Cobbler Jorge Mancilla: A Passion For The Craft

When we enter Mend Atelier in the heart of Fulton Market, Jorge Mancilla is still reattaching the handle to a leather handbag. It’s already a couple minutes after close, but Jorge is determined to finish the work. This is the customer’s first time in the shop, and he’s enamored by Jorge’s craftsmanship.

“I have a lot of faith that the right people will find me at the right time,” Jorge says. “That people who I do work for will see my work and do all of that word-of-mouth work naturally.”

When asked to introduce himself, the 42-year-old Jorge kept it simple: “I am a small business owner, a father. I am a shoe cobbler, and I own and run Mend Atelier.”

Jorge got his start as a cobbler when he was almost 30. Unlike most people in the trade, Jorge was not born into it — he sought after this trade. 

In his early twenties, he was working full time to pay for film school. After five years, he quit his job, left school, and started working for local artists. He toured with bands and was finding good work but was lacking passion.

“‘What is keeping me from really sticking to something?’” Jorge asked himself. “‘What if I pick a trade, and commit myself to that trade until I master it?’ Then hopefully by the end of that, I will have learned focus and discipline.”

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Jorge has family members who are construction workers, electricians, and plumbers, but he knew he needed something related to the arts. Then, his girlfriend at the time asked him to take her shoes to a cobbler.

“I didn't even know what a cobbler was,” Jorge said. “But I knew almost the moment that I walked in that that was what I wanted to learn.”

Immediately, he asked if they would train him, but they turned him down. So Jorge went to as many leather repair shops in Chicago he could find until they finally let him train. Once they said yes, he ended up working there for 11 years.

In 2024, Jorge was able to open his own shop: Mend Atelier.

One of his biggest sources of pride comes from people bringing in heirloom pieces. He talked about someone who brought in their late father’s leather jacket and a purse passed down through generations.

“Those have become my favorite pieces to work on, because I'm able to help keep that alive,” Jorge said.

When Jorge started as a cobbler, many of his friends asked “When are you going to make something?” At the time, the artist inside him was unsure, but now — after a decade of bringing things back to life — he’s come to a new conclusion.

“I'm convinced that I don't ever want to make anything,” Jorge said. “I actually enjoy being on this side of the maker-consumer-repair cycle. And there's not a lot of us on this side.”

You won’t find a website for Mend Atelier or see Jorge active on social media.

“I think it's a vital aspect of this trade to allow that to happen naturally,” Jorge said. “There's not a lot of shoe cobblers out there, there's not a lot of leather repair people out here. If you're really good at what you do, you don't have to do advertising.”

Whether you’re looking to repair a leather heirloom or learn more about the trade, Jorge Mancilla and Mend Atelier can be found at 215 North Aberdeen Street in Chicago.

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