In a day and age when it seems like folks throw out a pair of shoes or a pocket book or a belt after minimal use, and perhaps only a bit of wear and tear, Bob Whitman will tell you that there are still plenty of people who want them to be repaired. 

For the past 25 years, Whitman’s Washington Shoe & Leather Repair has been a staple in Washington Borough. At his shop at 34 Broad Street Whitman fixes shoes, handbags, zippers, baseball gloves, belts, coats and you name it!

“I’ve got plenty of things to do,” said Whitman, pointing to the many “jobs” in his shop that he is working on. 

In addition to repairs Whitman also makes belts, handbags and other products, some custom made specific to customers’ requests. 

“I have been asked to do some strange ones, too,” he said. For example, he is currently making a cover for a spear, and in another, a cover for a boat. 
He does a lot of work for people of all backgrounds and interests, from women who need their Gucci pocketbooks repaired to bikers in need of repairs to their jackets.  

Whitman got his start early; as a teen he worked in two shoe repair shops in his hometown of Metuchen. Over the years afterwards he worked at other jobs, moved to Florida for several years, and eventually settled in Washington where he opened his first location on Jan. 3, 1994, which was at the corner of School and E. Washington Avenue (now a small convenience store, across from Gaia’s Gifts). His current location is his 5th, and he says, final location. 

Whitman is somewhat of a throwback as shoe and leather repair shops are far and few in between these days, and it is a business that is not dependent on a computer or a website or even a cell phone to do business. 

“Why do I need a computer,” he says with a smile. 

And if you want to call him, try his landline, 908-689-3762.