businesses
TRU F�T �HOE RE�A�R
Agood pair of shoes will get you far in life , but you also need someone to help repair them . That ’ swhere Jerry Occhiuzzi comes in . Occhiuzzi learned the art of shoe repair from his father , �unzio . When �unzio was 1� , his mother encouraged him to seek abetter life and leave their poor Italian village in the mountains overlooking the Mediterranean , so he went to France and worked in its vineyards . After saving enough money , Occhiuzzi says , his father came to the �nited States .
When he arrived at age 1�atthe beginning of the Great �epression , �unzio Occhiuzzi didn ’ t speak English , and had only �1� inhis pocket . Afriend connected him with aman who owned ashoe repair shop , took the immigrant under his wing and taught him the art ofrepairing shoes . �unzio began chasing the American �ream , and opened �ictory Shoe �epair �later called Tru Fit Shoe �epair �in 1�44 .“ He did repairs and started selling shoes ,” says Occhiuzzi .
As �unzio became increasingly successful , he began to grow the business , eventually expanding into three storefronts in arow . In 1��� , when Occhiuzzi was around 4years old , �unzio moved his growing family from Paterson to Millburn .
Occhiuzzi says hegrew upinthe shop , cleaning , dying and shining shoes .“ Imust have shined everyone ’ s shoes in town 10 times over ,” he says .
The shop moved to Main Street , across from Taylor Park , in1��2 . When Occhiuzzi came home from college , he helped his father out . After he graduated , he decided tobecome his own boss . Adiminishing number of people were becoming shoemakers , he says , at atime when demand appeared to be growing . “ I said , let me give itashot ,” says Occhiuzzi , “ and hetried to talk me out ofituntil his dying day .” Occhiuzzi says he told his father ,“ Iwant to be my own boss , and if Ifail , it ’ s my own fault .”
The pandemic closed Tru Fit for several months , and business has been somewhat slow since reopening , says Occhiuzzi , but he knows his customers trust him . His expertise isn ’ t limited to shoes� healso repairs leather handbags , belts , furniture and luggage , makes custom orthotics and employs skilled craftsmen who make custom leather goods .
He says his customers purchase items of high quality , are discerning and trust him to have the utmost care with their merchandise . “ �ou couldn ’ t survive in atown like this if you didn ’ t do quality work ,” he says .
�Fro� top� ��n�io Occhi���i ca�e to the United States at �� with only ��� in his poc�et . He opened �ictory Shoe Repair �later called Tr� Fit Shoe Repair -- on Millb�rn Aven�e in ���� . �erry Occhi���i �in bl�e �as�� later too� over the fa�ily b�siness . �Left� The storefront today .
COURTESY OF �ERRY OCCH�U���
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MAY 2021 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE