Lightning Shoe — local landmark

By Callie Boyd, Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:08 AM MST

Although the Lightning Shoe Shop has only been in the family for three generations, the Waters family and shoes go back further than that.

Frank Waters’ great-grandfather owned a shoe repair shop as well, and the Waters’ ancestors came to the United States from England as shoemakers.

Since 1915, the shop has been located in three Downtown spots. Its first two were on Main Street, and both moves were due to fires. After the second fire, the shop moved to its current location at 614 Fifth Ave.

“We’ve kept busy. Other shoe repairers have been in and out. My dad and granddad kept our prices down,” said Frank Waters, current owner of the shop.

According to Waters, more and more shoes are made with molded soles and cannot be repaired by a cobbler.

Waters is the son of Jim and Kathlyn Waters and the grandson of H.A. (Henry) Waters. He was born May 20, 1943, in Safford. Waters attended Safford schools, from which he graduated in 1961. Following high school, he attended one year at Eastern Arizona College.

“I took off for a year or two just out of high school,” Waters said.

During that period of his life, Waters worked a few different construction jobs and for the Coke Company for a short time.

Waters took over the family business in 1980, when his father passed away at the age of 91.

“I didn’t really want it. It’s a six-day-a-week, full-time job, and I was looking for less, but my dad needed me. We were awfully busy back then — lots of shoe repairs,” Waters said.

Waters has been working at the Lightning Shoe Shop for the last 55 years, since he was 9 years old.

When he was a young boy, he worked at the shoe shop after school. He said his daily duties included waiting on customers, taking in shoes to be repaired, helping with sales and cleaning up at the end of each day.

In the Lightning Shoe Shop’s glory days, Waters said, “It was what you might call a hub, back then.

“Farmers and ranchers came in on Saturdays to do all their shopping. We stayed open till 8 or 9 o’clock on the weekend.”

Business has changed for the small shoe store since the days of H.A. and Jim. About four months ago, Waters stopped repairing shoes.

He said business was slowing due to the newer shoes being made with molded soles — like tennis shoes. The shop was spending too much money on shoe repair supplies and not getting enough shoes to be repaired.

Waters said, “People just wear them and throw them away.”

Waters talked about the change in his business, saying, “I enjoy the front. I never did like sitting and repairing all the time.”

When asked about other repair shops in the area, Waters thought for a minute, and said, “There’s just not many left.”

Today, the Lightning Shoe Shop sells work boots because its main clientele has changed to miners.

“I do steel-toes and stuff like that,” said Waters.

Besides work boots, Waters is stocking Western-style boots, men’s dress shoes and leather sandals.

At about the same time he stopped shoe repairs, Waters invited Debra Congdon to be his business partner. She has been working at the shop for about 27 years.

Congdon will eventually be the next owner of the Lightning Shoe Shop.

“I needed a job, and they were the only ones that would hire me,” Congdon said.

She recalls when she first started working at the shop. “There were piles of boots everywhere, and at the end of the day they were all on the shelves,” she said.

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Comments

14 comment(s)

Genevieve wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:59 PM:

" I visited this spot in 2001 and had a wonderful time, in the two weeks I was there I greatly enjoyed the spring, the people and hiking in the surrounding area. The time I spent here was the highlight of my winter adventure. I played dominoes, drank tequila and picked up pretty rocks (and soaked in the spring of course!) It sounds like some terrible things have happened since and it's a shame that it's now closed. I would have loved to have seen it again. "

Tricia Wenzl wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:32 PM:

" Re: Eve Batchelder murder-2006. I personally knew Eve as did many of my other co-workers and we were appalled that her confessed murderer was allowed to plead to a lesser charge (obviously) to escape the death penalty. This was a pre-meditated murder and kidnapping, resulting in the death of a wonderful, gentle soul not to mention leaving her two children without their mother! Jason Martinez does not deserve to live at the expense of the taxpayers with the chance that he could be paroled! Society cannot afford to be "soft" for the fear of peer pressure. "

ciara wrote on Jul 17, 2008 9:06 PM:

" hi i would like to know what time the pool opens "

Warnar Moll Amsterdam The Netherlands wrote on Jul 14, 2008 11:20 AM:

" I agree with Rustom Kevala.
In literature there are many scientific indications that the preparation of the sacred liquid (Haoma),could not contain a Hallucinogen-Entheogen drug (cf publications of Harry Falk, Jan Houben, Frits Staal and the late Mary Boyce).
As a plant-physiologist and toxicologian, I did some study about the preparation of Parahom (as described in Avesta). From the scientic point of view it is impossible that the sacred drink is hallucinogen.
I do not understand the arguments of the Pima's Church of Cognizance.
It is as stupid as the assert: Jesus used Marihuana. "

tom wrote on Apr 19, 2008 3:15 PM:

" if having someone go through something like especially a child is not an invasion of privacy then nothing is but then thats the 9th circus for you "

F THE SYSTEM!!! wrote on Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM:

" Who cares about ibuprofen anyways! its just a pill that peopel take for headaches and aches who cares about what the school system. If someone suffers from chronic headaches and stuff like that they should be allowed to carry it around. IT was a bad thing to distribute it around to others, but they should be able to keep it anyway. Its not like teachers are all that willing to let students out of the classroom just because of a headache!!! SMS should be sued. Strip searching a student like that should NOT BE ALLOWED!!!! "

LaVae McClellan wrote on Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM:

" Eric and Kevin Yazzie are my brothers, they always will be. Yeah its true they had a history of fighting, but thats all u see. The Eric and Kevin i know are happy and fun loving, make everybody laugh. I miss kevin, but theres nothing we can do for him now. As for Eric they need to let my brother go already "

joe tapia wrote on Dec 9, 2007 8:05 PM:

" I have spent half of my life in this canyon along with my cusion juan luepke and I would like to know what threats to the public that our gate is causing. there is another way into the canyon then through our property. Just before you get to the cobra guest ranch on klondyke rd take the tully springs\old aravaipa town turn follow for about 4 miles there is a side road just after the second cattle guard the road turns east you have to open a few gates but there not locked. "

JOE TAPIA wrote on Dec 9, 2007 12:11 AM:

" THE ROAD THAT EVERY ONE HAS USED FOR THE LAST 20-30 YEARS, Is owned by my family. as I have been told to me by my father that the b.l.m and nature conseverency asked to use our road because their easement down by the river kept getting washed out by floods.So when norma put the gate up the b.l.m asked the conservency to redo the road by the river again conservency said no way. By,joe tapia "

Katelynn Nichols wrote on Dec 7, 2007 5:34 PM:

" Clifford Bea Fowler is My uncle ans my cousin Kelci's dad he may be a white supremeist but he still loves his daughter.But he should be held responsible for his actions. "

Stephen wrote on Nov 30, 2007 8:57 AM:

" My thoughts and prayer's go out to the late Bobby Bell's family. "

SMSmom wrote on Nov 9, 2007 12:11 PM:

" I will be notified if my child is in so much trouble that he may need to be stripped searched. "Depending on circumstances"--NO I WILL BE NOTIFIED!!! TRY ME!!! "

Keisha wrote on Oct 27, 2007 8:03 PM:

" I'm sure if these guys were a threat to society action would of been taken. I'm not condoning such behavior but Linda sounds like she's up to no good. "

linda wrote on Oct 26, 2007 11:59 AM:

" Is there any way to post the photos of these molesters "in" the schools so that the children and school staff may detect any possible molesters? After all they are the ones who would most likely see them. "

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