Cobblers

a person who makes or repairs shoes [syn: shoemaker]

Why do shoe repair places always do key-cutting?, and vice versa, seems a strange combination doesn't it...? So I decided to find out why...

Firstly, why if you're in the trade of shoe repair are you known as a cobbler? An associated word is cordwainers, this is the word for a shoe-maker. Cobbler defines a shoe-repairer, not as commonly misused, a maker of shoes. It is derived from Córdoba, the Spanish city famed for its leather products.

Many sources date "Cobblers" to the 14th century and cite its origin as obscure. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following on Cobble Cobble and the noun cobbler evidently go together etymologically; but the latter, though in its form a derivation of the verb., has as yet been found much earlier. Of the derivation nothing certain is known: the suggestion that the source is an OF. *coubler var. of coupler to couple, join together, is not tenable.

After much research about the only relevant piece of information was the following quote taken from an Austrialian government website

"No one can afford to live off shoe repairs alone any more. We have to do key cutting, engraving, watch repairs and even sell some giftware. Because of the prominence of shoe repair businesses in shopping centres nowadays, most of us have to work retail hours too", says Frank.

According to Frank, tasks such as key cutting and engraving are generally learnt on the job by shoe repairers.