Shoe cobblers:

Mr. McFarland, a third-generation cobbler, is riding a shoe-repair

boom. Since mid-November, he has been juggling roughly 275 repair jobs

a week — about 50% more than usual. "I'm so busy right now it's

unbelievable," he says.

Retail sales for shoes are down 3.2%.

Loyal MR reader Michael Tofias suggests that perhaps The Snuggie is a countercyclical asset as well.