STREETWISE
Shoe specialist eases
By Rod Ohira
the pain of modern life
Star-BulletinNANCY Wong Lau removes her right shoe, exposing a bunion and second and third toes that are crossed, an anomaly called "hammer toe."
"The pain is from the bunion and the calluses under the foot," Lau tells Claire Takashima, owner of the Uyeda Shoe Store.
Takashima has heard similar complaints before and already knows how to treat Lau's pain. "It's from wearing too tight shoes," she says.
Like many of Takashima's customers, Lau was referred to Uyeda Shoe Store by a podiatrist.
Takashima specializes in custom-fitting shoes for people suffering from foot pain.
"We take a basic shoe size and try to fit the person's foot to it with different types of padding and stretching," Takashima said.
"We're basically customizing a shoe for the person. Shoe sizes may be the same but not all feet for that particular size are alike."
Claire, the youngest of Yoichiro and Kazue Uyeda's four children, took over the family business from her parents.
Uyeda Shoe Store was founded in 1915 by her grandfather, Saijiro Uyeda, and since 1957 has been at University Square in Moiliili."I was a very little girl when I asked my dad if I could have the shoe store and he said OK," Takashima says. "When my dad retired in 1980, he asked me to take over."
Takashima, who had been selling shoes since 1973 at McInerny and later Liberty House, jumped at the opportunity.
"I enjoy talking to and servicing people," she said. "Most people who come into a shoe store either don't know what they want or want something so specific that it probably doesn't exist. The challenge is to make them happy and satisfied."
Takashima -- whose bubbly personality complements the personalized service the small store is known for -- works alone, although her mother is usually around to lend a hand if it gets busy.
"We target people who have a hard time fitting, generally those with wide feet or foot problems," Takashima said. "Usually I can see what the problem is and why they're uncomfortable."
Business on a recent day was steady -- in 90 minutes, Takashima serviced six people.
"I can't say I'm in it for the money but I like being my own boss and I really enjoy the clientele, many of whom have become my friends," Takashima said.
Saijiro Uyeda, who came to Hawaii from Hiroshima when he was 18 years old, was working for Tajiro Sumida at Honolulu Sake Brewery as a delivery man when he took the advice of a friend and became a shoe repairman, said Kazue Uyeda.
He opened his first shop across from Central Intermediate School on what used to be part of Fort Street, she added. The store later moved to Palama, near the corner of King and Beretania.
Kazue Uyeda began working with her husband at the Palama store in 1952, before the move to Moiliili.
"I enjoy the work and I like meeting people, that's why I'm still surviving," Uyeda said. "We have families whose children's children are still patrons."
There are long-time customers who come in from Waianae, Haleiwa and the neighbor islands to shop at the store, Takashima added.
"We end up doing a lot of chatting and sometimes we have grand reunions here when families who haven't seen each other in a long time come in at the same time," Uyeda said. "We always try to give the best service possible."
Takashima uses a 70-year-old cash register with a hand crank to ring up sales.
Takashima works a six-day, 50-hour week. She isn't sure if her 15-year-old son or any other relative will continue the business but says there's no pressure to do so.
Her two brothers and sister pursued other careers, she said.
"None of them were interested because they saw how hard our parents worked," she said. "My father worked from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. three times a week and was at the store six days a week.
"But on Sundays, we always packed a basket and dad took us all boat riding. During the summers, we all had to work at the store for the busy period right before the start of school (when families came in to buy new shoes).
"There were six of us sitting on chairs and I still remember how we'd all get up when a customer walked in."
