Albert Carey, A Veteran Shoe Shiner With Style
■■When Albert Carey was flve
yespe^M in the early lMO*. he went
tn work on Trade Street in down
town ^Charlotte carrying Ms pine
lar box wai homemade soap,
raga. and fanwhaa that were uaed to
clean and polish shoes,
t Brushing, buffing, washing, end
dyeing are still ways that shoe
shiners express their talents, but
WWW the price has Jumped from a
nickel to * and their Job has been
modernised. “Back in thorn days,
we had to sMne shoes and watch for
the police at the tame time,”
reminisced Carey. "They would
chase m oft the streets because we
distracted customers from barber
es that had shoe-shiners/^*"
revealed Carey who now Trains a
booth in the downtown Marriott
Hotel.
The native Chariottma is con
sidered by many as the “Ktag” of
shoe shiners. “About three months
ago, I wm In a shoeoMae contest
here. My competition came from
New York and he wm very pro
fessional, but whan it wm over, the
four Judges picked me as dm
Carey, a World War II Amy
veteran, pointed out that after Its
returned home from tin agrvtbe he
tried Ms hick in soother field.
5**1 wanted to try sometMmt new
when I got beck home and since the
11 received from the Army
•k__• I studted the trade at
the Wood A Morgan Beauty School
that used to be 1 ..
Street, flfe J*'
helpful, but 11
more money, in doe j
tor n^’jgqdahmdjhe I960 Second
; Shining shoes is a way of life far .
Carey, hut moot people would
probably think he’s an executive by
—- 1 * ■. > ■M|1 ■■■«»■
“My appearance pa always bam '
important to me,’* ha says,
• pair of stylish dark
knits with matching shirt m
guess that*s one of the i
been successful. On that
ask pastime to say
that I can learn from them,
educational, plus 1
tip."
Times have changed since he first
began and so had Ms business. “To
accommodate customers, I do
brief cases, leather coats, and Just
about anything made of leather.to
supplement my income. Sometimes
I make $190*190 per day if there is a
special * happening here,*’ be
laughed, adjusting Ms glasses an Mb
groomed face.
A«er more than 90 years M the
business, he has seen and met soma
important people. “Just a couple of
weeks ago I met RUN-DMC when
they were in town. One of the gays
heard about my reputation sad ha
asked me to do a good Job on his
suede adMas tends shorn. He was
friendly and he paid $19 and two
tickets to their show.*’
Over the years, Carey recalls only
one bad experience while working on
S3£$SE3r£23E
that he bought acrem the street.
He wanted me to wash and dean
them, 1 told him the material would v'
hot hold the water. He fapsted an
haviagthem washed and as a result.
Ms fegt got soaked,*’ Carey
tdtembered. v p
The veteran shoe-shiner’s day at
the booth starts around 7:90 a.m.
end lasts until 5 o’clock. WarUm the
night shift b e female college
sludenT“I tMnk it's a good Job
far students who are willing to work
hard because you can take home
money every day. Since the booth
costs $19a day to lease, it oMy takes
about four to five customers to cover
your daily rent expense,” be noted.
“I also give her advice. My secret
to shining shoes is brushing.
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secrete la the art of skiniag shoes.
You’ve got to brush the polish Into
the leather to give It that
Mgh-glcaa’ look.”
ne a nere everyaajr* comment
ed Marriott Hotel Geoeral Man
ager, A1 Edney. “The Job he does far
j -■ ■ _
u» .1.*. . u u.
kip customer is a main factor. Once
they try him, they usually come
“A shoe looks sad before I shine it,
but when I finish, it smiles,”
'Carey reflected.
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