Westlake cobbler receives industry's highest award

Glenn DiMauro of The Italian Cobbler in Westlake has been honored by his peers and awarded the prestigious Robert DiRinaldo Grand Silver Cup from the Shoe Service Institute of America. The top prize in an international competition, the Grand Silver Cup has been the most sought-after prize in the shoe repair industry since the 1930s.

DiMauro was chosen for recognition by his peers on the basis of his workmanship. To enter the contest, DiMauro submitted two pair of men’s shoes. One shoe from each pair was repaired with a new sole and heel. The repaired shoes were then refinished to look like new. Three master craftsmen with decades of shoe repair experience served as judges. The judges compared the repaired shoes to their unrepaired mates and evaluated the entries based on how well the contestants had restored them to their original, factory condition.

“One of the principal benefits of shoe repair is that consumers can have their shoes repaired to look like new, but for a fraction of the cost of new shoes,” says SSIA President Paul Angelos. “The purpose of the Silver Cup Contest is to recognize craftsmen such as Glenn DiMauro who maximize that benefit and set the standards for our industry.”

Angelos continued to say that the benefits shoe repair offers go well beyond the cost savings. There is the environmental benefit of the millions of pairs of shoes that do not end up in landfills each year. There are the physical benefits that a well maintained, high quality pair of shoes brings. Finally, there are the medical benefits of shoe repair offered by shops that specialize in orthopedic work.

Named for former winner and Silver Cup judge Robert DiRinaldo, the Grand Silver Cup has symbolized excellence in shoe repair since it was first awarded in 1938. Awards were presented in July at the 111th Annual Shoe Service Convention in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Volume 7, Issue 16, Posted 9:38 AM, 08.18.2015