Broken handle? Torn lining? Edmonton luggage repair expert is on the case
When your suitcase falls apart after the trip, David McLean might be left holding the bag — and fixing it.
The transplanted Australian, who has 57 years of baggage experience, opened his first Edmonton luggage sales and repair shop in 1991. The 73-year-old estimates he and his handful of technicians have repaired 50,000 to 60,000 cases over the years.
He previously worked as a salesman for Samsonite and before that, sold duffel bags as a sporting goods salesman.
He now manages Edmonton Luggage Sales and Repair Centre, located at 3803 Calgary Trail South, which he recently sold to Canadian retailer Bentley.
Out front, the shop carries new bags; in the back there are boxes of latches, zipper pulls, wheels, fabric and thread, a wall of telescoping suitcase handles and three repair technicians who learned their specialized trade on the job.
With so many people lugging bags during the holidays, McLean makes the case for looking at luggage a little differently. Here is an edited transcript of the Journal’s conversation with McLean: Q: Why would anyone have a suitcase repaired instead of buying a new one? A: We are a disposable society, but people get attached to their bags. Q: How common is it for people to get their luggage repaired? A: It’s probably less now than ever before. (Fewer suitcase repair shops and the specialized trade is passed on from experienced to novice.) Q: Will the luggage repair business disappear? A: No, someone will always want to get their bag fixed. (His shop also handles warranty repairs.) Q: What does it cost to fix a suitcase? A: If it’s a telescoping handle on a bag, you’re looking at around $48 to $55. If it’s a corner wheel, you’d be looking at about $25. If you’re looking at a spinner wheel, you’re looking at about $35 and if you’re putting a slider on a zipper, you’re looking at about the $20 mark. Q: What’s better? A really big suitcase or a small one? A: You can’t buy the really big one because you can’t fill it with enough stuff to stop it from being crushed and you’re going to go overweight, past the 50-pound limit. If you’re running with a huge bag like that, you’re going to be overweight every time. Q: Two wheels or four wheels on a suitcase? A: When we sell luggage, we like to sell luggage with the two big wheels. We know you’re going to tip it and go across big parking lots. In Canada, you have to have that … but everyone wants four wheels. Q: Soft-sided or hard-sided? A: You probably should buy a soft-side because you can stuff it a little bit easier, it packs into the back of a trunk a little easier. Q: Do airline baggage handlers deserve their bag-bashing reputation? A: No, they’re doing the best they possibly can. The guys that unload aircraft have to do it in such a short period of time. They can’t take the care they’d like to be able to take and … if you’re standing waiting for your luggage, you want it as quickly as possible. Well, they’re doing it. Q: What could possibly crack or smash a hole into a hardshell case or flatten a soft-sided one? A: The reason it broke is likely it was partially empty. Whatever you put inside a suitcase has to stop it from being crushed. … If you’ve got 10 bags weighing 50 pounds each, that’s 500 pounds sitting on top of your bag. Q: How can you reduce the risk of damage to your suitcase? A: Maybe a take a little smaller bag. Instead of that great big 28- or 29-inch, take a 25- or 26-inch. You’ll stay within the 50-pound limit. Q: How can you make your bag easier to spot on the baggage carousel? A: If you want to pick up your bag quickly, why wouldn’t you pick out the most outrageous colour like a pink or a lime that stands out like a sore thumb? It’s not part of your image? That’s rubbish; it’s for identification. You can use plastic paint and make designs on your bag. You can put your grandkids’ hands in plastic paint and put (handprints) on the front. Who’s going to take that? Q: How can I stop airlines from losing my bag? A: You always should have in one of the pockets, or inside the bag, your itinerary so the bag can always catch you up. Don’t rely just on the tag on the handle because they get ripped off. Q: Should I put one of those tiny padlocks on my bag? A: There’s no point because I can get into that bag with just a ballpoint pen. The best lock you can have on a bag is probably a twist tie. I mean, let’s face it, what are you carrying? Used clothing. Who’s kidding who? Q: Low- cost luggage? A: If you’re only travelling once or twice a year, $80 or $90 is probably just a fine price to pay for a bag. If you’re travelling a lot more and you want something to last a lot longer, you have to pay more money. The people travelling all the time haven’t got the time to keep running in to get a new bag all the time. Q: What luggage do you use? A: I travel with carry-ons. I’m one of those guys who can travel very lightly and very quickly.
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