New cobbler wanted in Barnard Castle as shop owner retires
Adrian Andrews, owner of Star Cobbler in Barnard Castle, is now looking for someone to take over the business, which has been established in the town for 50 years.
He says he will not retire until he has found a new aspiring cobbler, who he will train to run the business.
Adrian, 56, bought the shop in 2003 and has since grown it into an international success while maintaining a strong presence in the local community.ย
Adrian Andrews is retiring after 22 years at Star Cobblers in Barnard Castle (Image: TRACY KIDD)
He has now spoken of his future plans after announcingย that he is leasingย the businessย after running it for more thanย two decades.
Since he announced his intention to retire, the shop has been booming with customers wanting to get their repairs done before he leaves.
As the only cobblers in town, it is a vital shopย for shoe repairs, zip replacements, stitching and patchwork, handbag repairs, key-cutting, knives, shears, and more.
Adrian emphasises the importance of sustainability of cobblers, rather than buying a new pair of shoes when they break, or buying rubber shoes which are not easily repaired.
Adrian Andrews and his colleague Hannah share a joke at Star Cobblers in Barnard Castleย (Image: TRACY KIDD)
Beyond the town, Star Cobblers has been an online shop for 18 years. Adrian works with sellers across Italy and Germany who send him work on a regular basis.
Adrian said: โOnline presence gives us more customers, it puts us out there and makes it so easy for customers to send pictures of their shoes, or have a chat before they come in.โ
Star Cobblers has been open for 50 years. Adrian, the third owner of the shop,ย said he hoped the business could continue.
โIt would be such a shame for it to not continue as a cobbler, he said.
โWe would teach the next owner and show them where to go forward with the business. I hope I don’t have to sell all my tools. We don’t want to close.โ
Cobbler Adrian Andrews at work. He is hanging up his boots at Star Cobblers in Barnard Castle, but hopes the business can continue (Image: TRACY KIDD)
Adrian is hoping that another keen cobbler willย take the business on after such a legacy in the community,ย formed over half a century.
He said: โI have enjoyed it thoroughly. Iโve been in the town 30 years, starting the cobblers agedย 37 after eight years in retail.
โI love my customers. I will absolutely miss the community.
โWe have a lot of regulars and everybody in town says hello, and you can always have a bit of banter with them.
โIt doesn’t cost anything to be pleasant, so we have always got a smile on our faces to give a nice welcome to people.โ
Adrian has fulfilled his dream of retiring at 57 – a year early – andย has some exciting plans for his future with his wife, after her retirement last year.
He said when his wife retired, he started thinking:ย “I would like to do the same – you never know how long youโve got.โ
He added: โI want to get out on my bike and buy a campervan to travel across Europe and Scotland.โ
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Several people have taken to social media to express their best wishes to Adrian.
Writing on Facebook, one person described him as a “classic cobbler of the highest order”.
Another satisfied customer added: “Thank you for all your excellent years ofย service. You’ll be sorely missed.”
And another person said: “I will really miss him, he is unique. Hope he finds a replacement.”
See some images below of Adrian at work and some of the specialist equipment at Star Cobblers, in Barnard Castle.
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