Cobbler turned sandal-maker
LEARNING to make capal (open-toed leather sandals) paid off handsomely for 33- year-old Shahril Abdul Rahman.
 |
| SPECIALLY CRAFTED: Shahril Abdul Rahman with a pair of his own hand-made ‘capal’. |
As it gets closer to Hari Raya, business has been brisk.
Shahril learned to make capal from an Indonesian friend three years ago.
He said his friend taught him the fundamentals but he honed his skills and started designing his own creations about five months ago.
Shahril started out as a roadside cobbler in Muar after completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia about 15 years ago.
Later, he managed to open a shop in Jalan Abdullah, next to his wife’s florist shop.
“At first, I only repaired shoes.
“Later, I decided to diversify my business.
“Initially, I made sandals but competition from shoe factories was great and I had to quit. Then, I started to make capal.
“Thank God, even though the demand for capal is seasonal, the returns have been good, especially a few months before Hari Raya.”
He makes between three and four pairs of capal a day. Prices range between RM60 and RM65 per pair.
He added that during Ramadan, he is able to sell up to 200 pairs of capal a day compared with two to three on normal days.
|
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association, along with Muslim restaurateurs and several Muslim non-governmental organisations, will be launching a campaign to boycott American ...