Shiners

I found this documentary compelling and interesting. There is indeed an art to the craft of the shoeshine, and it is one that we should respect despite our throwaway mentality. When I saw the gleaming and elegant finished work, I longed for the Spanish and Italian and American shoes that my parents treated with such respect. Shoes were meant to last and indeed did last with careful attention and renewal. Shoe repair and shoe shines were expected. My dad would opt for a formal shoeshine, and my mom and we kids had our family shoe shine kit that included vaseline for the girls' patent leather shoes and bags.