It’s a heartbreaking change for Guy Gaudio, who is closing his shoe repair store and leaving downtown Victoria after 50 years in the family business.
“When I wake up, I feel sick in my stomach,” Gaudio, 78, said Tuesday behind the counter at his 1124 Blanshard St. shop. The final day for Gaudio is June 30.
He is moving because of a rent increase, but doesn’t want to talk about the details. There’s no point looking elsewhere in the city centre because rates are similar in other locations, Gaudio said.
“I don’t want to close,” he said. “Eventually I was going to retire, but I’m not ready yet.”
He works alone in the 800-square foot store, where he serves many long-time customers.
Gaudio, who custom-makes shoes as well as doing repairs, is an “artisan,” said John Stevenson, co-owner of Stevenson’s Shoe Clinic on Fort Street.
A collection of lasts (shoe forms) in Gaudio’s Shoe Repairs are made for specific customers.
Some have been patrons for decades, he said, adding: “I have the best customers in the world.”
Gaudio shows some custom boots made for a man who has put in orders regularly over the years. Another pair of repaired shoes awaits for their Seattle owner.
But the business is changing. Inexpensive shoes are popular now and, when soles need replacing, often people will just buy a new pair rather than have them repaired, Gaudio said.
After a summer break, Gaudio will be working part time from his Saanich home. He has a thick stack of names and phone numbers from customers who want to continue to see him.
Gaudio Shoe Repairs was founded in 1965 by Raffaele and his son, Guy, in the 700 block of Fort Street. They later moved to Gordon Street and then to Blanshard, where the shop has been anchored for two decades.
The family legacy started more than 130 years ago in northern Italy with Raffaele’s father, a master shoemaker who trained his son, who in turn trained Guy. Raffaele died in 2007 at age 93.
Guy Gaudio was 10 when his father started teaching him shoemaking after school. The family moved to Canada when Guy was 18. His son trained and worked with him in the past, but has pursued a career as a chef.
Gaudio will be devoting his summer to working around his home, tending his garden and its vegetables, and caring for his 30 canaries, who live in a huge outdoor aviary at his home.
