Tevfik Kamil & Ali Kamil: brother cobblers

Everyone has a story. THIS IS OUR 400th INTERVIEW!!! High Class Shoes on Newington Green is much more than a place to repair your shoes – it’s Islington history. Here meet Tevfik and Ali Kamil, the third generation in their family to work as cobblers and key cutters at this shop. Interview by Nicola Baird

Under a green awning at the end of a row of 17^th century houses, at the heart of Newington Green, is a tiny cobblers’ workshop. High Class Shoes is always busy with customers and friends, as it has been since the shop opened in 1980.

Tevfik, who grew up in Hackney is busy working throughout this interview, by the time I leave he’s on his seventh big repair of the day. He’s also the third generation from his family to repair shoes and boots in this tiny Newington Green shop. His grandfather, Kamil, started the business in Tottenham after coming to London in 1976, aged 35, with his wife and their six children, but struggled to find work. It must have been a tough time as Kamil’s wife fell ill with TB and had to stay in a convalescence hostel for two years in Shenfield, Essex just outside Brentwood (more about this hospital here).

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“My grandfather (who learnt to handmake shoes as a 12-year-old) taught me some things, though I don’t remember him working in this shop. He used to be a fireman in Cyprus. At the time my grandmother contracted TB there was no cure, so a friend helped raise my dad and five siblings because my grandfather had to work,” says Tevfik pointing towards a photo of Kamil in the shop, which he opened in 1980. Kamil’s son, Ahmet, was about 25 when he started working with his dad.

Making memories

There are photos of Ahmet at work hung on the walls above the key cutting and shoe repairing machines, including one taken by Islington Faces’ friend (and inspiration) Spitalfields Life back in 2014. Because this interview with Tevfik and Ali is our 400th we plan to present a framed portrait of the brothers at work to the shop – so maybe it too will also be displayed on the shop’s walls.

Back in the day

“I remember hammering nails as a five-year-old into this worktop and driving my dad mad. It was then more like a social club. My early memory is people with beer cans and smoking cigarettes,” says Tevfik glueing a sole.

That social element made High Class Shoes a real melting pot right from the start – in part because Kamil was one of the founders of Hackney Cypriot Association, on Balls Pond Road, and he believed passionately in promoting good relations and unity between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in London. For years all the locals would pop in for news, chat and shoe repair. So in 2020 when covid struck and both Ahmet and Kamil died within a week of each other there was huge local grief.

When the brothers (and their “other brother” Erkin, 38) reopened the shop in summer 2020, “We had to break it to a lot of people. There were a lot of tears. It’s always difficult,” explains Ali who now lives in Islington.

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Places Ali and Tevfik love in Islington 

Both

“We like our new neighbours at Picnic, 51 Newington Green. She does salad bowls, coffee. The shop was empty for two years: we didn’t like that.”

Ali, 31

1. “I enjoy going to the The Alma Pub, 59 Newington Green Road, N1 when I can – If it’s the weekend make it a brandy!”
2. “Highbury Fields – I do a lot of dog walking. Usually, I walk in trainers. Trainers don’t really repair as they’re made for comfort, not longevity. Even with walking boots you can’t really put a new sole on. “
3. “I like Gallipoli on 119-120 Upper Street, N1.”
4. “We did a Dickies advert for their 100-year anniversary in our shop. They make workwear and fashion.” You can see it here.

Tevfik, 42

1. “There’s three pubs for the weekend. The Weaver’s Arms, 98 Newington Green Road; The Alma and BeBopaLula on 68-70 Green Lanes.” Insta @armsweavers
2. “The restaurant Number 60 at 60 Newington Green. When I finish work I might go there and eat lamb chops, burger and chips, fish or pasta.”
3. “I really like the jazz festival that’s held on Newington Green every summer. I look forward to it.”
4. “Our MP. My father repaired Jeremy Corbyn’s shoes. Jeremy Corbyn wrote a letter to get my other brother on to an electrician’s course at Hackney Community College, and it worked.”

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Craftsmanship

Once a job is finished Tevfik packages the repaired shoes – Islington Faces could see 52 pairs waiting for collection, boots are stored downstairs. He’s just had a summer staycation to unwind, but on working days he’s at the shop fixing from around 9.30am until 6pm Monday to Friday and Saturday (10am-5.30) – a repair costs about £30, although a new stiletto heel starts from £10.

This schedule means that just like his Dad, there’s never time to go to football and see his team Arsenal, but Tevfik did get to enjoy the parade passing in summer 2026, after winning the Premier League 2025-26, and that’s also immortalised in another framed photo.

Ali says: “My grandad got into the habit of buying shops and teaching his family to repair and then move on. He’s got three boys and three girls so my uncle, Sattretin, was in Tottenham my auntie was first in New Cross, but that didn’t last long – she then went to Charlton. She’s only just retired from doing stitch work, she did it till last year. And then my dad had this shop, in Newington Green, it’s the only surviving one. Our dad told Tevfik not to do it, he said ‘it was messy and difficult so get an office job – it’s cleaner’. But I think my brother always wanted to work for himself…”

So how did Tevfik end up knowing how to repair shoes? “I got tired of doing other things, so came and worked beside my father. He said the only way to learn is doing it yourself, making mistakes, and then never making that mistake again. I had to learn the hard way,” he says.

“We also sell desert boots. They’ve been a best seller for as long as I can remember. We don’t have the biggest shoe collection,” says Tevfik admitting that he prefers selling to repairing then pointing to the window display and a row of children’s Crocs that Ali bought when the famous Jimmy’s Shoes on Essex Road was closing down. “I get people asking if they could be an apprentice. That’s where Timpson is good, even if people don’t much like their work. But like my Dad said, there’s one way to learn. They’ll walk you through. After that, you’re on your own.” He then laughs and quips: “I’m good at looking like I know what I’m doing!”

Whatever he says it’s clearly a skilled job as Ali, taking a break from key cutting, adds: “I can polish and stick, but I can’t do the heels though I’ve watched him enough times.”

And then there are the many loyal customers returning with their shoes for a fix-up, or bringing trainers in, hoping that Tevfik will find a miracle way to repair the unrepairable.

Busy times

Both brothers notice how busy it is now.

“Covid changed the world: a lot of shops shut down so we get a lot of other people’s customers,” says Tevfik, adding that there’s also “some people who want to look after the ecosystem, so rather than getting rid of things, they’d rather get them repaired if possible.”

Running a business isn’t just about keeping the hours and doing a good job, there’s also officialdom to keep on top of. A recent stress was being summoned to court for an unpaid business rate that had already been rescinded by the council.

Ali who helps with the paperwork says: “I think the worst part is the parts we can’t control like Islington Council. We got a summons to court for business rates. They got the measurements wrong. I put in a rejection to recalculate. While this was under review, we were asked to pay £900. But that impacts our cash flow. Then the valuation team got back to us, and we were re-measured and didn’t owe any business rates. But then we apparently owed for the court fee! It was very stressful. It’s the external factors that are stressful. It was an issue that was never an issue. Apparently, the same thing happened to my Dad.”

For Tevfik top stress is the sheer amount of repairs to do, although he also takes pride in the fact that they are so busy.

Despite the noise of the machines, the dust, glue and job list it’s clear Tevfik takes great pride in making a shoe ready to wear again. He picks up a pair of red dance shoes and explains how, “they’ve got very thin soles, so I’ll put a protective sole on, but you have to be very delicate.” Then turning to the black office shoe on the lathe he’s currently repairing he says with a big smile: “Putting the rubber sole on, that’s literally my favourite job.”

With a friend sitting in the corner, the chance to pop out for a smoke and in the background a favourite playlist it’s clear the brothers have found the best way to keep their family business going. And long may it last – for the sake of everyone who needs shoes repaired.

• High Class Shoes, 52 Newington Green, N16. Follow on insta
• Interview with Ahmet Kamil (Ali and Tevfik’s Dad) by Spitalfields Life in 2014
• Tributes to Kamil and Ahmet see Newington Green Action, and Spitalfields Life

Over to you

If you’d like to nominate someone to be interviewed who grew up, lives or works in Islington, or suggest yourself, please let me know, via nicolabaird dot green at gmail dot com. If you enjoyed this post you might like to look at the A-Z  index, or search by interviewee’s roles or Meet Islingtonians to find friends, neighbours and inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. Nicola