Cecil: The Shoe Doctor.

You know when a person is so shockingly no-nonsense, that they make even your best attempts at intellectualism seem inane?

Meet Ronald Cecil Burk.

Ron owns "Cecil's", a shoe repair shop on the west side of Madison, WI that's been around since 1962.  His father, a WWII veteran, was given the store by the Veteran's Association after losing his leg in a logging accident, and when Ron himself returned from the military in 1966 at 25, he took over.

Back then, the store specialized in making custom sandals. Unfortunately, despite their beautiful craftsmanship and exquisite cut, the rigid structure of the shoes and the physical labor required to make them led to their demise. 

 

 So while Ron no longer makes footwear (believe me, I asked), he now invests his energies into fixing the endless list of assaults we take out on our material possessions. And don't be fooled by my leather footwear-focused photos (it's a problem - sue me), Ron remedies everything from decaying purse straps to gel heels to uneven human strides. 

 "I'm good at it", he said. And as I gushingly referred to him as an "inventor", he recounted seemingly unfixable scenarios - like when he adjusted the height of a rubber tennis shoe or toyed with the air chamber in a modern day sole. 

Nowadays, though, the items we buy tend to deteriorate past the point of salvage - a phenomenon for which we have our increasingly disposable culture to thank. 

 Ron summed the situation up nicely: 

"Things made then, were meant to be repaired," he said, "But things today - they're meant to be replaced". 

In all honesty, though, I'm not too concerned. 

Whether it was the line of noticeably fashionable female customers spilling out from the small shop's wooden door, or their slightly smug assurances that they'd been coming here for ages - something told me that Ron will be OK. 

Excuse the blur; I didn't want to startle him (her?) with a flash.

 And thank goodness. Because of him, my favorite favorite favorite boots ever have been given a second chance at life.

6717 Odana Rd
Madison, WI 53719

(608) 833-5010

[map.]

Cheers.