If there’s one thing Westport has plenty of*, it’s women’s shoe stores.
Back in the day though, we** made our own shoes.
To do so, we needed a leather punch.
This tool was used to punch leather to make shoes. Made of cast iron, its beveled edge at the base cut through the leather when a hammer struck the top of the handle. A cobbler then used those pieces of leather — along with those of other shapes — to construct shoes.
The leather punch was part of the Westport Historical Society’s ongoing “Westport in 100 Objects” exhibit. Every 2 weeks there’s a new mystery object. If you stop in and identify it, you can win something from the gift shop.
There was no winner this time.
* besides banks and nail spas.
**okay, our ancestors
Shoe stores on Main Street: The Imelda Marcos factor.
Having worked in leather shops for years, I knew what it was right away 🙂