County Still Has a Shoe-Repair Shop

Young’s Shoe Repair, 3 W. Mechanic St., Cape May Court House, is a family business started 92 years ago.
The work 79-year-old Imogene Coldwell does not only pays the bills, it also keeps the family tradition alive.
Her father, Charles Young, started the business in 1920. Upon his death in 1982, Coldwell, who worked summers in the shop growing up, took on the daily operation of Young’s Shoe Repair.
“I never thought of running the shop by myself, but my mother wanted to keep it going,” Coldwell said.
Since her mother’s death in 1987, Coldwell has continued to operate the small, one-person shop on Mechanic Street.
Coldwell repairs each shoe by hand, using many of the machines and tools her father used. To this day, she still uses a shoe jack her grandfather invented and patented decades ago in Millville.
Though many of today’s shoes are made to be disposable, the rows of shoes in Coldwell’s shop demonstrate that there are still people who repair their shoes—and that there is still a place for craftsmanship and family traditions.
Her grandson-in-law, Bill, hopes to learn the trade from Coldwell and keep the family tradition going.
Coldwell learned her trade from her father and through trial and error.
“I made a lot of mistakes after Dad died,” she said.
A friend taught her how to do stitching, and she expanded into other specialties such as zipper repair, repairing Uggs, leather gadgets, horse blankets, and many other things. Her skills and attention to detail have earned Coldwell a following.
“I have a lot of regular customers,” she said. “Some summer visitors save their shoes at home and bring them down in the summer.”
Brittany McCord, Bill’s daughter, will be the fifth generation of the Young Family.
“We hope to keep the shop going for her to continue the tradition,” Coldwell said.
Young’s Shoe Repair is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.