Cobblers Stitching Leather Sandals

In a stone-walled workshop hung with rows of finished sandals in turquoise, coral, and violet leather, several cobblers bend over sewing machines and cutting tables. One man snips a bright red hide with heavy shears while another threads a needle through a pale strap held taut between his hands. Across the table, coiled spools of colored thread, awls, and small hammers sit beside stacked leather off-cuts in a rainbow of scraps. A woman trims a completed sole at the back table as a finished sandal rests nearby, its straps still loose. Potted flowers line a shelf near the door, and a bluebird perches on the roof beam overhead. Every hide on this table will end up hanging on the wall behind, one more pair among dozens already finished.