Shoe polish stands begin to vanish, lose their shine
Bertha Gomez shines a shoe while waiting for customers at the Alpha Shoe Repair Corp., Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in New York. Once a common practice, the tradition of getting a quick polish from a rag-toting shoeshine has become more of a rarity, and many stands have disappeared across the country. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
By MAE ANDERSON and TED SHAFFREY
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — On a recent winter weekday at Penn Station Shoe Repair and Shoe Shine, men hop onto shoeshine chairs and pull out newspapers and phones to read while shoeshiners get to work applying polish and elbow grease to loafers, boots and other leather shoes. When finished, these customers hand over $8 in cash at a counter where a sign reads “We’re not God, but we do save soles...
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