81 is when I started working for what was at the time Wheeler boot repair.
Rick Wheeler and James Wilson that ran the shop at the time and Bob Harrington were all climbers.
And just got a job because I knew how to use a sewing machine.
Started fixing just regular shoe repair. So ladies heels, cowboy boots, men's dress shoes.
But it definitely is the basis for shoes. I met Nan in 1996 when she applied for a job at
Wilson's East Side Sports and we became regular climbing partners and work partners and partners
in life. We bought the repair department from Wilson's East Side Sports in 1999.
We moved it across the street and became the rubber room.
We do about anywhere from 260 to 320 pair shoes a month.
Probably 75% of the shoes need a ram job. So that's the process of cutting the
rubber off, prepping that area, prepping the ram that's going to go on, gluing it, waiting,
putting it all on, trimming that and sanding it back down to get it all set and ready for the soles.
Doing the rands takes probably more time than doing the soles because you have to cut it and
then bevel that side and put it back on and then trim it. So the rands are what take time and getting
that shape back. It's competitive but I've always told people as a reason why I give out information
to folks online that I would just as soon see all resolders do good work. So resolders in general
have a good name. Climbing shoes evolved, we had to evolve with it. Simon here started finishing
shoes in a different way that is like probably the biggest change we've seen in years. Shoes are
an awfully important part of climbing. People take their hands and they trim their fingernails and
put super glue on their bone tips but they drag their toes.
We're doing a pretty difficult craft but we're consistent. I've been doing it for a long time,
Simon's been doing it for a long time. A lot of the other shops have a bigger change over
people and it takes a few years and we'd like to turn out a good product.
