edenland: Street Talk: Andres The Cobbler.
Andres is a cobbler. A proper one. He was born in Chile and remembers being under Pinochet's dictatorship .. it was terrible. He says Australia lives in a bubble. He loves it here, is married with three children.
He wears a leather apron, and trains others in the trade. He says that traditionally trained cobblers are a dying breed.
"I don't miss Chile. My wife does ... she comes from a big family. I come from a small one. I'm ok. My eldest son is thirty - he's an architect, and designed the store. "
Perfectly lined shoes fill the space. Andres' daughter works in digital and designed his website. His business is called Cobbler Caballero, and with a prime position in Darlinghurst Road Kings Cross, he sees all kinds of characters.
Standing in the shop talking to Andres is like stepping back in time to an other-wordly world, back when all things were real.
There's been much talk of glasses this week ..... his are AWESOME.
I tell him that next time I'm in Sydney, I'll bring in my favourite pair of cowboy boots to get resoled.
"Good. I will do it properly."