Shoemaker would do it 'all over again'
Published:Saturday | July 23, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:IT WAS while attending school in 1987 that George Montague became fascinated with shoemaking, a trade undertaken by a family member, which was to become his livelihood.
While growing up, Montague frequently visited a shoemaker's shop located off lower William Street in Port Antonio, where the now 43-year-old father of three children spent most of his afternoons watching his uncle pounding tacks into shoes belonging to dozens of nearby residents.
"It became a daily habit for me," said Montague. "Even before the bell rang at the then Port Antonio Secondary (now Port Antonio High), my plans were to head straight to my uncle's shoemaker shop. I was impressed with what I saw, and from then I made the decision that I, too, wanted to be a shoemaker."
Shortly after leaving school in 1988, Montague visited a shoemaker shop located along upper William Street and requested of the owner if he could be allowed to learn the trade.
Learning art of shoemaking
It was without hesitation that the man, who at the time was a family friend, accepted Montague as an apprentice; and he spent the next five years learning the art of tacking, stitching, gumming, and tipping.
"After five years of apprenticeship, I decided it was time for me to venture out on my own," he related. "I rented a shop on William Street, just across from where the KFC restaurant is now located, and there I began my quest. By 1995, I was 25 going on 26 years, and the support I received as a young man was overwhelming. I worked very hard, and the work was of high quality."
According to Montague, back then, he was repairing footwear for police officers, teachers, councillors, lawyers, business operators, and other residents, who often turned up at his shop with three or more pairs of footwear.
And as the workload increased, the need for an extra pair of hands was realised. With the added worker, business simply skyrocketed right up until 1999, when the owner of the premises mysteriously served him notice to leave.
He contends that the notice dealt him a heavy blow, and it took him another eight years before he was able to secure another shop space to operate his shoe-making business.
Continuing, he said: "I now have my own place near the Musgrave Market in Port Antonio. My work has allowed me to feed my entire family of five persons, including my two children, who are now attending primary school.
"Shoemaking is good business, but not many persons are involved in this type of occupation. If I had to do it all over again, I would still be stuck in shoemaking."