Chenango Stories: John Behory

Being bored in the winter, one local merchant says, isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Originally from near Johnstown, Pa., John Behory began his life’s work in electronics as a sub-contrator for IBM. He moved to upstate New York and started as an electronic technician for Macintosh Laboratories, where he was a national service manager. He and his wife, Carole, followed his work and settled in Greene, where they raised three children Mark, Debbie and John III.

One winter roughly 20 years ago, John says he was bored, so his wife bought him a leather tooling kit to keep him occupied; that’s where his story of being a cobbler began.

Behory began to teach himself the trade of leather working. Being a fan of motorcycles, Behory says he needed a pair of chaps and decided, with his wife’s sewing expertise, he could make a pair on his own. Behory started small, making family and friends items such as belts, wallets and purses. Over time Behory said he took a courses to better his skills.

Behory’s son Mark had always wanted to own his own business, and one day at church, the timing was right. “A friend at church owned a cobbler shop and was looking to sell it. Mark was able to apprentice him for a month and decide if the business was something he was interested in,” said Behory. After a short time, Behory says, he helped his son go into business, which at the time was to be operated solely by Mark. “We had to put the house up for collateral, but we did and got the loan for the shop,” said Behory.