Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

MANCHESTER, CT — The latest installment of the Hidden Gems series takes us to an old-school business that still has a modern market — the shoemaker.

Welcome to the Country Cobbler. The business is tucked into a shopping plaza at 63 Tolland Turnpke in Manchester close to the Vernon line. It's a walk back in time but also a viable solution to fix the favorite footware, even in 2020.

Owner Larry MacDonald took over the longtime business in April 2019. It's now the sixth decade in which he's been fixing shoes and "things."

MacDonald not only fixes shoes but zippers — a lot of zippers, he said. He even had an appointment this week to repair a damaged artificial sliding mat that an overzealous young baseball player tore with spikes during a spring training episode.

(Chris Dehnel/Patch)

The Country Cobbler is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

____

The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.

Other columns in this series:

• Beau's Burger Shack
• Daniel Glazier Tavern
• Mount Southington Ski School
• Awards & More
• Marquis de Lafayette Monument
• The Little Red Store
• River Bend Bookshop
• Gerry's Donuts
• Traveler Restaurant
• First Decorated Christmas Tree
• The Stanley-Whitman House
• Vernon's Santa House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• Old Country Banquet Hall
• Brazilian Gula Grill
• Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop
• Congregational Church of Burlington labyrinth
• Noah Webster House
• The Bushnell's Green Room Wall
• Belding Wildlife Management Area
• The Aborn Castle
• Heublein Tower
• Birthplace of Jonathan Edwards
• Grave of Revolutionary War Soldier Heman Baker
• Jessica's Garden, Lobster and Ice Cream Shack
• Shade Swamp Sanctuary
• Ken's Corner Breakfast & Lunch
• Tolland Red and White
• The Packing House
• Cold Harbor Seafood
• Nye Holman State Forest/Heron Cove Park
• Hosmer Mountain Soda Shack
• Connecticut Trolley Museum
• Matterhorn Mini Golf
• Wood Memorial Library & Museum
• Hastings Farm
• Liquid Nirvana
• Iwo Jima Survivors Memorial Park
• Academy Hall
• Southington Drive-In
• Little Theatre of Manchester at Cheney Hall
• Somersvillage Gifts & Gourmet Baskets
• New England Civil War Museum
• The Pinchot Sycamore
• Stafford Palace Theater
• Mansfield Hollow State Park
• Old Tolland County Jail and Museum
• Hill-Stead Museum
• Mark's Restaurant