I could probably go on forever. Footwear is one of those industries that for the most part, once you are in, you are in.
This one reminded me of my late granddad, who wasn’t able to go back to teaching full time when he came out of
russian captivity. He was hired by a local shoemaker, who knew he was a talented woodworker. So he was able to
keep the family afloat while doing drafts and lasts. It was one of the few regrets of his life, that he had to turn down
the offer to stay in “shoemaking” when he was clear to a head a school again.
He loved making shoes, but at the beginning of the 1950ies it was very visibly time for industrialisation in shoemaking
not the time to set off with a one man shop… Later he loved to show his grandsons the artefacts of his ancient shoe making,
though. (Try that when having been a day trader.)
mo-i
mo-i