The final chapter of a family shoemaking legacy in Seremban

At 83, Chan Lee continues to repair worn-out footwear by hand at Federal Shoe Repair in Pasar Besar Seremban. (Theevya Ragu @ FMT Lifestyle)SEREMBAN: Walk into Pasar Besar Seremban, past the poultry and fresh-produce stalls, head upstairs and turn left into a row of small shoplots.At Lot 35A, you’ll find 83-year-old Chan Lee sitting on a small stool, surrounded by tools and worn-out shoes waiting to be given a second life.For many Seremban locals, Chan is a familiar face. Over the years, countless customers have brought their shoes and bags to his shop, Federal Shoe Repair.But before he became known as a cobbler, Chan was a second-generation shoemaker who learnt the craft from his father when he was just 10 years old.Chan’s parents migrated from China to Malaya, where they built a living making custom shoes.

The business supported the family and helped them raise four children.“Our shop was located on Murray Street, which is now Jalan Kapitan Tam Yeong. My father had been making men’s shoes since the 1940s or earlier, before I was born,” Chan said.While he does not remember every detail of his father’s business, Chan shared that the shop operated under a different name before he and his siblings renamed it Federal Shoe Store.“There were settlement camps for the British army in Seremban, and my father would even make shoes for the soldiers. My mother also knew the craft,” he recalled.After his father died at age 48, Chan and his brothers took over the family business.

At its peak, the shoemaking company employed five workers, and Chan even opened a shoe factory in Kuala Lumpur in the 1970s, when he was just 24.The family’s brand became well known, with Chan gaining recognition for his women’s footwear designs. “I was kind of like Jimmy Choo,” he joked.Among his treasured items is this vintage steel shoe last, inherited from his father and used to shape footwear by hand. (Theevya Ragu @ FMT Lifestyle)He also made leather dancing shoes, boots for singers and even footwear for royalty.

“I once had a dance group from Tampin that urgently needed 70 pairs within a month, and we managed to complete them!”Among his collection of tools, one item stands out: a vintage cobbler’s shoe last - a foot-shaped steel mould mounted on wood - passed down from his father.Success, however, did not last: rising costs and increasing taxes eventually forced Chan to close the factory…