Toscana Shoes

Elena Torres has been saving Upper West Side soles since 1998, the year she became a newly minted 30-year-old business owner. To judge from the many cards that decorate Toscana, her small shoe repair shop on Broadway and 85th Street, she has captured more than a few souls during that time too.

“Thank you for staying with us on the UWS!” writes one neighbor in tidy print. Nobel Prize winner James E. Rothman offers his thanks from a photo on the side wall, along with appreciative pictures from famous neighbors and Upper West Side residents Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. More holiday cards with personalized seasons greeting adorn a small shelf near the register.

The gestures of appreciation are the most visible fruits of years of Elena’s hard work, great service, endless friendly smiles, and determination. But, recently, they have seemed to be no match for the destructive nature of COVID-19. The virus forced a three and a half month shutdown last March – the height of the shoe repair season according to Elena. Today, it continues to threaten Elena’s livelihood and possibly, her dreams for her 17-year-old son to go to a top-notch college.