Even in the world of informal everything where spit-shined shoes have been replaced by scruffy tennis shoes - there's always a place for the shoe-shine man.
And that's the role Herman Welch plays. As far as we know, he's the only shoe shine man with a semi-permanent instillations in Belize City.
He told us how business has been up and down lately:..
Jules Vasquez reporting
The last time we met Herman Welch a year ago, he was at the Commercial Center - but now he's moved to the Radisson.
The commercial center location was the city center - but it also made him a target to young troublemakers:
Herman Welch, Shoe-Shine Man
"There is a little problem with the kids there throwing stones, so Mr. Scott was nice to bring me over here and I came with Mr. Scott."
And now he's at the front of the Radisson - the city's biggest busiest hotel:
Herman Welch, Shoe-Shine Man
"The business is the same as over at the Commercial Center because the same clients I have come here. The only difference is there is a change in the price."
Jules Vasquez
"You had to upgrade your price, you are at Radisson."
Herman Welch, Shoe-Shine Man
"Yes I had to do that."
Seven dollars for shining a leather shoe like this twice as much as what you would pay on the street - but he says it's worth every dollars
Herman Welch, Shoe-Shine Man
"It's an art to me due to the fact that I am an artist from day one. I was at cabinet maker and a wood carver and now a shoe shine guy, so it's an art."
And never worry about the shoes you give him to shine - he's filled some pretty big shoe sin his day:
Herman Welch, Shoe-Shine Man
"I did shoes for the governor of Hawaii. I did shoes for senators in Washington DC, they send their shoes to Las Vegas for me to do. i have done a lot of big time shoes."
Welch estimated that he has shined twenty thousand pairs of shoes in his life.
Email
Print