A man has turned his 20 year obsession with collecting trainers into a business that restores old shoes to their former glory.
Ross Paterson has been making his collection of footwear shine for decades and managed to keep them in top condition.
The 44-year-old had been living in sunny Lanzarote but ill-health meant he had to return to Dunfermline, Fife, and had to turn his hand to a new job.
He set up SOSneaky in the town only a fortnight ago and has already rescued a much-worn 12-year-old pair of trainers.
The small business owner, who boasts of a collection of more than 50 pairs of shoes, says it is going so well there are plans for an exhibition in Dunfermline.
He said: “I’ve had a bit of hard time since moving back from Lanzarote last year.
“I turned my attention to my trainers and have been lovingly restoring them to keep my mind occupied and my spirits up.
“My friends and family have been amazed at the restorations I’ve done so I thought I’d turn it into a business venture.
“So two weeks ago I started it off and now I have my own little workshop space.
“The thing is a lot of people have their favourite trainers that are past their best, but they don’t want to throw them out. That’s when I come in.
“One guy bought a pair of trainers from New York 12 years ago but they were ruined. He was amazed to see them looking like a brand new shoe once I worked on them.”
Ross said he started collecting trainers initially because he just liked the different styles and fit of them but it quickly grew organically.
He added: “I started buying more trainers than the average person about 20 years ago just because I like the styles and the fit, but then I started finding ones that nobody else had.
“I now have over 50 pairs and regularly go and scout websites to try and find foreign pairs you can’t buy in the UK.
“Some of them are worth a lot of money, like my pair of Adidas Dublin’s that I’ve just seen on eBay go for £575.
“I’ve never queued up for trainers but I’ve certainly pre-ordered them and got my hands on them before anyone else.
“It isn’t anything like what New York used to be though, some people got killed for a pair of sneakers.”
