SOMERSET — Dave Sherman and Max Paolillo are masters of a disappearing craft.

At one time, cobbler shops were standard in the lineup of Main-Street storefronts in towns across the country, next to barbers, bakers and butchers.

“Now I am the only one,” Paolillo, owner of Max’s Shoe Repair near Johnstown, said.

He and Sherman, owner of The Cobbler’s Shop in Somerset, usually talk a couple times a week to share stories and trade advice. Paolillo has been working in shoe repair since the 1960s. Sherman, a former tax professional from Pittsburgh, has been in business for about 11 years.

Both men report a sound business, but culture, style and shoe quality contribute to fewer people who seek their service.

An assortment of shoes — from high heels to loafers — crowded Sherman’s work space.

The smell of leather and oil filled the shop. His machines, mostly from the 1940s or earlier, are his trusted instruments. “I will never get rid of this machine,” he said of a 1920s-era sewing machine.

They are part of the history of a trade that has been needed since man first covered his feet.

[naviga:h3]EVERYONE WEARS SHOES[/naviga:h3]

The shoe industry, now a global enterprise filled with faux leather, plastic soles and factory-line production, doesn’t always produce fixable footwear, according to the cobblers.

“Everybody wears shoes. We do a lot of rips and tears and stuff like that,” Paolillo said. “The percentage of repairable shoes keeps shrinking. They are not made as well.”

Sherman was working on a pair of leather loafers, the bottom of one worn nearly through. He had a new leather bottom cut to form, ready for stitching. The loafers are likely dear to the owner. Sherman became completely focused on the footwear as he described the process he was undertaking to make them whole again.

He agrees with Paolillo about the state of modern shoemaking.

“It’s worse — the way they are made and the materials,” he said.

There are between 5,000 and 5,500 shoe repair shops in the United States, according to the Shoe Service Institute of America. About 240 shops are in Pennsylvania.

Mitch Lebovic, institute administrator, said the economic benefits of shoe repair are predicated on people buying quality footwear.

“A quality pair of men’s shoes can be resoled seven to 10 times at a fraction of the cost of new shoes,” he said in an e-mail. “The materials most repair shops use are better than those on the original shoe.”

He touted the physical and aesthetic benefits of genuine leather footwear, noting that repairs can alleviate a variety of problems, including worn heels, blisters and corns.

Lebovic said shoe repair was booming during World War II when there were about 75,000 shops in the country. He called it an important business that can still be profitable. The biggest challenge is finding people to carry on the tradition.

“It is important for the industry as a whole to figure out a way to train the next generation of shoe repairers,” he said. “It seems that a career in shoe repair is less and less appealing to young people. It has been on (the institute’s) radar to reverse this trend; however, there has not been much large-scale success.”

[naviga:h3]COBBLERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY[/naviga:h3]

Sherman and Paolillo have both branched out into fixing purses, bags and other items to attract customers. Paolillo also works in orthopedics, zippers and jackets. Sherman has worked on propeller covers and coffin bags.

“If you do a little bit of everything, it sort of helps,” Paolillo said.

Both men acknowledged the power of the Internet, but neither use the technology as a crucial part of their business. Paolillo has a funny story about being “Googled.”

He said a customer from out of town found his name on the Internet. “He said, ‘I Yelped you.’ I said, ‘What’s that?”’

“I Googled you, then on the way up I Yelped you,” the customer responded. Yelp is a website that compiles reviews and other information about businesses.

While the terminology surrounding customer acquisition has changed, the recognition of quality remains. Appreciation for a good cobbler appears to be no exception.