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Progress
Sunday, March 24, 2002
THE BUSINESSES: LIONA TANNESEN THE OLYMPIAN
LACEY -- Paul and Peggy Tafoya used to look out the window of Lacey Shoe Repair across Pacific Avenue to a drive-in movie theater and Bailey's Drugs.
Now they see Firestone Tire & Service Center and the Fred Meyer parking lot.
"The area has really, really grown," said Peggy Tafoya.
The Tafoyas have been running the shoe store since 1981, when Paul Tafoya took over from his parents, Edward and Mary Tafoya.
"He's the old craftsman," said Paul Tafoya of his father, who still lives in Lacey. "We kind of miss that now."
The store -- at 4219 Pacific Ave. S.E. -- has been a shoe repair shop since about 1950, Paul Tafoya said.
Paul Tafoya didn't plan to take over his father's business.
Paul Tafoya worked on roads; when he didn't have construction jobs, Edward Tafoya taught him to repair shoes.
"My dad said, 'You're learning real fast,' " Paul Tafoya said. "And I said, you know, 'It's a lot drier in here.' "
Now, Paul Tafoya says he enjoys the people, and the job has gotten into his blood.
The bell on the door jingles as a man walks in carrying a pair of work boots on a February day.
Tafoya examines the boots and advises the man that it would be cheaper to buy a new pair than to resole the boots.
The man wasn't a regular, but about half of his customers are, Tafoya said.
The amount of walk-in traffic has improved in the past two years, Peggy Tafoya said.
"It's getting closer to a little community," Paul Tafoya said of downtown Lacey. "Everything is so close now."
But they still would like to see more walkers.
The Tafoyas are waiting to see whether the change to one-way streets will affect their business.
The Tafoyas also have customers from places such as Indianapolis, Germany and Hawaii.
One man in Hawaii sends his Birkenstocks to Lacey Shoe Repair and then patiently waits for months.
"It's not just fixing shoes," Peggy Tafoya said. "People will come in with feet problems."
Doctors send patients to them, Peggy Tafoya said. The Tafoyas also fix purses, belts and other items.
The couple -- who didn't take a vacation until they had owned the business for 20 years -- seldom stops for lunch.
After the man with the work boots left, the Tafoyas ate take-out pizza at the counter.
A brindle boxer named Bamm-Bamm -- who doesn't chew on shoes -- begged for pepperoni.
"I think a lot of people want to see more mom-and-pop shops," Paul Tafoya said. "I think we're one of the last mom-and-pop shops."
On the Web: The Olympian Copyright 2002
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