My boots were a wreck. I bought them secondhand to begin with and then I proceeded to log 30,000 miles with them on my dual sport motorcycle. Together, those Wolverines and I marched through miles of mud and stomped through every swamp between Lewiston and the Canadian border. All those muddy miles and endless stretches of sun-baked pavement took a toll on my footwear. The soles wore through in places and started to peel back in others. I still wore them, of course, because they were my boots and I loved them. But they were no longer functional and they tended to scare small children, so what’s a guy to do? Use them as garden mulch, I suppose, or honor them with fire.

Not so fast, Wasteful Willie. There’s a new shop in town and it promised to restore boots just like mine to their former glory. I gave them a shot and do you know what? I’m wearing those very boots as I write this, and I’m convinced that they’re in better shape than the day they first rolled off the line. What’s more, the visit to Beyond Shoe Repair is a delight in itself, with all the tools of the craft on full display and the scent of leather high in the air. They also fix busted zippers (I’ve got a few dozen of those) and offer a variety of other related services. Once owner Lucas Argrew was finished resurrecting my battered and beloved boots, I had a few questions for Auburn’s new cobbler.

How did you get into shoes? I got into the shoe game about six years ago in Columbus, Ohio. A friend of mine, that I met while working at an art supply store, contacted me one day saying that the shoe repair he now worked for was opening a second location and he thought I would make a good cobbler. I trained for a year with the owner and then he made me the manager of the new locations. Stayed there for another four years.

Who gets more attached to their footwear, boys or girls? I’m not sure there is a definitive answer to this question. In Ohio it seemed like women were more attached, but here in Maine a lot of guys LOVE their boots, me being one of them.

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes? I do have a favorite pair of shoes and a favorite pair of boots. But I will never choose one over the other. My favorite shoes are a pair of russet-colored Frye low-top sneakers. They are so comfortable and made of all leather, which is pretty rare for sneakers. However I would hate myself if I didn’t give tons of credit to my Redwing boots as well.

How similar are your techniques to the cobblers of the old days? The techniques a cobbler uses today aren’t necessarily different than the old days, but the materials and workload certainly is different. Mass manufacturing brings all kinds of different materials into the mix. Older cobblers are used to leather soles and leather uppers. Now, the majority of repairs I do are on rubber soles and synthetic materials. To be a modern shoe cobbler you have to love a challenge.

Were my boots the rattiest you’ve ever seen? Mark, surprisingly your boots aren’t even in the top 10 rattiest I have ever seen. In fact I have about five pairs in the shop right now that give your boots a run for their money.

Where can I find specific shoe-related questions and answers? beyondshoerepair.com/faqs.shtml and at Beyond Shoe Repair, 1125 Center St., Auburn.