Shoe Shine Boy

1950. It's been four years since the last armored troop carrier rolled up the road signalling the liberation of the islands. I was eight years old. We were staying at my Grandfather Nicolas' house in the town of Santa, Ilocos Sur. Money was tight in those days. I only saw a five centavo piece or a quarter centavo piece maybe once a year and usually during Christmas. It is the one time of the year when all the relatives would come to pay their respects to Grandpa Nicolas... sort of like an annual pilgrimmage to renew their family ties with the patriarch of the family.

Christmas was the time when we kids would go on a begging spree, asking, cajoling and playing cutesy with the aunts and uncles for whatever they can donate to the children's bank - our bank. I was in second grade then and had only a lunch pail and a plastic book bag to call my own.

After much thought and analysis, I came to the conclusion there were two ways I could earn some cash. One was tending to my sweet potato patch and selling the shoots and tender leaves for ten centavos a bunch. The customers came and picked the shoots themselves. Then I had this idea that I could perhaps put up my own shoe shine stand or shoe leather rejuvenation company. Since the gardening only took a few minutes each day for watering and weeding, I had plenty of time left on my hands.

I used my savings to buy a shoe shine box, a horsehair shoe brush, some black, brown and neutral shoe polish and black dye. For buffer rags I scrounged around my aunt's old sea chest of goodies for some old velvet material. My grandfather had an old white tattered t-shirt that he gladly donated for my spit-shine buffer. A couple of old and wornout toothbrushes and I was off and running.

I took off on Saturdays and hit the little hamlets along the seaside road. These were fishermen mostly and had at least a good pair of leather shoes for Sunday services. These were the shoes that I targeted. My tag line ran something like this, "Sir let me shine your shoes. If you like the shine you can pay me. If not, you don't have to pay me."

It was amazing. It worked like magic. Why not... they couldn't lose no matter what. If I did a job they weren't satisfied with they didn't have to pay. But you know what? I spit-shined all those shoes, yes even a pair of old, torn combat boots... from the tip of the shoes, its heels and up the leggings. Soon my customers included the farmers who lived in the foothills.

I think the venture was successful because of these factors: 1) There was a need for the services I offered, 2) It was affordable 3) Customer satisfaction was of utmost importance 4) The product delivered was of the highest quality.