Cheras shoemaker at Taman Midah puts his best foot forward
Reena Sekaran @ FMT Lifestyle -October 5, 2020 7:00 AM
Chook Heng Mun working on a pair of shoes.
KUALA LUMPUR: Apart from the bright yellow signboard shouting San Lee Shoes, this shop in Taman Midah, Cheras looks pretty much like any other shoe store.
But a closer look at the signboard will reveal the words “Flash Dance Shoes”, giving you an inkling as to what to expect inside.
And true enough, you’re in for quite the surprise.
While the right side of the store is lined with row upon row of elegant shoes for the working man and woman, on the left are stunning high-heeled shoes in every colour, design and size imaginable
These are custom-made dance shoes, something you don’t often see in the shoe stores in and around the city.
San Lee Shoes is located in Taman Midah, Cheras.
Turns out this shoe store houses a small workshop within as well where material of every kind and colour awaits to be cut and sewn into customised shoes.
In the workshop, you’ll find an array of colourful half-ready dance shoes, and hundreds of shoe lasts that the workers use to seal soles onto the footwear.
At a workbench sits Chook Heng Mun, 51, who inherited the business of shoemaking from his father, Chook Wah Sun.
“My father was the one who inspired me to get into the business of customising dancing shoes. Now I run it with the help of my wife Candice and my elder sister Catherine Chook Choi Yin,” he tells FMT.
To him, dancing became a popular pastime in Malaysia some 30 years ago. However, there were no shoemakers in the country who could make customised dance shoes.
The only option was to source dance shoes from the UK and this was a costly affair – a decent pair came with a price tag of between RM200 to RM300.
Be it Latin, Jazz, Ballroom or Line Dancing, you can customise a pair of dance shoes at San Lee Shoes.
“My father started out by customising walking shoes. Soon enough, dancers began showing him samples of shoes they wanted, and enquiring if he could replicate the designs,” Chook says, explaining that his father even signed-up for dance classes so he could understand why wearing the right shoes when dancing was so important.
With this knowledge, his father experimented on ways he could modify an ordinary pair of shoes so they would be perfect for dancing.
Why should one fork out RM160 for a pair of dance shoes today?
According to Chook, there is a huge difference between dance shoes and ordinary walking shoes.
Dance shoes are soft and designed in such a way that they support the dancer’s feet well so accidents on the dance floor can be avoided especially when executing complex moves.
Where all the magic at San Lee Shoes takes place.
In fact, proper dance shoes enable one to be more graceful and flexible when dancing. Chook also explained that some dance forms cannot be executed right unless one is fitted with a proper pair of shoes.
Walking shoes are unsuitable, even dangerous, for dancing simply because you could hurt yourself especially in the ankle and heel.
The first step to making a pair of customised shoes is to accurately measure a customer’s feet. This is done by placing the foot on a piece of paper and drawing a rough outline of it.
The customer’s feet are first measured before they are asked to select the material, design and colour of their shoes.
Chook then measures the height of the ankle and Achilles tendon from the sole of the foot, taking into account any irregularities like bunions.
Once this crucial part of the shoemaking process is complete, only then are customers asked to select the design, material and colour of their choice.
Each pair of shoes takes about one to two weeks to complete. Customers are then called in for a fitting before they can take their beautiful shoes home with them.
According to Chook, each pair of dance shoes can last up to seven years.
Different sizes of shoe lasts.
Like many businesses all over the country, Chook’s shoemaking business took a beating because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Before the MCO, we employed over 10 workers including my family in the workshop.
“However, the pandemic has affected everyone including the dance studios. Fewer people are now going for dance classes and the SOPs prevent gatherings.
Chook says business has dropped by 70% and now there are only six of them who work there, including three workers who operate the business.
But all has not been lost. Chook also makes customised shoes for those whose feet have been affected by severe diabetes, those who are flat-footed and those whose feet are of different sizes or whose legs are of unequal length.
“Nowadays, the demand for dance shoes is low but the demand for shoes for diabetic patients and those suffering foot or leg issues has gone up.
“We use bamboo charcoal to make shoes for our diabetic customers and those suffering from eczema because this material doesn’t irritate the skin or their wounds.”
The next time you find yourself squeezing your feet into a tight and uncomfortable pair of heels or groaning in pain about that increasingly growing bunion, drop by San Lee Shoes.
In just two weeks, you’ll be walking on air in a pair of super comfortable and beautiful shoes, custom-made for happy feet.
San Lee Shoes
11, Jalan Midah 5
Taman Midah
56000 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours:
Monday-Saturday: 9am–5pm
Closed on Sunday
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