Sal, the soul man

TO THE EDITOR,

I was working in Downtown Manhattan several years ago, and we had a visitor from Texas arrive. He was wearing a pair of quality shoes that had a hole worn through the sole on one of them. The wet weather spell we had at that time was doing its part to spoil his time in New York. I told him about an old hack of putting a strip of duct tape on the bottom of a dry shoe could provide a temporary fix, and more importantly that there was a local cobbler who did great work nearby.

The proprietor of the shop was an old school Italian guy (named Salvatore), who was affectionately known (with the help of the media at one time) as “Sal, the Soul Man.” I recommended he stop by the shop, ask for Sal, and tell Sal that Jimmy and Johnny sent him. Sal accommodated my visitor with same-day service, and my friend was absolutely thrilled with the speed and quality of the work that Sal provided.

Sal would see a shoe that was quality made, and point out the features that made the shoe superior to newer mass produced shoes. He is (hopefully not “was”) a man who had a genuine passion for his work, and was outstanding at performing it! I really hope I find more people like him in my future, as dealing with people like him really puts a smile on my face and helps makes my day. Some things are becoming “lost arts,” and it’s great to see folks that are keeping those arts alive!

- “JimiH” in response to Old Soles