbler, business has skyrocketed. He's seen a 100 percent increase in repair business in recent months at The Shoe Lab in Ruskin.

"Customers, especially if they own good brands of shoes, want them repaired," Corniello said. "They feel like they can do that for a reasonable price, and they get to keep shoes they really like."

Business has increased more than he expected, Corniello said. Not only are people bringing in shoes for repair, they also want handbags refurbished. If a $200 or $300 purse can be repaired for $60 or $80, he said, people are willing to pay for the fix.

"We can fix the unfixable," he said.

"We also do a lot of shoe modifications by adding or subtracting from a sole or heel" or stretching a shoe, Corniello said, so people can wear what they've purchased more comfortably instead of returning it.

Foot Fancies

Vince Esposito, manager of Seffner Shoe & Boot Repair, said business at the 21-year-old shop is up about 45 percent.

"About four months ago, it just got busier," he said. "I'm doing more soles, more heels and a lot of purses, but not the real Louis Vuittons. We're seeing all the fake stuff."

Esposito also has noticed an unusual trend in recent months: people asking about repairs for random, relatively inexpensive items such as a Johnny Jump-Up bouncing baby seat, an aluminum folding chair and a soft-sided cooler.

"People are just holding on to stuff longer," he said. "I've got shelves full of stuff waiting for repairs. It's good. It's real good."

TV Land

George Artaloma, owner of Minute Man TV Repair in Sun City Center, said he isn't doing a lot more repairs, but he has steady customers who have always been more willing to fix than to buy new.

"People in Sun City Center, if they've made an investment in a television that's not a throw-away, they're willing to pay for a repair. They don't want to buy new," Artaloma said. "They want to keep something they already have and that they know how to use, instead of having to learn how to use a new product."

Brandon TV owner Elliott Flomberg said business at his store in January and February, usually the slowest season for television repairs, surpassed his traditionally busy time - lightning season.

During the first two months of 2007 and 2008, Flomberg said the shop he established 32 years ago in Seffner took in an average of 285 residential and commercially-owned TVs for repair. During the same time period this year, he wrote an astounding 1,339 repair order tickets.

"They're saying they can't afford a new TV and they can't put it on a credit card, so they're just having the old one repaired," Flomberg said.

In addition to repairs of high-end sets that cost thousands of dollars, Flomberg said he's noticed an increase in the number of broken sets that sold for $300 or $400.

"If they can put $100 into it, they'll go ahead and repair it."

About Alterations

With the price of some clothing in the bargain basement as business owners and managers try to move merchandise, some consumers are taking advantage by purchasing items that may not suit their needs perfectly but just need slight alterations.

And they still come out ahead financially, said Carolyn Rhodes, owner of Alterations by Carolyn in Sun City Center.

"People are taking advantage of the lower rates," she said. "But they may need a petite and there isn't one. They buy anyway, then pay to have it altered.

"Everything is marked down so low at stores right now, they don't want to pass up the bargains," Rhodes said.

Foot Fancies

At Brandon Shoe Repair and Alteration, owner Daniel Chung said business is the best it's been in 15 years. He opened the shop in 1986 on State Road 60 and later moved to his current location on Edwards Street in Brandon.

"It used to be that people would come in and ask 'how much to repair these shoes' and then change their mind and walk out," Chung said. "Now they leave the shoes to be repaired because they don't want to buy new ones."

He estimates orders are up 25 percent from three or four months ago and also noted a trend in the types of apparel people bring in for a nip and a tuck.

"We used to get only brand new clothes that people just bought at the store," he said. "Now it's almost all old clothes, used clothes."

Vacuum Packed

Pam Hopperton, co-owner of Bill and Pam's Vacuums and Small Appliances in Brandon, said business is steady. The store specializes in high-end and commercial equipment repair.

"People still seem to think of vacuums they bought at Walmart for under $100 like they're disposable," she said. "They don't bring them in for repair."

"People are looking for more value for their money," Pam Hopperton said. "The machines they sell door-to-door like the Kirbys, they'll last you forever with the occasional repair."

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 865-1566. Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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