NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Ron Hassell stares at one really worn-out brown leather loafer. Ron Hassell has seen his share of heels. And soles. His grandfather taught him the shoe-repair trade. "This is a shoe I don't want to tackle," he grimaces as his finger traces holes on the bottom. "I tried to talk the guy out of fixing it, believe it or not." The cobbler grabs a tool to rip off the entire sole. "Some guys get a favorite pair of shoes. ... as you can tell, this guy wore this one to death." He brings one of the shoes to a grinder that files down the last of the old sole and heel. "It'll look brand new when I'm done," Hassell says.Shoe-repair business is a trade and a tradition in small Massachusetts shopRepairman cites economic downturn as factor in current uptick in his tradeIt's far more economical to have shoes repaired rather than buying new onesSome customers have been coming to shoe-repair shop for years
She looks back at _ and says, "Don't go out of business, now!".