No one would describe Joseph St. Denis as a typical businessperson, not even him.
“Honestly I am not really interested in being a businessman in any way,” said St. Denis. “I have family experiences that have turned me off of the whole idea but I reached the point where I was no longer working and it is very hard to get a job if you don’t wear shoes.”
St. Denis kicked off his shoes in the fall of 2010 to protest sweatshop conditions in China and other places where many brand name shoes are produced. He has remained barefooted ever since earning himself the nickname Shoeless Joe.
“It’s even harder to get on the bus to get to work but the City won’t let me on the bus without taking them to court,” he said. “I do this literally as a show of faith. I have faith in what I believe. So much so that I will walk out there in the snow to show my faith.”
St. Denis needed to find a compatible source of income so he responded to a Kijiji ad posted by cobbler David Xuefeng Ren who was looking for someone to share a shop in the Beer Store plaza on Municipal Street.
“He had just picked up the place in January,” said St Denis. “He didn’t need all the space and saw room to do other things. My idea was to cross a toolstore with a tech store. I rent half the space and that saves us both some money.”
St. Denis recognizes the perceived irony of a shoeless protestor sharing a space with a shoestore but they have more in common than you might think.
“He fixes shoes,” said St. Denis. “He’s a cobbler and that is why I respect what he does so much. He is fighting against the disposable nature of this stuff. He is literally from the centre of China and the reason he is here has a lot to do with the working conditions there.”
St. Denis was born in Guelph the oldest of five siblings. He developed an early interest in computers and philosophy, particularly the philosophy of MIT linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky, who he has corresponded with since high school.
“I didn’t go to university because I am terrified of debt,” said St Denis. “Debt is a control mechanism in this society. I was 18 and there were lots of things I liked but am I going to go to school to study philosophy? I could just as easily study that in my spare time and get a real job.”
He worked in factories until 2008 when he decided to pursue a childhood dream and enrolled in a college computer course.
“When I was young I got my first really nice computer from Datamatrix,” he said. “I thought that is actually what I’d like to do. I’d like to end up in that place. Wouldn’t you know it, I got a placement there immediately after college. I’m a guy who takes signs from the universe.”
He worked for Datamatrix for the next eight years during which time he became increasingly disillusioned by the wasteful and exploitative nature of consumer culture. In September 2010 he needed a new pair of shoes but was reluctant to buy anything made overseas in a sweatshop.
“I was walking with a friend and discussing the issue when I had a revelation,” he said. “What if I just take them off entirely? It’s a peaceful protest of things I don’t believe we should be doing.”
He took his activism to another level in 2014 when he ran an unsuccessful protest campaign for mayor of Guelph.
“I didn’t actually have a platform,” he said. “I’m not a politician. I’m a philosopher.
Looking back I should have been a lot more vile. I would like to build a wall around Cam Guthrie.”
With Tools and Tech, St Denis hopes to reduce waste and encourage a DIY culture for computer maintenance and repair.
“Tech literacy is the most important form of modern literacy,” he said. “Being tech illiterate now a days is like being illiterate in the 20th Century. You might be able to get by, but it is going to cost you.”
He hopes people will see the value of helping themselves.
“Do-it-yourself computing is almost zero per cent of the market and it doesn’t need to be,” he said. “It’s a simple concept. We’ve got tools and we’ve got tech and tools to fix your tech. Ideally there will be a separate bench where people can come and for $30 an hour rent the bench. I will be here if you need my help.”