A decade ago, Raul Ojeda was working as a shoe shiner. Now the 29-year-old is leaving his own footprint in Hollywood, supplying custom-made shoes to stars such as Steve Carell and Sally Field.

Ojeda is the owner of Los Angeles-based Willie’s Shoe Service, a shoe repair shop that has been providing footwear to the entertainment industry since 1956, when Willebaldo “Willie” Rivera opened a small business across from Paramount Pictures on Melrose Avenue. The operation quickly became a staple for made-to-order shoes for the film and TV industry.

When creating a pair of shoes for the costume designer of a film or television show, Ojeda frequently will have only the designer’s oral description to go by - he rarely sees an image. Most often, costume designers approach Ojeda to refurbish shoes rather than make them from scratch, bringing their own fabric or shoe to meet their description.

Allison Leach, assistant costume designer for “Mad Men” and “Glee,” turned to Ojeda and his team when she needed help crafting a pointy Mexican cowboy boot made out of snakeskin. The boot was worn by Cory Monteith’s character, Finn, in a recent episode of “Glee.”

“Whether it’s 1960s or snakeskins, the quality of the workmanship is always great and they always meet their deadlines, and that is indispensable in the film industry,” Leach said.

[source]

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