Press Release
Piccoli Recognized as a Top Craftsman in SSIA's Silver Cup Contest BEL AIR, MD Tony Piccoli of Cobblers Corner in Northville, MI has been honored by his peers and awarded a Silver Award in the Shoe Service Institute of America's 2013 Silver Cup Contest. Piccoli was chosen for recognition by his peers on the basis of his workmanship.
To enter the contest, Piccoli submitted two pair of men's shoes. One shoe from each pair was repaired with a new sole and heel. The repaired shoes were then refinished to look like new. "One of the principal benefits of shoe repair is that consumers can have their shoes repaired to look like new, but for a fraction of the cost of new shoes," says SSIA President Don Rinaldi. "The purpose of the Silver Cup Contest is to recognize craftsmen such as Tony Piccoli who maximize that benefit and set the standards for our industry." Rinaldi continued to say that the benefits shoe repair offers go well beyond the cost savings. There is the environmental benefit of the millions of pairs of shoes that do not end up in landfills each year. There are the physical benefits that a well maintained, high quality pair of shoes brings. Finally, there are the medical benefits of shoe repair offered by shops that specialize in orthopedic work.
"All of these benefits start with superior craftsmanship," he says. "That is why craftsmen such as Tony Piccoli are so important." Judging for the contest took place in May at the New Jersey offices of Petronio Shoe Products Corporation. Four master craftsmen with decades of shoe repair experience served as judges. The judges compared the repaired shoes to their unrepaired mates and evaluated the entries based on how well Piccoli had restored them to their original, factory condition.
Awards were presented in July at the 109th Annual Shoe Service Convention, San Diego, California.