Virginia cobbler Dan Arpaia prepares to retire after a lifetime of work

HOPEWELL, Va. — For more than 100 years, a unique business in the Tri-Cities has helped keep people on the move — comfortably.

Under the watchful eye of a true artisan, what was once broken will leave good as new.

It's a trade not seen as often as in years past, and cobbler Dan Arpaia, with Cavelli's Shoe Repair, is proud to be one.

"You talk to the younger generation, they don't know what a Cobbler is," Arpaia said.

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By definition, a cobbler is a skilled trades person who repairs, restores and maintains footwear and leather goods.

It's a job that combines skill, hand-eye coordination and the ability to see a problem and figure out a way to fix it.

For Arpaia, the training began early on.

"I was 15 and 8 months. My Dad believed that if you're going to drive, you're going to work. So I got my driver's license, and he brought me to work that next Saturday. And that's where I've been ever since," Arpaia said.

Over the decades, work has continued to walk in the door at Cavelli's Leather Shop & Shoe Repair as repair work remains steady all day.

Over the years, shoes have changed — and not just in style.

"They sell them for more but they're not the quality, quality is not like it use to be," Arpaia said. "Now everything is new plastic, slash rubber, and composite. Everything just comes unglued."

For Arpaia, the years have seen something else change.

"I've got to get them to re-read the tickets to me because I can't read handwriting anymore. I can still do the work but I've got macular degeneration, so I'm pretty much blind in one eye," Arpaia said.

It's the same issue his father faced when he was 70 years old.

Arpaia's eye problems began about 30 years ago and included concern for his left eye.

"That used to be my bad eye, I couldn't see as good with that eye. Now that's my good eye," Arpaia said.

With the business for sale, Arpaia continues to find ways to work around his eye problems.

"When I'm sewing on a sewing machine, I look right at what I'm trying to sew, that spot disappears and that's where you need to see to press your foot and the needle. So, you lose it in the center of your eye," Arpaia said.

He continues to seek out ways to slow down the eye disease.

"I go to Richmond now and do some light theory three times a year. It's a five-week session, you get nine treatments," Arpaia said. "I'll still always have my peripheral. I just won't be able see when I look right at something, that disappears."

Arpaia says the decision to sell the business was simple due to timing.

"It's just time to go. Hey, always wanted to retire early but not because of this," Arpaia said.

For now, the cobbler extraordinaire has his retirement plans in sight — though his wife may see it differently.

"Along as my buddies come pick me up, we're going to hunt and fish as much as we can. If we're not hunting and fishing, we're getting ready to go hunting and fishing. But my wife says, I'm gonna start cooking," Arpaia said.

The century-old Cavelli's Shoe Repair is expected to live on. Arpaia hopes that by mid-December, he can officially say he's retired.