Shine on: Longtime Spokane shoe shiner finds pride and joy in taking care of his customers

Loafers, oxfords, brogues and boots – Alex Baker has seen and polished them all.

For 31 years, he has shined shoes at various locations around Spokane and in Coeur d’Alene. He’s in his 11th year at his current spot in the men’s shoe department at Nordstrom.

On a recent afternoon, the Rev. Walter Kendricks sat in Baker’s stand, his black Allen Edmonds oxfords looking spiffier by the minute.

“I worked for United Airlines, and I’ve had shoeshines all over,” said Kendricks, who serves as pastor at Spokane’s Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. “But he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

Baker grinned as he used a lighter to burn the loose threads from Kendricks’ shoes. He gave the oxfords a final buff with a soft cloth.

“I love black shoes and boots,” he said. “For some reason, I can make them blacker than when they came out of the box.”

As a young man, Baker worked downtown at P.M. Jacoy’s, a mainstay retailer in downtown Spokane for over a century.

“My great-grandfather opened it,” Baker said.

After his grandmother sold the store, he worked at a local convenience store until he had a gun pulled on him.

He met Clarence Forech while on his way to catch a bus on Sprague Avenue.

“He offered to shine my shoes,” Baker recalled.

The two became friends.

“Clarence was so cool,” said Baker. “After my second or third shine, he started telling me how to shine shoes.”

Baker soon got a spot at a car wash on Second Avenue near all the downtown car dealerships.

“Every week, the car salesmen made sure I had a good Friday,” he said. “Back then, I was just a shoeshiner, not a master craftsman boot blacker.”

He explained the difference between the two.

“A boot black is someone who actually cares about your leather. “They’ll tell you when you need the shank fixed or the shoe re-soled.”

While Baker moved around a bit, his friend Forech shined shoes at Nordstrom for 32 years. When Forech got ill and was on medical leave Baker was offered his job.

“I asked Clarence what he thought about it – I wouldn’t do it without his OK.”

With his friend’s blessing, Baker took over the shoe shine stand. Forech died in 2012.

“He was one of my best friends,” said Baker.

After Kendricks left Nordstrom with gleaming shoes, Baker explained the shine process.

“I always start with saddle soap and water. You want the shoe to be soft and flexible,” he said. “I dry them and hit them with a cream polish, and then I let it dry and brush it to a shine.”

Some shoe shiners might stop there. Not Baker.

“Anyone can give a surface shine. You don’t want that,” he said. “I can’t do it halfway – I do the whole nine yards.”

That includes a coat of Carnauba wax, which he applies with his bare fingers.

“The heat from my hands puts it (the wax) down into the leather.”

Next comes a second coat of polish, an application of sole dressing around the sole, another brush and a buff with a soft cloth.

“At home, you can use the blue jean trick,” said Baker. “A soft piece of faded blue jean material brings the shine back to life.”

He’s proud of his work.

“I add at least two years of life to a pair of shoes,” he said. “My shoes can withstand the Seattle rain.”

You can drop your shoes off at Nordstrom, and Baker will send a text when they’re done, but he encourages people to enjoy the experience of a shine.

“If I don’t talk, it takes about 10 minutes, but I talk a lot, so it usually takes 15 to 20.”

And his customers enjoy their visits.

“I’m like a bartender. I hear a lot of stories.”

He estimates his clientele is 70% men, 30% women.

“Women get their shoes and boots shined more in the fall and winter,” he said.

The prices are as old-fashioned as the process. Baker charges $5 for shoes, $6 for boots and $7 for golf/tennis shoes. It’s a cash-only business, and like all service-related jobs, tips are greatly appreciated.

Despite more people working from home and the casual trends in business wear today, Baker sees a future for his business.

“Men still buy suits – they still buy shoes,” he said. “And nothing will ever take the place of leather. It’s like a second layer of skin.”

Plus, he still enjoys what he does.

“I love it!” Baker said. “It’s like instant success. I can see the results of my work.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.