The Old Shoe Shine Man

[dwhee87]

There's a leather shop in Cumming that I had re-sole and recondition a pair of boots for me. The guy did a nice job on them. He also makes custom holsters and such.

 

[Nicodemus]

Back before they started making us wear steel toe boots I used that old pair of snake boots to hook power poles sometimes.

 

[GeorgiaBob]

There was a shoe shine guy inside the barber shop in our neighborhood. Dad made me keep a burr haircut until I was 15, so I was in the barber shop every week. Starting when I was 5, I walked from home to the shop with a quarter and a nickel in my pocket. (The nickel was for the gum machine with the giant gumballs.) I often had to wait for my two bitt buzz.* While waiting, that old man taught me how to "really make a shoe pop." I also "got" to organize, sort, and clean his tools and polish, as payment for his teaching me.

That training paid off in Jr. ROTC (Army), later when the Navy paid my way through college, and when I was wandering around in uniform. I still had mirror like shines on my business shoes for decades after. But even my best efforts were never up to the "pop" that old man put into a shoe shine.

I used to see those throne like shoe shine chairs outside other barber shops, in airports and bus stations, and even in office building lobbies. But I can't think of a single sighting in the past 12 years. That's sad.

* Full disclosure: I think the price of the cut doubled - to fifty cents - when I turned 10.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Yes sir, plus your leather gear (holster, handcuff case, club carrier, turtle shell) @1991. They finally went to all black nylon gear, but those old leather 1911 holsters looked good shined up. A can of kiwi, old t shirt, lighter and a couple ice cubes.

8th ID View attachment 1252803

We were allowed to use edge dressing on our club, cuff case, speed ring. We had the old U.S Calvary flap holsters for our 1911. But those Cocrahn jump boots…..kiwi and elbow grease. I made a pretty good lick shining others boots for $5 a pair. When I was stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, I was assigned Salute battery also. Wearing a chrome helmet liner in 105 degree summer would fry your egg, but we had it to do.

 

[Flash]

That was back when men had a lot of dignity and took pride in their appearance. Seems not so much anymore. Ear rings, cartoonish tattoos, nose piercings man buns and all. Times change. You know that little spring in your step right after a new haircut ? I would imagine that just adds to it, make a fellow strut a little bit. Uncle Sam made all us MP’s a shoe shine boy when I was in. A grunt could get away with boots that looked like they were shined with a Hershey bar…….MP’s ? Lord no, ours had to look like glass every day. It didn’t matter if you scuffed them last night fighting a drunk, had to look like glass the next guard mount.

I was USAF, we had a couple of guys that would wear their shined boots for guard mount then when they got on the posting bus would change or if they had the time would switch them real fast and put them in their car before getting on the bus.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

The first "project" Dad ever turned me loose with his tools and no supervision... don't laugh.. I was 6.

View attachment 1252762
He used it till he couldn't wear cowboy boots any more.

That looks like H22's sept his was just old wood not finished. I think his grandaddy made it.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

A cloth baby diaper put a shine on a pair of combat boots and our dress shoes that you could almost see thru, we bought the baby diapers at the PX just down the street from our company area they had them stacked high on the counter there.

Cloth diaper makes a good dust rag to polish furniture too. That's what I use.

 

[fishfryer]

Cloth diaper makes a good dust rag to polish furniture too. That's what I use.

Cloth diapers are great for grease rags in the workshop, polish rags for wood finishes, and for the best gun cleaning rags.

 

[WOODIE13]

Cloth diapers are great for grease rags in the workshop, polish rags for wood finishes, and for the best gun cleaning rags.

Cotton T shirts work well too...hate the feel of cotton balls...just like foam

 

[Oldstick]

Here's one that no amount of money could buy. Our family had a tradition long ago when we were kids and the budget was tight. Every Christmas present to each other was to be something hand made. Talk about creative non-talent among four kids. But this is what my dad ginned up for me at the age of 13. Following up from his beautiful plywood ping-pong table he made for us the previous year.

I have used it ever since and still do as you can see 50+ years later.

 

[Stob]

Cotton T shirts work well too...hate the feel of cotton balls...just like foam

And spit while drinking beer does a number! I think the hops is the key...

 

[kingfish]

As my sales career progressed, so did my prowess in shining shoes and ironing long sleeve dress shirts. I got really good at both !!! About a month ago I found my Dad's kit while cleaning out his closet, he was in sales his entire career also (3M). The other day I found mine while I was tightening up my mini storage. Brought back a bunch of memories. Still got a really nice pair of black and cordovan lace up dress shoes. To this day the best shine I ever got/witnessed was at O'Hare airport. That shine held for a month and watching the process was an absolute education. Good old days !!!

 

[Stob]

When I was growing up near the small town of Selma NC we had a shoe shine man who shined shoes for many people on the side walk just outside my cousin's barber shop. The shoe shine man was always there except on the days when it rained during the warm months that's how the old man made part of his living.

The old guy had a shoe shine stand with a seat on it you just stepped up and sit down on the seat and the old fellow went to work on your shoes. He applied shoe polish with his fingers being careful not to get any shoe polish on you pants leg or socks. The man had several polishing cloths that he used to shine your shoes. People used to gather around and watch the old guy as he worked his shining cloth. As he worked he made that cloth pop like a small firecracker while applying the trade that he knew best. Watching the old man quickly shine a pair of shoes and the popping of the shining cloth was entertaining for lots of folks back in the day.

The old fellow charged 25 cents to shine your shoes and when he was through your shoes had a shine on them that lasted for many days. I have seen the old guy many times when I was a boy sitting there on his shoe shine stand waiting for a customer which usually didn't take very long. Many of the people who were customers of my cousin's barber shop would come out after a haircut and hop up on the shoe shine stand for a quick shoe shine before going back to work or home.

Just about every small town and some big towns had a shoeshine man who shined shoes for the public on the sidewalk when I was growing up. The shoeshine man is a thing of the past now fading away as time moved on to a more modernized world. I have not seen a shoeshine man in any town in several decades. Every now and then when I was a boy a TV station would show a shoeshine man who was very popular with the public, some of the shoeshine guys would shout out as they worked they truly enjoyed their trade of shining shoes.

When they finished with the shine they would always say, twenty-five cents please and thank you Cap'n, and come back again soon. Just about every shoe shine man I ever saw was a man of color, I never saw but a couple of white men who shined shoes on the sidewalk of the towns when I was growing up.

Anyone else remember the shoeshine man in years past?

I see them in the airports across the county. I often stop and watch if I have time. Shoe Shining is art. I was pretty good at it in the military. To this day, I still enjoy breaking out the shine kit and sitting on the couch watching a Braves game and shining my work shoes over a cold beer. Reminds me of living in the barracks.

 

[Nicodemus]

Reading through this thread again I`m noticing an old style pride and character in you folks, in the care you take in your footwear, which tells me you take pride in yourselves.

Here`s to you, Gentlemen.

 

[Stob]

Reading through this thread again I`m noticing an old style pride and character in you folks, in the care you take in your footwear, which tells me you take pride in yourselves.

Here`s to you, Gentlemen.

Yes sir! My Pawpaw taught me that you can read a mans soul through his shoes. I have learned through the 49 years of life since he said that, he was right!

I use to help frame houses with my uncle during the summers and after school and he always told me when it was time to buy my school clothes, 'make sure you splurge on the 'dogs', the most important item that you wear'.

 

[Nicodemus]

Yes sir! My Pawpaw taught me that you can read a mans soul through his shoes. I have learned through the 49 years of life since he said that, he was right!

I use to help frame houses with my uncle during the summers and after school and he always told me when it was time to buy my school clothes, 'make sure you splurge on the 'dogs', the most important item that you wear'.

Yep. If your feet ain`t happy, you ain`t gonna be happy either.

 

[sbroadwell]

Reading through this thread again I`m noticing an old style pride and character in you folks, in the care you take in your footwear, which tells me you take pride in yourselves.

Here`s to you, Gentlemen.

I couldn’t imagine wearing shoes that are supposed to be shiny with them not being shiny. And, I couldn’t imagine having someone else shining your shoes. That’s like having someone else sharpen your pocket knife! Some things a man is supposed to know how to do!
Saying that, I went up and looked at my shoe shine kit. The polish is all dried up, no good. I bet it’s been 15 years since I’ve used it. I just don’t have shiny shoes anymore. The ones I have worn for work for a long time are rough out looking leather, can’t polish them.
I don’t imagine I’ll ever again have shineable shoes.
And my son, who’s almost 43, has never had any since he’s been grown. Times have changed.

 

[Redbow]

Beside my cousin's barber shop was a shoe repair shop. Coley's shoe shop was run by a two black people who were husband and wife. That shoe repair shop was open every day of the week for decades except Sundays.

The Coley's were the nicest people you would ever get to know. For a shoe repair like having your shoes half-soled all you had to do was walk in off the street with a hole in the bottom of you shoe and show Mrs. Coley that your foot was on the ground and they would stop what they were doing and repair your shoes for you while you waited. I did that many times as a boy the Coley's were not about to turn anyone down for a shoe repair job.

The Coley's did a professional job with repairing shoes when they got through with a worn out shoe bottom or heels your shoes were better than new. They used quality shoe repair items that would last for a long time. They had the equipment to sew the new soles back on your shoes and that repair would never come off. It was an amazing thing to watch that old black couple apply their trade in repairing shoes, they were truly professionals at what they did for a living.

The Coley's also sold shoes if you wanted a new pair at very good prices. To get your shoes half-soled only cost 2 dollars back in the day. The Coley's were busy every time I ever visited their shoe repair shop, they must have made a good living by repairing and selling shoes for many years.

The old shoe repair shop run by the Coley's finally closed their doors for good a few years after I left home to make a living for myself. Those two old folks sure did repair a lot of shoes in their decades of service to the people who lived in and around the old town of Selma NC. The Coley's and their shoe repair shop were sorely missed for a long time after they were gone. I'm quite sure a few people who still live in and around my old home town still remember the Coley's and their shoe repair business to this day, I know I do. RIP Mr. and Mrs. Coley.

 

[WOODIE13]

Funny we talked about this, but my wife brought me this, my SIL drew it. Good old jump boots

 

[Oldstick]

Most of the affordable shoes and boots aren’t even leather and are mostly glued together.

Probably explains why the one and only good shoe repair place in Warner Robins, Hart's Shoe Shop went out years ago. That plus probably retirement for Mr. Hart.