SALISBURY — When it came down to it, all Pat Weddington wanted was a hand-stitcher and a polisher to help with repairs he sometimes had to make to shoes he and his wife were selling on eBay.

The shoe repair trade has shrunk dramatically. Longtime craftsmen note that their number has been halved in the past couple of decades, even as Greater Sacramento has added 600,000 sets of feet. The ...

His parents told Adam Rud not to do it and he had every intention of following their advice. But opportunity can change a person's mind. "Dad told me not to get into the business," Rud said. His ...