‘The Shoe Guy’ repairs shoes … improves lives

Ralph Rotella, Italy

Owner of Discount Shoe Repair, Syracuse

By Mary Beth Roach

Everyone knows Ralph Rotella, owner of the Discount Shoe Repair shop at 114 E. Washington St., in downtown Syracuse, as “The Shoe Guy.”

And it’s a well-deserved moniker, since he has been involved in shoe repair in Syracuse since he first came to the area more than 50 years ago.

At the age of 16, Rotella arrived in the U.S. on Oct. 1, 1970, from Calabria, Italy, with his mama, his papa and his sister, he said. His grandfather had come to the country and settled in Syracuse in the 1960s. He started working with his uncle, Jim Battaglia. When Battaglia retired, Rotella took over the shop.

In the ensuing 45-plus years, Rotella has repaired countless pairs of shoes. More significantly, he’s made a countless number of friends all across the Central New York area and beyond. The old expression — “he never met a stranger” — could easily apply to Rotella.

Of his longevity at the business, Rotella said, “Something you like, I do it from the heart.”

And he has really put his heart into an initiative he began more than a decade ago.

A little more than a decade ago, Rotella said he saw a man walking past his shop on Washington Street on a cold, winter day, with a beat-up pair of shoes. He asked the man to come inside and gave him an extra pair of boots he had in the store. This event would be the start of an annual shoe collection drive. The first year Rotella did the project, he was able to donate 35 pairs of shoes.

The effort has grown exponentially. With the help of friends, area companies and organizations, they have donated well more than 200,000 pairs of shoes to the Rescue Mission over the past 13 years. Some of the shoes are from customers who never came back to pick them up and some from people who drop off at the shop. Necessary repairs are made and volunteers help clean them up, he said. The Rescue Mission gives shoes to those in need at its organization; some are sold in the organization’s shops and some are shipped overseas, Rotella said.

Rotella said his goal, this year, is to hit 250,000 pairs.

And Rotella has had his brush with stardom. He once repaired the shoes of KISS guitarist Paul Stanley during the band’s visit to Syracuse and when Cher was in town years ago, touring with then-husband, Sonny Bono, Rotella fixed a zipper on one of her dresses.

Of course, Rotella’s shop contains shoes and the machinery he uses to make repairs. But there’s so much more. Shoes line the shelves. Italian music fills the air and an antique sewing machine that Rotella still uses sits along one wall.

Other machines are set up behind a short wall. Propped up on shelves and hanging on the walls are plaques and news clippings that further speak of the man who has made a difference in this community — among them, proclamations from Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, the NYS Assembly and a large plaque that celebrates his being chosen as Gael of the St. Patrick’s Parade in 2023.

Friends will pop in on a regular basis to enjoy a cup of coffee and to chat. It’s the favorite part of the job, he said, quipping that he should change the name of the shop to the “Friendly Shoe Store.”

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