Fitchburg cobbler maintains tradition
FITCHBURG — In an age where technology dominates most industries, Stephen Keoseian Jr. likes to do things the way they have always been done. When it comes to creating custom-made running, hiking and walking shoes, it's best not to mess with what's tried and true.
If it weren't for the occasional ping of a cellphone or the glow of a laptop from the corner, the Fitchburg shop gives the feel of a step back in time, into a cobbler's shop.
Stephen Keoseian Sr. toils away on one side of the shop, having handed off his longtime business, Keosa Brothers Shoe Repair, to his son, after taking it over from his own dad in 1970. Mr. Keoseian Sr. continues to man the operation.
Stephen Keoseian, Jr. spends his days running Hersey Custom Shoe, just a set of shelves over from his dad, taking up half of their shared space. The old army green sewing machines and worn file cabinets containing shoe patterns were part of his 2007 acquisition of the company, which was started by Bart and Jan Hersey in 1981, inside a converted sheep barn in Maine.
Mr. Keoseian saw a documentary featuring the unconventional shoemakers, and he wanted to be part of it.
"I called up asking if I could get a tour," he said, having worked for his dad from an early age in the shoe repair shop, formerly on Day Street. Just his luck, Mr. Hersey had his eye on retirement and was looking for the right person to take over his business, someone who would honor his sense of loyalty to his longtime customers.
"I bought it on the spot," he said, taking the name, the equipment and the knowledge he gained over a lengthy apprenticeship with Mr. Hersey, and eventually bringing the operation back to his hometown.
At the time of purchase, the small company had already received significant accolades, beginning with Runner's World magazine naming Hersey sneakers the "No. 1 Running Shoe on the Planet" in 1985. That distinction led to an influx of first-time customers, and the momentum has continued.
According to Mr. Keoseian, a majority of customers suffer from bunions or other problems common to athletes, and the company's ability to create a shoe that can lessen their pain has continued to be its trademark.
But while the sneakers are widely known to keep a challenged runner on the marathon circuit, there are countless other reasons clients seek out Hersey Custom Shoe, from hammertoes to arthritis to foot deformations.
Finding shoes that fit but are also functional, comfortable and eye-catching can be a very real and pressing problem. And then there is the issue of size. Mass-produced shoe companies offer half-sizes only within the range of "normal."
One Hersey client in Europe — an 8-foot-tall man with a size 30 shoe — would be hard-pressed to find a running, walking or hiking shoe anywhere else in the world.
In fact, added Mr. Keoseian, though foot forms (known as "lasts") can be created based on mail-in measurements, it is not entirely unusual for a client to fly in from Singapore or the West Coast of the U.S. — showing up on the doorstep of the shop at 201 Lunenburg St. — looking to help create the most accurate fit possible.
Other than adding a few new colors for customers to choose from, Mr. Keoseian has changed very little about Hersey Custom Shoe since taking over. With 70,000 customers worldwide, his only job is to keep doing things the way Bart Hersey intended, with a commitment to quality, fast product turnaround and individual attention to buyers.
"I love making shoes, and I love working alongside my dad," he said. "I guess I am just sticking with what I know, but I happen to really love what I do."