47-year-old quit her corporate VP role to become a cobbler—now she's happier, less burned out: 'I get energy from the community'

When Sung Roh looks at an old pair of sneakers, she sees an opportunity to be creative, solve a problem and help someone — and she feels joy.

Roh runs a cobbling and shoe upcycling business called Cobbler Bushwick Co., which she started from her basement in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 2022. She now works from a combination cobbler-and-coffee shop called Cobbler Bushwick Roaster, which she co-opened in January with two business partners.

As a cobbler, Roh restores broken-down shoes to their original condition. As an upcycler, she can add creative flair to the repair job by stitching on leather patches or adding a new color of soles. “Each sneaker has its own story,” says Roh, 47. “Sometimes it’s a heel, sometimes it’s a toe [that’s worn out] ... The area that you need to repair, that becomes a design element.”

The upcycling process is tedious, and can take up to 10 hours per pair of shoes, Roh says. She charges $350 to $520 for the service, and hosts $680 cobbling workshops for people curious about fixing shoes themselves.

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