McClatchy Washington Bureau

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The problems are as tiny as a worn-down heel or a torn seam and as major as a smashed up car. These days, customers pinched by stagnant or falling wages increasingly are choosing to get those things fixed instead of buying a shiny new item.

Owners and managers of Grand Strand businesses that make repairs say that while business overall is down, they are seeing more people coming in to fix the old so they don't have to buy new - if they are making repairs at all. Sometimes, people will wait until it is absolutely necessary to get something fixed, shop owners say.

Mickey Pace, who owns Speights Shoe Service in Conway, said repair business has started to pick up recently, while he is selling fewer new work boots. "Used to be 50-50," he said of the split in his profits, repair and retail. "Now it's more like 60-40."

He's making more repairs to heels, soles and that little rubber tip on the spike of women's pumps. Most of the fixes are between $6 and $18 on shoes that cost $80 and up.

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