Mia Watkins
Victor Costa and his daughter, Mariana Elchert
Victor Costa and his daughter, Mariana Elchert, show off examples of shoe lifts that will be the focus of their new online Shoe Lift Express business as the Homewood Shoe Hospital closes.
Closing the Homewood Shoe Hospital after over 60 years isn’t an ending, but a beginning of a labor of love.
“Increasing the health and wellness of customers in general, just to be able to contribute to that is such an honor,” said Mariana Elchert, daughter of Homewood Shoe Hospital owner Victor Costa.
With the closing of the shop December, the two plan to embark on a new journey that’s close to both of their hearts: Shoe Lift Express.
The idea began during the pandemic, according to Elchert. The shoe hospital always offered shoe lifts, but business picked up, with orders coming through the internet.
Elchert’s own journey inspired her and her father. She discovered the world of bone-lengthening surgery through a shoe lift patient. The encounter inspired her to get the surgery and go through a year-long recovery process.
“What Dad likes to say is that, ‘Through adversity comes growth,’” she said. “Because of that, we developed a website to emphasize shoe lifts because those individuals needed lifts no matter what. That’s not something they could live without. So, for that reason, we began a business and as things started to pick up, there was so much work from both sources, and the growth increased the ability to stay with the orthopedic lifts.”
The process for shoe lifts starts with learning the backstory of the patients, she said. Patients may need shoe lifts because of congenital issues or an accident that left them with a leg length discrepancy.
Patients also provide their measurements from the doctor. Once the patient sends the shoes they need lifted, Elchert said she and her father cut the tread off the shoes then insert the lift material into the midsole of the shoe and put it back together. The last step is to color match the sole. Usually, patients start with one lift and go from there.
“And then, all of a sudden, they’ll unload their closet,” she said. “They get the shoe back, and they love it. They’ll send a box of eight to 10 pairs of shoes. So, the feedback has been tremendous.”
“We can see the change in personality,” she added of some patients who get lifts. “They’re kind of quiet and to themselves, and then they begin to open up. It’s really amazing to see that.”
Now, Shoe Lift Express’ clientele spans all over the United States and several countries abroad.
Elchert said that some customers of Homewood Shoe Hospital were concerned when they heard about the closure via a Facebook post the business shared in October, but she said that they shouldn’t worry.
“There have been people who have cried. There are people who have wished us well,“ she said. “There have been people who have shared memories over the years and said how much of a blessing we have been to them. It’s a labor of love, and it’s very much bittersweet for us to make this transition. Because we have such an exponential workload, and this business is growing with shoe lifts, it allows us the capability to grow.”
