Tony’s Shoe Service displays the business’s former name: Tony’s Orthopedic Shoes & Service. But owner Samuel Yi does not limit his business to medically beneficial footwear. When the Scene visits, he is resoling a cowboy boot. The shop is cluttered with shoes — a wall of used footwear that’s for sale, bags of shoes and shiny, resoled boots ready for pickup on the counter. By the window is a large Singer sewing machine — an old but reliable workhorse with no plastic parts, threaded for use.
Born in South Korea, Yi immigrated in 1990. He trained in the same shop with a man named Tony. His last name? “Just Tony,” Yi says. After six years, Yi bought the shop from Tony, and he now runs it with his wife Anna. He handles a recently repaired cowboy boot with care, flipping it over to show me its flawless leather sole. Business has suffered since the pandemic started — he estimates it’s down by 60 to 80 percent. Like other shop owners in the Arcade, he relies on people who work downtown. COVID-19 sent them home.
Read the full article and history of the historic Nashville Arcade at https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/coverstory/a-day-at-the-arcade/article_780217a4-886c-11ec-923e-6b64a848c5b3.html
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