From broken heels to seriously scuffed loafers, the owner of Gus's Shoe Repair in downtown Richmond fixes and dyes all shoe styles with a kindness and attention to detail that keep her customers coming back.

"Being a woman in a field that is typically male, I was a little apprehensive at first," she said. "I was afraid that people would not be as accepting of what I did, no matter how it was done. When I was put into the position where I had to take over running a shoe repair shop, I really knew very little about the business."

Kalfoglou's husband, Gus, ran the shop until 1988, when he died of a heart attack and left behind Cindy and four young sons. She knew she had to provide, but didn't know how to fix shoes or operate the machinery.

Kalfoglou slowly learned and, over the years, feels she has been accepted by the mostly-male shoe repair community.

"I've never actually seen another woman in a shoe repair shop doing what I do. I think it's pretty special that I can do this work and it's because of my husband choosing this line of work that I actually got into it," she said.

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Watch the video here: http://asap.ap.org/data/interactives/_moneyandgadgets/gusshoes/

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asap contributor Elizabeth Pohl is a freelance photographer based in Richmond.

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