Utica’s Legendary “Shoemaker” Passes Away at the Age of 89

When people needed shoes in the Greater Utica area, the name Shaheen was most likely a part of that conversation. That's because Shaheen's Shoes was the place people counted on for new footwear for more than seven decades, and last week the area lost an icon.

Utica's legendary shoemaker, Eli A. Shaheen, passed away at his home in Florida last week at the age of 89. Shaheen was the co-owner of Shaheen's Shoes in Utica, a family business he started working at when he was just 14-years-old. Shaheen owned the store for 71 years with his cousin, George Shaheen.

For years, Shaheen appeared on local television pitching his shoe store and shoe repair with his classic slogan, “if your feet hurt, you can’t walk and you can’t play golf”, and encouraged everyone to always “hope for the best.”

In 2019 in an interview with CNY Central, Shaheen told the reporter, "there used to be 90 shoemakers in Utica alone. They're all dead and gone now," he said.

Calling hours are Friday, February 10th from 4-7PM at Friedel, Williams & Edmunds Funeral and Cremation Services, 13 Oxford Rd. New Hartford. The Divine Liturgy for the Faithful Departed will be Saturday at 9:30AM, at St. Louis Gonzaga Church with interment in Calvary Cemetery.