Shine Mistah? Episode 7
I learned about one moneymaking gig, shining shoes in Central Square Cambridge from Earl Carter, the only black kid in our neighborhood group of boys. What I saw when I did my “Marketing Survey”was a few black kids set up with shine boxes at all entrances to the subway kiosks on both sides of Massachusetts Avenue.
People at that time dressed up for Sunday church service, Many men, taking the subway to church in Boston, would stop and get a shine every Sunday.
The only supplies needed were black, brown and oxblood polish, rags for polishing and a brush for brown and one for black. The going rate was 25 cents, but we were often given a half dollar or a quarter tip. Sometimes a customer would give the kid a buck and tell him to keep the change. I figured these kids were knocking down about $15 every Sunday morning.