SHOE REPAIRING IN BELIZE DIES OUT!

SHOE REPAIR A DYING BUSINESS IN BELIZE

Francisco Margoe is 73 years old. He has been in the main section of San Ignacio Town for the past twelve years carrying on his trade of repairing shoes. Before that he used to repair shoes for the previous 18 years in the port town of Belize City on the coast. With the advent of Chinese manufacturing, excess inventory of shoes and clothes, the one thing that the world does not need anymore, is individual sewing seamstress's or shoemakers/repairers. Far as I know in my memory and I am 71 years old, Francisco here must be the last of his breed. Most of the shoes he repairs come from visiting Guatemalans from across the border. Guatemala makes shoes, but reputedly of poor quality. I do not know of another shoe repairer working in Belize? In my youth there were at least a dozen, but they have died out.