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 do n'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 . Hassell 's shoe repair business , tucked into the corner of a three-story building in downtown North Attleborough , Massachusetts , is a trade and a tradition . The shop he now owns , North Shoe Repair , once belonged to his grandfather , who taught him everything he knows about being a cobbler . `` He was one of the best , '' Ron says , and he knows this because that 's what all the salesmen -- the ones who sold products to all the local shoe repair shops -- would tell him . There are not a lot of cobblers left in the area , but Hassell 's business has been steady and has even picked up in the last year . He sees the economy as one reason . It 's far more economical to spend $ 12.50 on a pair of $ 125 shoes than to buy new ones . Hassell , however , sees another reason for being busy . With few young people entering the trade , customers seek out cobblers when theirs retire . `` I used to be the youngest that I knew of , because I started when I was twenty . Of course I 'm close to fifty now , and I 'm still probably one of the youngest around here . '' Watch the craftsman at work » . He continues to work on the really beat-up pair he did n't want to face . He uses special cutting and sewing machines to attach new leather to the bottom . Glue is pasted onto parts and the grinding machine is visited several times , both to sand off rough edges and later to polish them to a shine . He 'll go back and forth to the various shoes that have been brought in and stop to wait on people bringing in his next challenge to repair . His customers seem satisfied with the results they get , and some have been loyal to his business for years . `` I came when his grandfather was here , '' says Inez Cavallaro , who had come to the shop to pick up a pair of sandals Hassell had fixed . `` I hope he always stays here , because he 's great . `` He has done some magical things for me . '' The comments do n't go unnoticed by Hassell . `` You know , what 's pretty cool is , customers , they get pretty happy . You get that all the time , and it makes you feel good . '' Using an old shoe brush to polish what had started the day as a hopeless pair of old shoes , Hassell puts the final touches on what now look like shoes just bought from a store . `` Better than I thought they were going to come out , '' he says , looking them over one last time . Hassell says he enjoys his craft because he knows what he does is appreciated . As one customer leaves his shop and says goodbye , she stops in the door and turns around . She looks back at Hassell and says , `` Do n't go out of business , now ! '' As long as he can , that 's something Ron Hassell has no intention of doing .
Shoe-repair business is a trade and a tradition in small Massachusetts shop . Repairman cites economic downturn as factor in current uptick in his trade . It 's far more economical to have shoes repaired rather than buying new ones . Some customers have been coming to shoe-repair shop for years .