3/10/2023: After 58 years a Kalamazoo business closes for good
‘It’s a shame because it’s such a needed business.’
The Subacz family has been in the shoe repair business for three generations, going back over 100 years, including more than half of that time running Ed’s Shoe Repair in Kalamazoo’s Milwood neighborhood.
By the end of June, Jim Subacz says, he’s closing down the shop at 3928 Portage Street to join his wife in retirement – not because he doesn’t have enough customers, but because there’s no one to take it over.
Ed’s Shoe Repair started in 1965 when Subacz’s father, Ed, bought the business where his father worked as a cobbler. Kazimierz Subacz, known to friends and family as Charlie, got into the trade while he was in the U.S. Army during World War I. The shop was initially located in downtown Kalamazoo before moving to the then-new Corklane Shopping Center in the 1950s. It moved to its current location in 1988 and Jim Subacz took over the business two years later.
The future of the trade is uncertain.
“You’ll find people that will want to get into this. But in most of the country, they’re getting few and far between now,” he says. “The old guys like myself are getting out and nobody’s picking them up. It’s a shame because it’s such a needed business. You can make a good living at it.”
Ed’s Shoe Repair is still accepting work from customers. It will close for the last time on June 30.
Subacz explains why the 80’s was a tough decade for the shoe repair industry in the full story here.
Whistleblower files suit against KPS
A former secretary for the Kalamazoo Public Schools is suing the district, alleging it retaliated against her for questioning what she called misuse of funds and violations of the Open Meetings Act. Tabatha Coleman said she was demoted from her role as the secretary for the board of education after she filed complaints against it. She alleged the board unlawfully spent more than $248,000 in per diem compensation to board members since 2007 and failed to give adequate notice of public meetings. Coleman’s attorney, Eric Delaporte, filed the lawsuit yesterday. “My client hopes that the lawsuit will cause changes in the Kalamazoo Public Schools, that they will stop retaliating against whistleblowers,” he said.
Interim Superintendent Cindy Green said she can’t comment on the lawsuit, which she hasn’t seen yet. But she said the district investigated Coleman’s claims after they were filed on Dec. 29. “We used our attorneys to independently investigate the complaints, which found the complaint to be unfounded,” she said. Green said Coleman was transferred away from the board of education at her own request, and received a pay raise.
Superintendent search “boot camp”
The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education is gearing up for its search for a new superintendent. Trustees have been going through a “Board Boot Camp” over the past couple of months to prepare them to interview candidates. Last night, board members held practice interviews, learning how to listen to make sure their questions are answered adequately. “I wanted board members to feel confident in what it was that they were doing,” said board President TiAnna Harrison. “Hiring the superintendent is the most important thing that we’ll do and we can’t do that if we’re not prepared.”
The board also wants input from the public on the superintendent search. The district is hosting a series of listening sessions next week – some virtual, some in person. The goal is to get members of the KPS community to share what qualities and qualifications they think the next superintendent should have. The 12 listening sessions will be held next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at locations throughout the district and online. You can find a full list on the district’s website.
