If a shoe was broken in Austin, Mark Hastings didn’t hesitate to fix it, even if he had to barter for the price.

Mark Allen “Skip” Hastings, 78, passed away on March 17 after more than five decades selling and repairing shoes at his store, Hastings Shoe & Repair at 100 First Avenue NW in Austin.

“He saved a lot of soles,” Jean, his wife, laughed. “S-o-l-e-s.”

But for Mark, shoe repair and leather work was a family tradition.

“His dad actually started a harness shop in 1909, and when he was around 10 years old or so he liked to go out there,” Jean Hastings, Mark’s wife, said. “At one point he worked out of his garage, and my husband liked to go out there and just took an interest in leather types of work and continued from there on until about four years ago.”

Mark’s father, Ray, sparked his interest in leather work with his harness-making, and Ray made meat harnesses for what would become Hormel Foods Corp., according to Jean.

She doesn’t remember a time when her husband didn’t do leather work.

“Ever since I’ve known him, 1956, that’s what he did,” she said. “That’s just what he liked to do. He just trained himself.”

Mark opened Hastings Shoe Repair in 1957 and operated it until he had to step aside about four years ago due to health issues.

“He worked every day, and never had a sick day in his life,” Jean said. “We worked every day, whether there was a blizzard or not, we were there.”

Jean said her husband was known both for being quiet, but also enjoying a good conversation.

“He was a very quiet person,” she said. “Willing to help anybody. If he could repair something for them he would do it.”

“Very dependable, thoughtful person,” she added. “We never had a fight in our life.”

Jean and Mark’s daughter, Tracy Lunt, recalled her father spending a lot of time at the store.

“Really it was just visiting and helping, reminiscing and being down here,” she said. “That was his life.”

She also recalled her father bartering with people who needed shoes.

“He would always trade different items for shoes,” she said. “If somebody needed a pair of shoes, he would barter with people. He was doing that all the time.”

Jean recalled other hobbies her husband enjoyed, such as cars and motorcycles.

“He always had a motorcycle somewhere in the garage,” she said.

Mark also loved animals — especially dogs. But one of his largest hobbies was his family and the friends he made through the store. Jean recalled many customers stopping in just to say hello, or they’d stay after picking something up.

“We used to call ourselves ‘Cheers,’” she laughed. “People would come in just for a cup of coffee and to talk.”

“He always wanted to make friends more than money,” Tracy added. “He genuinely cared about the customers that came in. You don’t find that a lot anymore in stores.”

Jean owns the business now and plans to continue serving customers as long as she can. Her husband hoped the business would stay in the family and continue on, so that’s what she plans to do. Tracy and her sister, Julie Schmick, help their mom out at the store when they can.

“I plan to continue for as long as I can,” Jean said.

The Hastings had chances over the years to move the business — which sells shoes, clothing and other merchandise, but is also known for leather repair — into strip malls and similar locations, but Mark never wanted to move. He liked the old-time, family store feel.

Tracy said her father never considered his job work, and many people have said he was a lot of fun to be around.

“He loved what he did,” she said. “Always willing to help.”