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DAMIAN'S TRADITIONAL COBBLERS of WREXHAM

Unlike in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, there are no elves helping Damian Johnson.

But what he lacks in magical assistance, he makes up for in enthusiasm.

His passion for leatherwork, from fixing and cleaning, to creating bespoke items and bigger projects, had me thinking back to all the handbags and shoes I'd written off over the years. He could have saved every one of them.

And as if he read my mind, he says: "If it can be fixed, no matter what it is, I'll fix it."

The morning we spoke, he had just recovered a year's worth of photos, presumed lost forever, and I'm glad he did.

These alone can tell you all you need to know about his skill, with the restoration of a gentleman's case being one of my personal favourites.

Creativity clearly runs in the family. On asking Damian about his logo on his Facebook page, a bespectacled dragon holding a boot, he tells me his artist mum drew it and the original piece is hanging in the shop.

While footwear is the bread and butter of the business, along with t-shirt printing, there are plenty of bespoke items too, with Damian adding: "The niche projects are the bits I look forward to."

One customer recently presented him with a new challenge, to swap the iconic rubber soles on a pair of Doc Martens for leather! Damian's response: "Let's try it."

And it's that attitude that sees people head to Damian with all manner of requests. From taking the height in a pair of boots down eight inches, to re-covering a pouffe or turning a leather jacket into a waistcoat, he's not shy in accepting a challenge.

He has been in cobbling for eight years, and was in the pub trade before that. He's definitely a people person, and he tells me "you couldn't do this job any other way, it extends into everything you do".

He will celebrate one year in business this September, and it was opening 12 months ago that remains his standout moment.

"I kept laughing for a couple of months, figuring out whether this was actually my shop or not."

Starting out a year ago, he could never have predicted the turn of events for 2020.

How did lockdown affect business? "It was quiet. I had a lot in, which being the shop that I am, I managed to keep myself working, so I haven't actually been 'off' but I've been closed.

"When I reopened, it was people coming back in dribs and drabs, dropping things off.

"But when people come here, and realise everything that I do, they tend to come back.

"It's been a big thing, lots of changes."

But he's quick to mention the support amongst businesses in the town, adding: "The Butchers Market here, we're all trying to help each other out, sending people each other's way.

"We're really trying to bring the town together."

And if anyone can help start stitching things back together, it's Damian.

• Damian's Traditional Cobblers of Wrexham

10 High Street

Wrexham

07306 148 999