Comfortable fit: Boot Roundup & Shoe Repair

On Broadway in Chula Vista, Boot Roundup & Shoe Repair looks like a hole in the wall, stuffed with shoes, cobbling material and equipment. Its sister shop — Chito’s Shoe Repair — has a similar appearance in the heart of trendy North Park. Despite first impressions, both shops are landmarks that do high-volume business for their owner, Chito Martinez, who has been in the shoe world for almost 50 years. The Chula Vista shop is closest to the old shoemaker’s heart, because it is where he and dozens of his friends, many with decades of history together, gather daily for laughter and fellowship...read more