SHOES BEING MADE AGAIN AT FORMER FLORSHEIM PLANT

Cape Shoe Co. announced Tuesday the opening of a shoe manufacturing plant in the Florsheim Shoe Co. plant that closed last year.

The nation's newest shoe manufacturer is the first to open a shoe plant in the city since 1969, when Florsheim began production at the plant at Highway 74 and South West End Boulevard.

Eli Fishman, president of the company, called the opening unique in view of the closings of U.S. apparel and shoe manufacturers in favor of production in low-wage countries like Asia and China.

"All products sold under the Cape Shoe label will be 100 percent Made in the U.S.A., " said Fishman. "Every component will be acquired from U.S. manufacturing companies, including soles from Sullivan, Mo., and some shoe tops form St. Louis.

"We already do a lot of cutting and sewing of the upper portion of the shoes," said Fishman. "Eventually we'll be doing all of it here."

The company will produce men's work boots, desert boots, casual oxfords and loafers in the plant that contains 92,000 square feet and sits on 12.6 acres.

"When we heard of the Florsheim closing we looked into the shoe manufacturing business," said Fishman, who is also president of Abbey Manufacturing in Chicago. He said Abbey consequently decided to purchase the building and equipment.

"We have an agreement to produce one line of Florsheim Shoes," said Fishman. He said the company will sell to retailers. "We're already talking with a couple of retailers in the Cape Girardeau area," he said.

Cape Shoe currently employs 60 to 70 people with an average of almost 20 years each of shoe-making experience. Supervisory personnel average more than 30 years of experience.

Sid Myers, who has 27 years experience in the industry, is plant manager.

At full capacity the plant will employ about 300 skilled workers. The plant is equipped with more than 800 separate shoe-making machines and three assembly lines.

"It's great that the facility has reopened," said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape

The market for American-made products is substantial, especially if they are quality products and priced competitively with foreign-made items, said Fishman, who will be dividing his time between Abbey in Chicago and Cape Shoe.