Champion Han's Shoe & Luggage Repair

News Chronicle/Thousand Oaks, Calif/Monday, June 18, 1990 Page B-3
THOUSNAD OAKS - His Magnifying glass is probably the best symbol of Thomas Han's pride in workmanship.
It sits on the counter of the Thousand Oaks Boulevard shoe repair shop, Champion Han's Shoe & Luggage Repair, which Han and his wife Esther operate.
Han, 39, keeps the glass handy for thrusting at new customers who want to check his handiwork.
"First-time customers want to check everything, so I give them this," he explained, "then the next time they don't check anything, they just put (their shoes)in the bag. They trust me."
Apparently enough customers trust him to have kept Han in business nearly 12 years in the same location. Esther has helped him the last six, since they married in 1984.

Marriage vow
"When I married, he said, 'Bring all your shoes,' and he fixed all my heels," said Esther Han, 35, who keeps the store's books and waits on customers at the front counter.
The business includes shoe and luggage repair and customer shoe-making by Han, at prices ranging from $200 for leather shoes to $1,000 for alligator ones.
His equipment includes polishing and sanding wheels, several stitching machines, a soling machine and a variety of hand tools, which he uses in combination with lasts - foot-shaped forms in various sizes used for making and repairing shoes.
Some of the custom work is for style, but much is for comfort, Han said, recalling one case where he made a pair shoes with one foot two inches longer than the other.
On this day Han wears sandals and his wife a pair of low pumps which he made.
He first learned the trade in Korea from his brother, who still runs his own shoe repair shop there.
Han came to the United States in 1976, and owned a shop in the San Fernando Valley before moving to his present location.

Test boots
"The first time I opened (in Thousand Oaks) a customer came in and brought one pair of boots to test me." Han recalled. "the next day he brought 20 pair of boots."
During the interview, a steady stream of customers comes into the shop to pick up and leave off shoes, purses and other items for repair.
Marian Kolstedt of Thousand Oaks comes in with and emergency. En route ot a funeral, she's noticed her black pumps look a little shabby. In 10 minutes, Han quickly sands the heels, adds a rubber tap, polishes the shoes and voila, for $6 they're almost as good as new.
Proper care can make good shoes last longer, he says.
"You should polish them every week, the leather gets too dry," he explained. "some people never polish the shoes and the leather is cracking."
Han recommends mink oil for polishing shoes to keep them soft.
Esther Han said worn hells also are often a problem, damaging the shoe leather and creating a more expensive repair job.
The couple also has a shoe-buying tip: as people's feet get tired during the day, they tend to swell, so the best way to get comfortable fitting shoes is to buy them late in the day.
And when the shoes get worn, Thomas Han will be there. He often works from 6:30 a.m. to 7L p.m. or later, as people see the lights on in the shop and stop in for quick repairs.
"When I do my work, my customers are very happy and I'm happy too," he said.

Malibu Surfside News, May 6, 1999 Page 21
Knowledgeable -
Thomas Han, center, owner of Champion Han's #2 Malibu shoe and Luggage Repair, is shown with two of his long-time employees, Willie, left, and Edil, right.
Between the three of them they have a combined 99 years of experience in shoe repair and custom orthopedic shoe crafting. Champion Han's #2 is located at 22625 Pacific Cast Highway in Malibu. The store Champion Han's #1, has been open at the same location in Thousand Oaks for 20 years.