Birth of a Legend

Every legend has a birth place. Salvatore Capezio was born in 1871 in Muro, Lucano Italy. Although his home was picturesque, he was craving something more. After training as a cobbler in Italy, he immigrated to the United States. At just 17 years old, Salvatore Capezio opened a small shoe repair shop only a few pirouettes away from New York’s old Metropolitan Opera House. The sign above his door read, “The Theatrical & Historical Shoemaker.” He began his business by repairing theatrical shoes for the Met. Salvatore quickly made the transition from cobbler to shoemaker when he made an emergency pair of shoes for Polish opera star, Jean de Reszke. He discovered pointe shoes to be a challenging balance between delicate construction and complex engineering. In turn, his customers discovered that few shoemakers were as determined as Capezio to take on that challenge.