ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — On Gold Avenue in downtown, there’s a shoe shine parlor that opened its doors in the 1930s. Nearly 100 years later, and that parlor continues to serve the people of Albuquerque.
Model Shine Parlor is run by Adam Campos, whose family has been with the shop since the 80s. Before then, Campos says the shop was started in 1931 by William H. Cheers and his wife. Cheers had moved from Arkansas to New Mexico to work in the railroad industry. His wife ran the shop from day to day until she died in 1969. Cheers then retired from the railroad industry to keep the shop going in his wife’s place.
Model Shine Parlor Owner Adam Campos
In the 80s, Cheers recruited Campos’ uncle to work at the store. “As the years went by… [he] got real close with Mr. Cheers. It was kind of like his adopted son. And so when Mr. Cheers passed away, he left everything – the shoeshine shop and all his belongings to Rick Campos, my uncle,” said Campos. “And then from there, Rick ran it for a few years, and then he actually gave it to a friend of his, Bobby Atencio, who owned it for about maybe 7 or 8 years or so. And then I took over in 1999.”
Cut to today, the parlor gets an average of 20 customers on a slow day and up to 40 customers on a busier day. Campos says his customer base can often be high-profile, including judges, politicians, and lawyers among other professions. To Campos, part of the appeal is the way a shoeshine can put “a little pep in your step.” He compares it to getting a haircut, a car wash, or a manicure.
Some of the parlor’s patrons have been regulars for 50 years. Local musician and Entourage Jazz member Emerson Corley has been a regular for 18 years. They get their shoes shined before every gig. “It’s crucial. Adam and I go way back,” said Corley. “And these boots right here will shine like glass, and it give me so much more confidence. I mean, I’m just like rolling on that stage with glass shoes and I feel like a million bucks.” Corley says the band is “addicted” to getting their shoes shined before gigs, and that Campos better stick around forever.
Getting Corley’s boots ready for a gig at ABQ BioPark on Thursday, May 29
To Campos, the regulars have become like family. “About three or four months ago, my Dad – the guy that showed me how to shine shoes – he passed away,” said Campos. “And a lot of customers – I don’t know how they found out – but people that I hadn’t seen in a long time showed up in support for him… It’s more than just, you know, a shoe shine.” He also says the shop can be sort of like a barber shop in that you’ll find out what’s going on in town. Patrons joke that “if you want to know what’s going on in Albuquerque, go to the shoe shine shop and get your shoe shine.”
A shine costs $7. Campos accepts drop-offs and offers shoe repair services. There are 2,717 shoe repair and shine parlors in the US, according to NAICS.
