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Charles
Bolinger Wins 2005 Grand Silver Cup
Charles Bolinger
of Chuck's Shoe Repair & Comfort Center in Fort
Wayne, Ind. was honored by his peers and awarded
the Grand Silver by the Shoe Service Institute
of America. The presentation was made at the
101st Annual Convention in Kansas City.
This year's
contest featured entries in
three different categories. Bolinger's work
was judged best and worthy of the shoe repair
industry's most prestigious award.
Bolinger is a
second generation shoe repairman who loves what
he does. He started working in is father's shop
at 11-years-old and has been in the business
full time since he was 20.
"Repairing shoes
is my first love," he says.
Bolinger received
numerous awards for craftsmanship in years past,
and was also named SSIA's 2004
Retailer of the
Year.
Since 1938, SSIA has been recognizing excellence
in shoe repair craftsmanship and retailing with
its Silver Cup Awards program. The most coveted
award in the contest is the Grand Silver Cup –
awarded to the craftsman whose work is judged
best in the contest each year. Once a craftsman
has won the Grand Silver Cup, he is judged as
having achieved the top level of excellence and
does not enter the again.
Bolinger was chosen for recognition on the basis
of his workmanship. To enter the contest, he
submitted a pair of men’s shoes and a pair of
ladies’ shoes. One shoe from each pair was
repaired with a new sole and heel. The repaired
shoes were then refinished to look like new.
“One of the principal benefits of shoe repair is
that consumers can have their shoes repaired to
look like new, but for a fraction of the cost of
new shoes,” says SSIA President John McLoughlin.
“The purpose of the Silver Cup Contest is to
recognize craftsmen such as Charles Bolinger who
maximize that benefit and set the standards for
our industry.”
McLoughlin continued to say that the benefits
shoe repair offers go well beyond the cost
savings. There is the environmental benefit of
the millions of pairs of shoes that do not end
up in land fills each year. There are the
physical benefits that a well maintained, high
quality pair of shoes brings. Finally, there are
the medical benefits of shoe repair offered by
shops that specialize in orthopedic work.
“All of these benefits start with superior
craftsmanship,” he says. “That is why craftsmen
such as Charles Bolinger are so important.”
Judging for the contest took place in July at
the Kansas City site of SSIA's 101st Annual
Convention. Master craftsmen with decades of
shoe repair experience served as judges. The
judges compared the repaired shoes to their
unrepaired mates and evaluated the entries based
on how well Bolinger had restored them to their
original, factory condition.
Bolinger received his award from contest sponsor
Gary Edwards of Sure Foot Corporation at the
group’s convention in July.
The Silver Cup Contest, an international
competition dedicated to excellence in shoe
repairing, is sponsored by the
Shoe Service
Institute of America.
2005 Silver
Cup Award Recipients
Grand Silver Cup
Charles Bolinger
Chuck's Shoe
Repair & Comfort Center
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Men's Full Sole & Heel
First Place
Javier Melgoza
Oakdale Shoe
Repair
Oakdale, Calif.
Second Place
Gino Gentile
Anthony's Shoe
Service
San Francisco,
Calif.
Men's Half Sole & Heel
First Place
Gino Gentile
Anthony's Shoe
Service
San Francisco,
Calif.
Second Place
Javier Melgoza
Oakdale Shoe
Repair
Oakdale, Calif.
Ladies Half Sole & Heel
First Place
Javier Melgoza
Oakdale Shoe
Repair
Oakdale, Calif.
Second Place
Kenneth R. Simmons
Reuter's Shoe
Service
Topeka, Kan.
SSIA's
Kansas City Convention a Success
What a show! SSIA’s 101st
Annual Convention in Kansas City was buzzing with
repairers who were there to learn, see what is new in
the industry, greet old friends, meet new friends and
see new products. As usual, Jimmy Benson did a great job
in putting together the show. The Doubletree in Overland
Park was an excellent facility with reasonable rates,
good food and a great bar.
In furthering the SSIA’s
commitment to education, there were numerous seminars
offering repairers the opportunity to learn from the
experts. The seminars were not only well attended, but
the audiences were not shy about asking questions. They
were there to learn, and learn they did! Summaries of
several seminars are included in this newsletter.
There was also a lot of
follow-up after the seminars with the experts giving
more information during the show. In addition, the new
Silver Cup seminar was standing room only. It was a
great opportunity to learn from the Silver Cup judges
what they look for when judging shoes. I am sure that we
will see an increase in Silver Cup entries next year due
to this seminar.
This show received
overwhelming support from Konomos Distributing. Billy
Konomos and his gang put on a great show and were great
hosts. Billy invited all suppliers and wholesalers to
his home for a Friday night backyard feast, and served
the repairers a great breakfast on Sunday morning. Thank
you Bill for the great effort.
The best news of all was
at the annual meeting, where we learned that membership
is growing. From the questions and comments that were
heard during the business meeting, it is obvious that
the SSIA has a great future.
Click here for
pictures from this year’s convention.
Counter Intelligence: Improving Profits on the
Front Line
“Be an educator,
not an order taker,” said Randy Lipson as he was
talking to his peers at SSIA’s 101st
Annual Convention in Kansas City. “Take the time
to look at the shoes, tell your customers what
is really wrong with them and what you can do
not only to repair the shoes, but to keep
certain problems from happening again.”
Lipson, who owns
Cobblestone Shoe Repair in St. Louis, spoke
about what shoe repair retailers can do to
improve profits at the counter. He identified
several keys to profitability.
Sell Shoe
Repair
“We all know that
it’s a lot easier and less expensive to retain
and upsell our existing customers than to get
new ones,” Lipson says. “So when you’re looking
to increase profits, start with the people who
are already in your store.”
Lipson suggests
that repairers start by telling their customers
what they need as opposed to letting customers
tell them. The customers may think they know,
but repairers are the experts.
“Don’t let them
tell you they want heels or soles and leave it
at that,” he says. “Examine the upper. Point out
dry leather, faded or missing color, worn heel
pads, heel liners, sock liners, curled tassels
or missing stitches. Excessive wear in the heel
or toe areas are great opportunities to sell
heel and toe plates. It’s also an opportunity to
tell customers to bring their shoes in when
they’re new for preventative maintenance.”
He also suggested
asking customers where they work and
recommending products suitable to that surface
or environment.
“Take a look at
your customers,” he says. “What is she wearing?
What kind of purse is she carrying. How do the
shoes on her feet look? If they are wearing
quality items, they have many more at home.”
“Is she short?
Then you know her purse straps are too long,” he
continues. “Does he want a hole punched in his
belt? Explain how much better the belt will look
when it’s professionally shortened.”
Here’s how Lipson
sizes up his customers
Ladies:
Look at toe tips. Do they need protective soles?
Sock liners? Heel shields? Shine? Refinish?
Dyeing? Check out her purse as well.
Men: Look
for excessive wear on toes, heels, heel pads and
sock liners. Look for perspiration marks. Check
the condition of the leather. If shines don’t
last long enough, the leather is dry.
Finally, Lipson
emphasized the importance of his point of sales
software in tracking customer needs. He enters
notes into his computer each time something
happens with a customer he wants to remember.
Then, next time they come in, he knows what
they’ve purchased before and is reminded of any
tidbit of information that might help him
increase his sale this time around.
Educate Your
Customers
Lipson stressed
the importance of educating customers about the
value of shoe repair, saying his chief
competition is not other shoe repair shops, but
shoe manufacturers.
“Our customers
have three options. They can buy new shoes. Send
their shoes back to the manufacturer for
recrafting or bring them to us. We want them to
choose option three,” he says. “So it’s up to us
to point out the differences between us and the
manufacturers – how we add value to the shoes
they purchased.”
“Talk about the
quality of our materials and explain in detail
what you’re going to do,” he continues. “We’ll
bring it back to its original appearance, but
we’ll use better quality materials.”
Lipson does not
recommend a price list as he believes customers
stop listening as soon as they hear prices.
Instead, he prefers to tell them what they’re
getting before they hear the price.
“Offer them
options – levels of quality material. Start at
the top and work your way down,” he says. “For
finishing, start with reconditioning and
waterproofing. The next level is a shine. The
next level is do-it-yourself and you can talk
about your retail products.”
He recommends
having samples of your finished work available
so customers can see what they’re getting.
Delivering the work when promised is important.
And never, never use the “f” word – free.
“We have costs and
our time is valuable,” he says. “Make sure to
charge what you’re worth.”
Diversify
It has become
increasingly difficult to survive solely on shoe
repair. You need additional revenue from other
sources. Consider ways that you can profit while
offering your customers the convenience of
shopping at your store rather than finding
someone else. Some suggestions include:
-
Dyeable shoe
sales and custom shoe dyeing
-
Quality
orthotics and insoles
-
Have a large
selection of shoe care items
-
Have plenty of
laces
-
Cut keys
-
Sharpen knives
and scissors
-
Repair luggage
-
Clean leather
garments
If you can’t do
some of these things yourself, outsource them.
The key is getting your customer to buy from
you.
Make sure your
customers know about these services. Use signage
in your store, bag stuffers, your web site and
advertising to drive home the message.
Seven Tips to be a Better Salesperson
Here are seven
tips to be a better sales person from Randy
Lispon’s seminar at SSIA’s 101st
Annual Convention. Lipson owns Cobblestone Shoe
Repair in St. Louis.
-
People love to
buy, but hate to be sold. So sell what
people want to buy, not what you want to
sell. One road leads to riches, the other to
poverty.
-
Believe in
your products. Know the features and
benefits of each. But also know when each is
not right for a situation. Get rid of hype.
It doesn’t work anymore, especially on
younger customers.
-
Say the right
things. Stick to the truth.
-
Don’t train
your customers to wait for a sale. Offer
good value at a fair price at all times.
Above all, offer exemplary customer service.
People will always return to a place that
treated them well.
-
Think service,
not sales. Ask what you can give in any
situation, not what you can get. Start by
being compassionate towards your customers.
-
People buy on
emotion and later use logic to justify a
purchase decision. If you appeal to the
emotion, the end result, how something will
make someone feel, focusing on benefits, or
feelings, as opposed to features, your
conversion rates will be much higher.
-
Sell what you
know. Knowledge is certain, not a
perception. Help customers make a wise
decision. Make them feel good about their
decision by transferring your confidence to
them.
Pedorthics Offers Opportunities to Shoe Repair
Professionals
“The shoe repair
industry has changed,” says Linda Tallent, C.
Ped of Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee. “When
I entered the field in 1976, there were 25,000
shops in the United States. Now, estimates vary
from 6,000 to 8,000. Footwear has changed. We’re
dealing with injection-molded soles and
polyurethane. Our work requires new chemicals
and new techniques.”
Tallent spoke to
shoe repairers at SSIA’s 101st Annual
Convention in Kansas City this summer. She
suggested that successful shoe repair businesses
need to adapt to the changing environment and
use it to their advantage. One way to do that is
by expanding into Pedorthic work.
What is
Pedorthics?
Pedorthics is the
design, manufacture, modification and fit of
shoes and foot orthoses to alleviate foot
problems caused by disease, congenital
conditions, overuse or injury.
There are
currently 18 million diabetics in the United
States. There are 70,000 amputations a year from
complications of neurophy. Seventy-five percent
of them can be prevented through conservative
foot care.
The United States
has an aging population. Additionally, four to
seven percent of the American population (10 to
18 million people) cannot wear off-the-shelf
footwear.
The bottom line?
While the shoe repair market may be declining,
the market for pedorthics is huge and getting
bigger.
“Why pedorthics?”
Tallent asks. “Profit. You get $40 to $65 for a
pair of half soles and heels. You’ll get $250
for a pair of orthotics. You also get the
rewarding feeling of improving the quality of
your customers’ lives.”
What do You
Need to do Pedorthic Work?
You already have
most of what you need for Pedorthic work,
according to Tallent. You have most of the
equipment. You have the necessary skills and you
have a knowledge of footwear. To open a
Pedorthic practice, you would need to change the
look of the business from shoe repair to
something that resembles a medical facility. You
would also need to purchase about $2,000 worth
of equipment including a vacuum press, a pump, a
convention oven and some hand tools.
You would also
need to change your mindset from customer
management to patient management. That requires
getting a medical history of your patient,
maintaining HIPPA-compliant patient records,
quality assurance, patient and family education
and compliance with follow-up procedures and
Pedorthic protocols. There’s also certification.
To become
certified, a Pedorthist must meet initial
educational requirements (a 120-hour
pre-certification course) and pass a
comprehensive written exam given by the
Board for Certification in Pedorthics (BCP).
The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice
questions focusing on four domains – Pedorthic
assessment, Pedorthic implementation, practice
management and professional development and
responsibility. Test takers are allowed three
and one-half hours to complete the exam. The
cost is $395 the first time it is taken and $295
should it need to be taken again. Here is a
summary of what comprises each domain:
Pedorthic
Assessment
Pedorthic
Implementation
-
Facilitate
patient’s understanding
-
Select
Pedorthic devices
-
Create
appropriate foot orthoses
-
Depth or
custom footwear
-
Modify
footwear
-
Conduct trial
fittings
-
Conduct
appropriate follow-up
Practice
Management
-
Comply with
occupational safety and health rules
-
Document all
patient matters
-
Communicate
with other professionals
-
Maintain
proficient staff
-
Suitable
facility
-
Quality
assurance plan
-
Governmental
requirements
-
May need a
state license
Professional
Development and Responsibility
-
Adhere to
legal and ethical standards
-
Participate in
continuing education (32 hours every three
years)
-
Participate in
research
-
Public
Education
-
Health
professional education
Resources
Here are some
resources on expanding your business to include
Pedorthics.
Pedorthic Footwear Association
Board for Certification in Pedorthics
Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee
Promoting on a Shoestring
Here are some
marketing tips that don’t cost a fortune
courtesy of Jeff Lipson of Cobblestone Shoe
Repair in St. Louis. Jeff spoke at SSIA’s 101st
Annual Convention in Kansas City.
Front Counter:
This is your most valuable real estate. Use it
wisely and change products often.
Signage:
Good signs will sell you products for you. Make
sure it’s informative and attractive. It should
tell what your products are and give the prices.
Customers will read these signs as they’re
standing in line. I make my signs using
Microsoft Publisher. It’s easy and cheap.
Newsletters:
These are great selling tools. Provide
information, not hype. Talk about the benefits
of cedar shoe tress or sole protectors. Talk
about shoe and foot care. Load them up with tips
that are short and to the point. Leave the
newsletters by your front door and keep them
behind your counter.
Again, Microsoft
Publisher makes this very affordable. If your
budget is a little higher, you can deliver the
newsletters to your customers by mail or e-mail.
Bag Stuffers:
These are good for promoting specific items. Use
coupons or not at your discretion. Always send
your customers home with a little extra
information.
Business Cards:
Business cards are not expensive, so don’t horde
them. Give them out freely. Make sure your cards
include your contact information, store hours,
logo and slogan if you have one.
Gift
Certificates: These are great for donations
to charity auctions. Five free shines gets the
winner in your store five times where he can buy
other products and services. We also have
pre-printed, fill-in-the-blank gift
certificates. But we have found that the free
shines work the best.
On-Hold
Marketing: The customers in your store are
your highest priority, but you don’t want to
neglect your callers. They can learn about your
location, hours, products and services while
you’re serving other customers.
Demonstrations:
Nothing sells a product like showing the
customers how it works. I sold a ton of
waterproofing spray by keeping a fish bowl on my
counter, dipping a waterproofed shoe into it and
showing customers how it came out dry. For
things that you can’t demonstrate, such as
repairs, have samples of your finished work.
Brochures:
Again, Microsoft Publisher makes this cheap. You
can’t promote yourself enough. Educating your
customer is the best way to do it.
Merchandise
Displays: Nothing in my store is my idea. I
go to successful retailers, look at how they
display merchandise and incorporate their ideas
into my store. Say what you will about WalMart,
they know how to sell their products. So walk
through their stores. Walk through malls. Get
ideas. It works.
Refreshments:
A water cooler or coffee for your customers can
be a nice touch.
Credit Cards:
It’s a fact. People will spend more money if
they can pay with a credit card. If you only
accept cash, you limit yourself to what they
have in their wallets.
Testimonials:
I have autographed photos of some of my better
known customers – local celebrities and sports
figures. People look at my wall and think, “Wow,
Bob Kostas comes here. He must be good.”
Awards and
certifications serve this purpose as well. They
give you something to differentiate yourself
from other stores and let your customers know
you’re good.
Window
Displays: These can be very effective.
Change them often using a seasonal display and
keep them clean.
Before and
After Photos: Display these wherever you
can. I have an I-Step and my before and after
photos rotate on the screen when the machine is
not being used.
Drop Box: I
have a drop box in my store for customers to
drop off work when we’re not open. They fill out
a form telling us what they want. They can also
ask us to call them if they’re not sure.
Click here for a
photo of our drop box.
Click here to see the
form we use.
Yellow Pages
Advertising: You need to be in there, but we
have reduced the size of our ad in recent years
and have not suffered because of it.
Outdoor
Signage: Make sure it’s readable and
communicates what you do. Make it as big as
you’re allowed.
Community
Involvement: Sponsoring softball or youth
activities is a good way to keep your name in
front of the community.
Logo and
Slogan: Keep them simple, to the point and
use them on everything you do. Make sure they
communicate what you do. You can see our logo on
our web site,
www.cobblestoneshoerepair.com. Our slogan
is, “Helping You Put Your Best Foot Forward.”
Radio: I’m
concerned that the advent of satellite radio
will kill the effectiveness of radio ads. We’ve
had our best success on public radio during
pledge drives. Those are people who repair
shops. Short ads during news and weather reports
get your name out. We’ve also found that
advertising on Christian radio works. Listeners
will support people who support their station.
Restaurant
Placemats: If you’re going to do this,
monitor it closely. I’ve run into situations
where the placemats weren’t delivered on
schedule and thus were never used by the
restaurants.
Networking:
Join your local Chamber of Commerce and go to
meetings. It’s a great opportunity to market
yourself.
Give-Aways:
We do bridal shows to market our dyeing
services. We’ll hold a drawing and give away dye
work for a bridal party. It’s a great way to
build our prospect list.
Register
Receipts: We’re near three grocery stores
and have found that advertising on their
register receipts works well.
Word of Mouth:
We all know this is the best form of
advertising. Give great service. Use quality
materials and provide quality workmanship and
the rest will take care of itself.
At the Counter:
Look at the shoes. Why do they need repair? Is
there anything you can do to avoid the problem
in the future? Always recommend additional
products and services. You can’t survive only on
the work the customers request. Our average
ticket is about $35. Not long ago, it was $15.
Have materials, products and samples on hand to
show them.
Talk to Your
Customers: Ask questions to learn about how
and where they wear shoes and sell
appropriately. Phrase your questions to elicit a
positive response. Time spent with customers is
much more valuable than time spent in the back
room. Know your business. Be the expert.
Think Visually:
If your customers can see it, they’ll understand
it. A picture is worth 1,000 words.
Be Positive:
Always smile and call your customers by name. Be
honest, pleasant and use humor to put them at
ease. Have fun at work. Be neat and clean, and
provide excellent customer service.
Tips & Tricks from Kansas City
Bruce Owensby of
Wayland Square Shoe Repair in Providence, R.I.
moderated a session on tips and tricks at SSIA’s
101st Annual Convention. The session
was designed for repairers to share with their
peers anything that had worked for them on any
subject. Here are a few of the ideas.
I bought a pair of
precision nippers from Sears that will extract
any pin lift. They have been a godsend at my
business.
•
•
•
I use medical or
surgical clamps in patchwork and with tassels.
They hold the material in place without leaving
any marks.
•
•
•
I use a linoleum
blade instead of a lip knife for protective
soles. It makes and clean cut that needs almost
no sanding.
•
•
•
I give my
customers 50 cents off the job if they bring the
ticket back.
•
•
•
I have a weekly
drawing for my customers who bring tickets back.
The winner gets a $10 gift certificate.
•
•
•
On anything I sell
for $2, I’ll give them three for $5.
•
•
•
Nobody’s going to
buy the last one of anything. If you’re going to
sell it, stock up. Keep it forward and keep it
clean.
•
•
•
I don’t give
customers claim checks because they never bring
them back. Instead, I keep them in an
alphabetical file at the counter.
•
•
•
I use the phone
book as a perpetual glue pad. When one page gets
dirty, I tear it off and move on to the next
one.
•
•
•
I use two-sided
carpet tap to hold straps in place before using
the patch machine.
•
•
•
I use shrinking
electrical tubing to straighten tassels. Just
wet the tassel, heat the wrap to shrink it and
the tassels dry straight.
•
•
•
I store glue in
coffee cans to seal in the odor.
•
•
•
I use ¾-inch
drywall screws to attach ladies heel bases.
•
•
•
I’ve found that a
Dremmel has countless uses.
•
•
•
There were many
other ideas that went by too fast to take notes.
Mark your calendars today for SSIA’s 102nd
Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla., August
18-19, 2006.
102nd
Annual Convention Set for Orlando in 2006
SSIA is heading to Orlando
for its 102nd Annual Convention. The
_____(hotel)_______ will
host the meeting August 18-19, 2006. Watch
www.ssia.info for
more details.
Karen Gehrig Receives First Harvey Greenbaum
Scholarship from Two Ten
In 2004, the
Harvey Greenbaum Scholarship was established to
be awarded to a student who works in shoe repair
or whose parent works in shoe repair. Two Ten's
current Harvey Greenbaum scholar, Karen Gehrig,
is about to enter her sophomore year at Texas
A&M, where she is an Education major. Since
1974, her father, James Gehrig, has been the
owner of Gehrig Hardware in Muenster, Texas.
Gehrig's Hardware has a shoe repair department
within the store, where work boots are sold.
While maintaining
a 3.12 GPA during her freshman year at Texas
A&M, Karen also found time to become involved
with the Texas Saints Organization. As a
member of this group, she volunteered with
events that concerned children such as the
Special Olympics, and Phoebe's Home, which is a
shelter for abused women and their children.
"I grew up in a
town of 1,500 people. Attending this college of
40,000 students has provided me with the
opportunity to make many new friends from
different backgrounds," wrote Karen. "I am
excited about returning to college this fall and
intend to get involved in more service
activities and organizations. The people I have
helped are so grateful, just as I am so grateful
to Two Ten for helping me financially. It was a
remarkable year and I thank you for your
donation."
Preliminary
scholarship applications will be available
August 31-December 15. To receive a preliminary
application, contact Two Ten's scholarship
manager Jennifer Quail at 1-800-FIND-210,
extension 1503, or complete one online at
www.twoten.org.
Since our
inception, Two Ten has been about making a
difference in the lives of people in the
footwear, leather and allied industries. We are
built upon a foundation of caring, serving our
community through social services and
educational programs. We bring hope to people's
lives.
Our educational
programs include classic scholarships, super
scholarships, part-time scholarships and
footwear design scholarships. Scholarship awards
are based on financial need, academic record,
character and personal promise. Classic
scholarship awards of up to $3,000 are renewable
for 4 years of undergraduate study.
Since our
scholarship program began 36 years ago, some $11
million has been awarded to nearly 4,500
deserving students. Many of our scholars have
gone on to careers as doctors, lawyers, nurses,
artists, diplomats and shoe people, to name a
few.
Eligibility
Requirements
As a scholarship
applicant, you:
-
Must be
affiliated with the footwear, leather or
allied industries. Either student must be
employed in the above industries at least
500 hours during the year prior to January
1, or student's parent must be employed in
one of these industries for a minimum of two
years prior to January 1.
-
Must display
financial need for college costs as
calculated by the federal method of need
analysis and the Two Ten scholarship
committee.
-
Must be a
United States citizen or eligible
non-citizen.
-
Must enroll at
an accredited college, university, nursing
or vocational/technical school, earning a
two or four year undergraduate degree.
SSIA Bags
Still Available
The Shoe Service
Institute of America has produced more than
500,000 promotional bags for shoe repair
shops. Pictured on the left, the SSIA bags
prominently feature the group's logo and web
address.
"The purpose of
the bags is to make consumers think about shoe
repair and to give them an idea where they can
find more information," says SSIA President John
McLoughlin. "We have just redesigned our web
site to make it more consumer-friendly. Our hope
is that the bags will generate some awareness
and drive consumers to the new site."
SSIA's bags have sold out to member
wholesalers in short order. More bags should be
available soon.
To order bags,
contact your SSIA member wholesaler.
A list
is available on the SSIA web site.
Use the SSIA
Logo to Promote Your Business
Promote the fact that you are a member of SSIA by using
our logo on your marketing materials. We've made our
logo available for downloading in the members-only
section of our web site.
Click here for
details. You'll need your user id and password. If
you don't know what they are, e-mail
webmaster@ssia.info.
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