TOLEDO, Ohio — Macino and Sons opened in its current location at 3140 W. Sylvania in 1960. It has served west Toledo and the surrounding areas for 60 years but will close at the end of the year.
Al Macino's grandfather started the business well before that, back in 1935. It was then that he opened Mason's Shoes, which would later take the family name, "Macino".
Macino has worked at the W. Sylvania location since it opened, joining his brothers, sisters, mom, dad and others over the course of more than six decades. It even opened up the first drive-up window for shoe repair.
"63 years in this store, and I've been doing it since I was eight years old, just sweeping floors and everything," Al Macino said. "I've probably been here are long as my father was."
Macino explained the shoe repair business, like many others, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Where the store once had more than a dozen employees, it's now down to two.
The store shifted gears, adding luggage, purses, straps and more to its repair repertoire.
Macino said the expansion helped, but the community's needs continued to change with time.
"A lot of the baby boomers were the last generation that did things get things repaired," Macino said. "And a lot of them have either retired or they moved out of town or they passed away, which I hate to say. And everyday I see one or two in the paper that I kind of miss."
Today, Macino continues making repairs, touching lives as only such a niche offering can.
"I got a friend of mine who calls me the sole doctor," Macino said. "He always teases me and says you heal a lot of people's souls, so that kind of makes sense."
Macino said he'll miss helping others. Most of all, he'll miss the people he's met and helped over the years.
"I've really developed a strong bond with a lot of them," he said. "A lot come here for the last 10 years and I just hope that maybe I see them in the street, or in the store."
Macino's will stay open into December. That's when the owner says he'll close the doors, when the time is right, to spend more time with his family.
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