Cobblers are a dying breed

People who want to have their shoes repaired are finding it increasingly difficult to find a cobbler. The number of independent cobblers in Belgium has dropped from 344 to 227 in ten years, it appears from a report by business information bureau Graydon. There are currently only two cobblers every five municipalities. "The disposable mentality that has prevailed for a long time has damaged the profession, and courses for shoemakers are also rare,” explains Unizo, the Flemish federation representing the self-employed . “We also find that the few cobblers that are left have more work.” Last year, Unizo started setting up shoe repair training courses.