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[sewing machine rumbles]
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[hammer banging]
-Designing and making shoes is
something I've been interested in nearly my entire life.
When I was in high school, I would go to the Goodwill
and buy shoes and modify them.
I would paint them
or sand them or try to make them look super punk.
And I would sell them to my friends.
-I knew she would do something artistically,
but I never imagined the shoe making part.
-I am a bespoke, handmade shoemaker
and I'm sort of like a tailor for the feet.
I measure your foot and I modify the last,
which is the form the shoe is built on to
replicate the foot.
The bespoke shoe making process is a 220-step process.
It's centuries old.
I love all of those steps except for the sewing.
I'll cut it down after you sew it.
The sewing is my least favorite part.
-Me? I just...
I just come here and sew the shoes.
-I just knew that there's somebody out there
that could do a better job sewing than me
and it was probably my mom.
-Leanne cuts ‘em out, dyes them, puts them together,
I sit at the machine, sew and make sure she stays on track.
[laughter]
-My shoes aren't precious and they're not pristine.
They're not your typical classic dress shoe.
They have an old world quality to them.
You can see the hand in the making of the shoe.
Pink slip.
-It's so nice that it's a family business that Ella
and I can come here and be part of Leanne's business.
-My name is Ella Corcoran.
My mom runs the shoe shop.
[laughter] -Ella runs the place.
-And my role here is to just support her.
-Yeah, when Ella’s around, Ella’s the boss.
-I also help make belts.
-She's really the boss here.
Uhm, so she makes sure things are priced.
She makes sure that inventory is on the floor,
things are being ordered, that signs are properly placed.
There you go.
-Okay. -Excellent. Thank you so much.
-How's it going?
-When she first saw this place,
I didn't think it would ever come to fruition.
I mean, it was just a gray building
that I didn't think could ever turn into this.
And now she's got this beautiful store.
-People are just excited that that I'm here
and that they can have shoes made that
match their sensibilities.
-I enjoy helping her and seeing her dream come to life.
I hope I helped at least a little bit today. I'm sorry...
-You know, you were great. Thank you so much...