A DUNFERMLINE man has turned a 20 year obsession with collecting trainers into a business that revamps your favourite footwear. 


Ross Paterson, the owner of ‘SOSneaky’, started his own firm after ill health prompted him to return to Fife and it’s going so well there are plans for an exhibition in the town.


He said: “I’ve had a bit of hard time since moving back from Lanzarote last year so 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 in Canmore Street.


“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, 44, of Pitcorthie Drive, said the business has created a lot of interest in just a few short weeks and he hopes to create an exhibition of his trainers at Workspace Dunfermline or the Fire Station Creative. 


He said: “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 the 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!”