Story

A Shoe Mechanic Scrapes By

The sound of a rusty, shoe polishing machine brushing across a pair of men’s black dress shoes is heard throughout the store. Dj Brown's weathered hands are covered in black dye. A white piece of duct tape covers the knuckles of his left hand to hold up his injured pinky, which he recently cut.

As he turns, there are yellow letters on his black hoodie, which read, “The Leather Mechanic At Lenny’s Shoe Repair.”

Repairing shoes has been the craft Brown has known since he was 14 years old living in Brooklyn.

For Brown, repairing shoes is his life. Now, in the midst of the most severe recession in US history, he finds it harder than ever to survive.

Brown works extra hours, some nights until two or three in the morning. "With a one-man operation there is only so much I can do, with only so many hours in the day," he said.

Although the number of customers at Brown's store has declined, he has to pull long shifts. A friend who would occasionally help Brown is no longer available, and Brown can't afford to hire someone right now.

Since December of 2009, Brown’s profit has been declining $400 to $600 dollars a week.

Brown, a father of 11, lives in Brentwood with his wife Judy, an administrative assistant. He commutes to his shop at 7 a.m. every day except Sundays. When his wife complains about his long work hours, he responds, “If you want the house, food in the refrigerator, and the car, then this is how it has to be.”

Brown bought his shop last year, but had worked there as an employee for 13 years when it was under the management of the former owner.

“The Leather Mechanic at Lenny’s Shoe Repair and Sales,” located at 1512 Main Street, has been in Port Jefferson since 1985.  It is one of the few stores on the block that has been able to survive the economic recession. Nine shops have been closed in the village, over the past five years. Eight in uptown Port Jefferson and one downtown.

Village Trustee Leslie Synder said, “We see some store fronts closing and we do see some businesses struggling.”

The Economic Development Committee, which consists of merchants is hoping to come up with ways in which the merchants can increase businesses, such as expanding the annual Dickens Festival.

The Board of Trustees also had put a hold on parking meters from November 15 till March 15th.

Synder said one merchant told her that in the first month of the meters being turned off his business went up 30 to 40 percent in profit from last year’s numbers.

Although the village officials claim they are and have been trying to help merchants, Brown disagrees.

“They have been talking about revitalizing the area (uptown) for two years," Brown said. "They even had people from the state come by and have not done anything. They made us take a survey. Is it going to happen? Hm, I tell you one thing I ain’t holding my breath on it.”

Brown said the recession has caused him to lose some of his customers, and with less customers Brown has cut back on the number of supplies he buys. In past years, Brown used to order three boxes of shoe polish,  he now orders one. He used to regularly order one dozen leather soles a week, he only needs a dozen a month.

One thing Brown refuses to do is order cheaper supplies to save money. “I do not cut corners,” Brown said. “I still buy the same things, that is what keeps my customers around. If you sell them cheap stuff, they won’t come back.”

Many of the customers who go to Brown's shop have a relationship with him. They ask him how he is doing. They banter about the weather and commiserate about the economic problems.

"It's always friendly service. He knows what he is doing, and he does it well. And he does it for a very fair value," said customer Eliel Pimentel, who paid $16 to have his wife's old boots repaired.

Brown is not the only merchant in Port Jefferson who has cut back or is struggling to make ends meet. Six other merchants interviewed by a reporter say they are struggling. Some preferred to not-be included in this story because they think it could be bad for business. Others were very vocal about their problems.

Scott Stanley, the owner of Smoke Signals, a cigar shop located at 308 Main Street, has cut back on utilities, contributions to charities, and the number of supplies he orders.

 He noticed the downturn in the economy back in October of 2008. “Eleven months in 2009 we were down in profit compared to the past year,” Stanley said. The store is down 12 percent in gross sales this past year.

He said businesses like his tend to suffer the most since it's not a necessity product. "They have to buy gasoline. They have to buy heating oil," he said.

The cold weather this winter kept customers away as well. “Business is way down," Brown said.

While pointing at close storefronts nearby, Susan Adamski, a customer of Brown said “I lived in this town for 47 years. I actually saw the difference in it going down hill. I saw it when it was coming up, and now I see it going down."

Brown and other merchants also are upset a new business certificate with a fee of $150, was issued in January for local small business owners.

The Village Clerk Robert J. Juliano said the fee was implemented to help pay for a full time Fire Marshall and his crew. The remainder of the money goes into the town budget.

Juiliano said, “There was quite a few questions that came up from the business community as far as the business certificate and as a result of that the mayor said let’s put a hold on it.”

Stanley said, “I understand the need for the fee, but I do not like paying the extra fees.” He was one of the few merchants who got a personal talk from the Fire Marshal about why the fee was implemented.

The business certificate fee has been put on hold and will be evaluated by the mayor and trustees.

For now, Brown will continue to work the long hours necessary to maintain his business. “We don’t get the Donald Trumps in here. We get the guys that work two floors down from Donald Trump,” Brown said.

 Juiliano believes Brown will survive the recession. "People don't have the money or don't want to spend the money on new shoes. Instead they are getting them repaired."