SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- COVID-19 pandemic restrictions may be easing, but for one small business owner in San Francisco, the fight to keep her business alive is just beginning.

Rachel Leamy is the owner of The Shoeshine Guild. She founded the business more than two decades after getting off the streets.

Rachel Leamy, who has run three shoeshine stands here called the Shoeshine Guild for more than 20 years, said she’s been through many booms and busts — including the tech bubble of the early 2000s and the 2008 financial crisis. But now, “it’s a damn ghost town,” said Leamy, who shines shoes on the ground-level concourse of 555 California Street.

“…Hey, most of my customers are polite and friendly, not to mention respectful, loyal, and engaging. Occasionally, though, there are some that don't understand the complex subtleties of the business I'm in. Look, when done correctly by a professional, shining shoes is a labor intensive, customer service position that requires skill, artistry, and salesmanship, not to mention diplomacy, tact, and especially humility…”

Stacy Tanenbaum follows shoeshiners all over the world for an extraordinary look at the business, the culture, the unflagging spirit in the shine.

Best Shoeshine in the World

Mike Rowe- “Someone’s Gotta Do It” visits the shoeshine stand… coming soon

A Shoeshine Guild artist interrogates the art of shoeshine on many levels

video coming soon

article coming soon