Saving Soles

P.J. Huffstutter: As the morning Wall Street crowd rushed past Minas Shoe Repair, a group of women in dark business suits stepped inside, sorry-looking pumps in hand.

The shoe-shine stations along one wall were full. There was a line of tapping toes and shuffling feet a dozen deep, waiting before the black marble counter.

It was 9 a.m. Trading at the New York Stock Exchange, a couple blocks away, would start in half an hour.

Slowly taking a drag on his cigarette, Minas Polychronakis ignored the impatient crowd, picked up a sheet of sand paper and began rubbing it across the scuffed toe of a black leather Chanel ballet flat.

… Another in the series here.