When Shawn Hayes was given tickets to a symphony performance, he dressed up for the event -- suit and moccasins.
Hayes had made the moccasins himself, and although his wife didn't agree they were the right fit for the symphony, he'd love to create footwear for other special occasions.
"I keep waiting for someone who wants sandals for their wedding," Hayes said. "I'd make the bride's in white, and we'd do whatever her colors are for the bridesmaids. That would just be cool."
Hayes will be selling his custom moccasins, sandals, and maybe even some boots, at the Utah Arts Festival. The festival, opening Thursday and running through June 27, is at Library Square and Washington Square, 200 E. 400 South, in Salt Lake City.
Hayes, who will be among more than 140 artisans at the festival, is a cordwainer.
"It's an Old World term for shoemaker," said the Bountiful man. "A cobbler works with old leather, and makes repairs. A cordwainer makes new shoes."
Although he does do some repairs and resoling, Hayes mostly makes new shoes. He got started in the business because his own feet are hard to fit and always hurt.
"I ran into a guy making moccasins at a mountain man rendezvous in Wyoming," he said, adding that the moccasins he bought felt great and he wore them out. "I went back to try to buy more, but he wasn't there. I started making them for myself, trying to figure out how to do them."
Hayes took it to another level when he found a man who made custom cowboy boots.
"I served as an apprentice with him, working in shoes full time for free in exchange for learning how to make shoes the right way -- the old-fashioned way," he said.
Hayes sold real estate on the side.
"When the whole economy went south, I had all these (property) listings and was working 'round the clock, and nobody was buying anything," he said.
He decided to make shoes for a living, and started his business, www.iMakeShoes.com. Beginning with online sales, he's now expanded to booths at art and farmers markets.
Made to fit
Hayes sells leather sandals in a variety of styles. Each has a molded arch, and an orthopedic foam innersole that cushions and forms to the foot. A one-piece continuous strap allows the wearer to adjust any part of the strap to fit his or her foot.
Moccasins, inspired by American Indian designs, also have arches and orthopedic foam. They're finished with double soles made of tough cowhide for outdoor wear, and antler embellishments.
Although some of his shoes are available in stock sizes, Hayes says the majority of his business is custom.
"People say, 'Oh, I have such a hard-to-fit foot,' 'I've got a bunion,' or 'I've got one leg longer than the other,' or their size is 15," he said.
A sandal he displays in his market booth, based on measurements of the world-record largest foot, shows how willing he is to take on a custom challenge. On the other end of the scale, Hayes once made a pair of shoes for a young girl with a medical problem that keeps her very small.
"She had little braces on her legs and couldn't find any sandals that would work with them, and the family was going to Spain to be on the beach," he said. "I made a little tiny pair of sandals for her, and that was really fun to do."
Built to last
For custom orders, Hayes measures the foot (or has online customers measure following specific directions). He then modifies a shoe "last," which is basically a model of the foot, to re-create the customer's specific shape. Patterns and shoes are built around the shoe last.
"It gets into a lot of geometry," he said, adding that his degree from Weber State University, in manufacturing engineering technology, is a help.
Hayes cuts the shoe parts by hand, with the exception of using a machine he likens to a cookie cutter for stock-size soles. Moccasins are sewn by hand, but he uses industrial machines to sew the sandals.
A few of the tools or machines he uses are new, but most date between the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. He finds these old machines in factories that are going out of business, or on eBay.
"A lot of tools are sold to tool collectors," he said. "I have to compete against collectors to get a job done, and anytime you call something antique, the price goes up."
Uncompromising
Prices vary by style, starting at about $110 for sandals to $220 for moccasins, and $600 or so for boots. But making them takes a lot of time, skill and work.
"I have people say, 'I can do that -- I'll make my own.' I say, 'Knock yourself out,' " said Hayes. "They'll make about half a pair and then call me and say, 'OK, I'll pay double.' "
If he's not too busy, Hayes can make a pair of sandals in three to five days, but moccasins take up to four weeks.
If businesses interested in selling his shoes in Japan and the Caribbean follow through on their proposals, Hayes may have to expand and move the business out of his home.
He says he won't outsource to China, like other shoemakers he's known. He'd rather create jobs in his own community, and envisions growing enough to hire mothers who need work with flexible hours. He also wants to keep it local so he can continue to use U.S. materials and make sure things are done right.
"I just won't compromise," he said. "I won't cut corners and make an inferior product -- I just won't do it."
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