The dusty town of Gallup, New Mexico in 1924 boasted much appeal for American immigrants desiring to began a new life and seek success. For one such immigrant, the small shops and businesses on downtown Coal Avenue, lined with awnings and Model A cars, represented this dream. In 1924, Sesto Bonaguidi, a recent immigrant to the United States from Italy, saw opportunity on a small street corner at 3rd Street and Coal Avenue. Sesto's dream was to create a store of his own, fine tweaking the skills of shoe repair he had acquired as a boy in Italy.

       City Electric Shoe Shop, as Sesto's dream came to be called, was born out of a recent phenomenon. Electric run equipment and electric shoe repair was cutting edge. This allowing for quality, same-day service. Prior to this development, customers who came to town for shoe repair would sometimes have to wait until their next trip, often 3-6 months later, to pick up their possessions. Sesto's "City Electric Shoe Shop" made everyone's life easier.

The store didn't grow only in terms of space,but by the year 2000 it was a third-generation enterprise. The store is now run by Sesto's children, son Louie Bonaguidi and daughter Lorry Bonaguidi Menapace. It merged with Santa Fe Leather Company, a wholesale belt factory run by Louie's son, Tony Bonaguidi. In 2006, the store took on a new challenge of whole sale production. Under the Taos Moccasins name production of moccasins now takes place.

 

 

Louie, Lorry, Marion, Tony

 

City Electric Shoe Shop
230 West Coal Avenue, Gallup,  NM 87301,  Phone: 505-863-2407,  Fax: 505-726-0493,  Email: cityelectricshoeshop@yahoo.com
Email: cityelectricshoeshop@yahoo.com

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