by Roane Beard
If you have a comfortable pair of shoes, chances are you want to keep them. So what do you do with a comfortable old pair that are wearing out? Ask Terry at Franzone Shu Repair, where he’s been making old shoes seem like new for more than eight years.
Originally from Pensacola, Terry Franzone graduated in 1982 from Woodham High School. He served in the Army for four years, and met his wife, Betty, in Philadelphia while stationed there. The two moved to Atlanta, where Joe learned the shoe repair trade from a friend. A year later, he had his own store in River Chase Galleria Mall in Birmingham. After running the store successfully for five years, and starting to have kids, Terry and Betty looked for a place in Pensacola. They bought the John Flo Shoe Shop, renamed it Franzone Shu Repair, and have been making a living out of the shop for 8 years and running.
“We get a lot of people in and out of here,” says Terry. “Mainly businesspeople from downtown, although we’ve had a bunch of local personalities come through here, like Fred Levin and Joe Scarborough. It’s a convenient location at the outskirts of downtown, so there are no parking problems. That makes it very easy to come in and get work done.”
Making the business accessible to his customers has been one of the elements of Terry’s success. There’s a shoe drop-box in the rear, for customers who come by after hours. Just leave your name, number and the item you need repaired and Terry will call you back for instructions. He also has a drop-off service with several businesses around the Pensacola area: Sunshine Cleaners in Ensley, Diamond Cleaners in Gulf Breeze and Jim’s Barbershop off Michigan Ave. He recently added Old Time Leather to the list, where he’s taken over from a previous repairman.
“You can drop-off, pick-up and pay at any of these locations. You’ll never even see me,” Terry says.
If you come by the shop you’ll get a better feel for the services Terry offers. Franzone Shu Repair is an authorized Vibram dealer, so you can get your Rockports repaired with confidence, and Terry uses quality products from Birkenstock and other dealers on the shoes he works on.
“I pay close attention to detail when it comes to shoes. I’m kind of a perfectionist about shoe repair. I do purses and belts and other leather goods, but shoe repair is a specialty.”
Franzone Shu Repair sells a full line of footwear related products, including the largest selection of shoelaces in the area. They stock insoles, shoe polish, and shoe sanitizers, among other products.
“We also make keys and change watch batteries,” Terry says.
Franzone Shu Repair is located on 1408 West Government Street, between G and H streets, one block from Barrancas. The shop is open 8:30 ~ 5:30, Monday to Friday, and is closed on weekends. Be sure to use the drop-box if you come by after hours. Call them at 438-5842.