Dino's Shoe Repair in N.Y. has always helped its customers put their best foot forward. It's just that now more people are trying to get their foot in the door. Newly-frugal Americans are choosing to repair rather than replace.
"We're going to fix the leather sole. We're going to clean," said Maria Filios, Dino's.
Nationwide, the recession has given them a significant leg up. And the same with auto repair. AutoZone shares recently hit record highs.
"As you keep a vehicle a little bit longer that requires more maintenance," said Jim Kelley, AutoZone.
Last month, when U.S. auto sales fell to their lowest rate in more than 27 years, AutoZone sales jumped nearly 9 percent to $1.4 billion.
"Maybe it would be people coming in for air freshener or car washes. Now they're saying hey can you help me put the windshield wipers on? Or they ask how hard it is to change a set of brakes," said Kelley.
Do-it-yourself savings certainly add up. A typical oil change, for example, usually costs between $29 and $39.
Getting the parts at a store like AutoZone will cost you about half.
Another way to save is do-it-yourself appliance repair. There are several Web sites that will diagnose the problem, tell you what part you need and show you how to install it. You can buy the parts from them too.
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