UPDATE: From the November 2017 issue of Around Canton magazine.
Billy Moss has moved his business around the corner from his previous location, to 140 S. Church St. Mr. Moss said he’s happy to be open there and is “covered up” in business.
If you don’t already know Billy Moss, you might want to stop by Canton Shoe Repair at 101 W. Main St. in downtown Canton and say hello. But don’t wait too long—his shop might not be open after Sept. 21. That’s the date by which Mr. Moss must make a tough decision: Retire or move the location of his shop.
Mr. Moss learned earlier this summer that his landlord sold the building. On the day he received the news, photographer Jerry King happened to stop by. King tells the stories of Cherokee residents through photos and prose that he shares on Facebook. The photographer was surprised by the response to his post about Mr. Moss (see the photo, right, and post, below). The post was shared 338 times, has 591 reactions and 242 comments at press time. Views of the post are just a few hundred shy of 60,000. Many people posted that they would be sad to see Mr. Moss retire.
“I’m sitting on the fence and not sure which way I’m going to go,” Mr. Moss said.
Judging by the number of purses, shoes and cowboy boots in his shop, there are quite a few Cherokee County residents who would miss the cobbler and his craft.
Jerry King’s Facebook post:
Billy
‘Sort of like family … I don’t count the customers like customers. They are like family to me.’ He said during our brief talk.
The 84-year-young owner of Canton Shoe Repair, Billy Moss, has obviously mastered the cobbler craft. He’s been helping soles for over half a century. The machines occupying his shop would look at home in a historical museum, but still purposefully serve the hands of their master craftsman.
To the dismay of many, Canton Shoe Repair will be closing its doors within the next few months. The building housing his shop has been sold. Sometimes the end comes in an envelope saying you have sixty days to vacate.
So many shoes are “Throw away” these days, but Mr Moss is a craftsman in leather, and does so much more than just shoes. Good Luck Billy, whatever you decide.
Billy is one of a kind, lost art! Canton will lose a treasure!
The most humble man in Canton.
I hope he continues his craft. I have shoes in my car since Christmas to bring to you for repair. Guess I better get them over to you soon.
Thank you Sir. You are a good man.
I had left a few pairs of shoes to be repaired as well as a purse with Billy at Canton Shoe Repair in March of 2020 while having to stop at Court House regarding urgent business matter. My Sister had just recommended him to me that winter, so I had gone to him once prior to then & was really pleased with his work (I don’t go out to Canton often since I’m on the other end of the County).. Right after I dropped my items off the 2nd time, Covid19 rose to global pandemic, Governor Kemp decided to shut everything down, including Court House, so we all were in lock down/quarantine for about 4 months. I was going through so much trauma at that time with friends & family contracting Covid19, as well as a dishonest, unscrupulous & lazy non-paying Room-n-Boarder that due to the restrictions on evictions, I was stuck with; thus I completely forgot about all my shoes & purse at Canton Shoe Repair. A few months later I called there a couple of times to let them know I was coming there to pick up, but there was no answer., so I stopped by there when I happened to have an appt nearby. late summer/early fall but no one was there, no sign that stated it was closed either.. Since then the number has been disconnected. Is there anyway I can get my items back, even if he never fixed them? If he DID, I’m more than willing to pay him to get them back.. Thanks so much – I hope Billy & his loved ones are safe & healthy! Best regards, Karin Leaman (Phone: 404-406-5190)
I left a few pairs of shoes to be repaired as well as a purse at Canton Shoe Repair in March of 2020 while needing to stop at Court House for urgent business matter. My Sister had just recommended Billy (Owner) to me that winter, so I had gone to him once prior to then & was really pleased with his work (I don’t go to Canton often since I live on the other end of the County).. Right after I dropped my items off a 2nd time, Covid19 rose to pandemic status, Governor Kemp decided to do lock down, including Court House, so we all were in quarantine for about 4 months. I was going through so much trauma at that time with friends & family contracting Covid19, as well as dealing with a dishonest, unscrupulous & non-paying Boarder that due to the new ban on evictions, I was stuck with; thus I completely forgot about all my shoes & purse at Canton Shoe Repair. A few months later I called there a couple of times to let them know I was coming to pick up my items, but there was no answer., so I stopped by there when I happened to have an appt nearby. in early fall but no one was there, no sign that stated it was closed either.. I called/stopped by again in winter, but after that the number was disconnected – is there anyway I can get my items back, even if he never fixed them? If he DID, I’m more than willing to pay him to get them back – I hope someone can let me know & also hope Billy & his loved ones are healthy! Best regards, Karin Leaman (Phone: 404-406-5190)