Video: Popular Columbus Shoe Repair Store to Close

[jwplatform p7d3df75]

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A popular shoe repair store in Columbus will soon be closing.

Tommy Coggins has owned the shoe shop for nearly 40 years, and says it’s time to retire.

“I’m 67,” Coggins said. “Time to go.”

He jokes opening this business was a mid-life crisis.

“When I was 30 years old, I decided I needed to do something else,” Coggins said. “I was a sporting goods manager at Woolco, so if I can make a dollar for them, I can make a dollar for me.”

When Coggins first bought the store, it was just a repair shop. Now he repairs shoes and sells them.

“There’s a lot of shoes out there you can’t work on anymore, so you’ve kind’ve got to have something extra to supplement that.”

Coggins tells WCBI he’s enjoyed owning this shoe shop over the years. At one point, he’s even owned about 30 pairs of boots himself.

“I’ve worn boots all my life just about,” he said.

Coggins says he’ll miss his loyal customers, but he’ll still be around.

“I’ve got to dust off my fishing pole. I’ll go start that again. I’ve got a couple fishing buddies I better get up with.”

He’ll be enjoying their company on the water, and probably wearing boots.

Coggins says he has no set closing date, but it’ll probably be another month, while he sells the rest of his merchandise.