Q Shoes Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The best seats in the city may well be Downtown, along the west wall of the Model Shoe Shine Parlor on Gold, between Second and Third streets.
They are like thrones, elevated to put your shoes at just about hip level for Adam Campos, who has owned Model since 2000, and his cousin, Toby Romero. You watch the city through the storefront window and wait to see who drops in for a shine and conversation. Mayors, cops, firefighters, lawyers, shopkeepers, businesspeople, athletes, people of all descriptions and political persuasions solve the world’s problems while perched on Model’s chairs. On the walls are autographed photos of actor Danny Trejo and boxer Johnny Tapia.
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Adam Campos has owned Model Shoe Shine Parlor since 2000. The shop shines 30 to 60 pairs of shoes a day and charges $5 a pair. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
One morning last week, Lt. Gov. John Sanchez needed a shine before attending a National Guard event. “I don’t want to be embarrassed around all those military guys with their polished shoes,” he joked with Campos.
Phil Sapien, a lawyer whose brother, John, is a Democratic state senator from Corrales, sat on Sanchez’s left. They chatted about the possibility of a special legislative session. “I am cautiously optimistic there will a special session,” Sanchez said.
Sapien wondered if the state’s citizen Legislature should be replaced with paid legislators. Sanchez allowed that his own roofing business suffered the more active he became in politics.
The customer on Sanchez’s right had sports on his mind: “Who do you favor in the fight, Adam?”
“The guy who is going to win is Floyd Mayweather,” Campos said. “The guy I support is Manny Pacquiao.”
Mayweather will win, the customer said. He is a master of defense and “boxing is about not getting hit.”
David Silverman, a real estate developer, stopped by after a meeting of civic leaders. He said he senses a new optimism about the city’s future.
Model Shoe Shine Parlor in Downtown Albuquerque has been a center of city life since 1931. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
Jim Branch, a lawyer who has been coming to Model for 30 years, and Toby Romero discussed Hillary Clinton. Branch wants politicians to stand up to Wall Street and the fat cats. Money has made politics crazy, he said. “Hillary Clinton says she needs to raise $2 billion for the election. Can you imagine?”
Campos savors the conversation that flows in his narrow, cluttered shop. “The guys talk about the different things happening around the country and the state. Whatever’s on the front page of the newspaper. You’ll run into someone you know and haven’t seen in years. Bankers. Mayors. Conrad Hilton got his shoes shined in here.”
When Campos disagrees with a customer’s views, “I usually say, ‘If you stay out of the shoe shine business, I’ll stay out of politics.’ The good thing about a shoe shine parlor, whatever you believe is OK.”
“He knows everyone,” said New Mexico Mutual CEO Norm Becker. “He is respectful of everyone.”
Model opened in 1931 on Central at Second Street, next to Hilton’s hotel, now the Hotel Andaluz. It was founded by William Cheers, who worked as a porter on the Santa Fe railroad between Albuquerque and La Junta, Colo. Cheers’ wife ran the shop while her husband traveled. Cheers retired in 1969 and came to the shop full time.
Mementos and photographs crowd Model Shoe Shine Parlor. Customers of every description and political opinion stop by for a shine and conversation. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
Cheers bought a new Cadillac every year. “People would stand in line to buy his old Cadillac,” Campos said. “It only had a couple of hundred miles on it. He only drove it to church.”
Campos’ uncle, Rick Campos, worked in the shop. As a kid, Adam Campos, who was raised in Barelas, sold newspapers. Cheers eventually lost his eyesight, but he always bought a newspaper from young Campos. When he could no longer shine shoes, Cheers came to the shop every day to sit in a corner and chat with customers. He died in 1989. “He was a good man, Mr. Cheers,” Campos said.
Rick Campos took the business over, then sold it to Bobby Atencio, a retired Albuquerque police officer. Adam Campos started working at Model in 1995, when he was just out of high school, and later bought the shop from Atencio.
Frank Morganti, right, prizes his shoes and relies on Adam Campos and Model Shoe Shine Parlor to keep them in top condition. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
Campos uses wax-based polish, because it fills the pores in shoe leather best. Campos and Toby Romero scoop the polish out of the cans and rub it into the leather with their bare hands. Their body temperature helps soften the wax in the polish, allowing better penetration into the pores. They clean their hands with auto mechanic’s soap. They charge $5 a pair and shine 30 to 60 pairs a day, Monday through Friday.
Frank Morganti, who works in the business office of a dental practice, prizes his shoes. He was wearing a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes that he said cost $325 new. He has worn them for years. You can pay $1,000 for handmade shoes from England, but a good pair of shoes will cost around $500 and can last 20 or 30 years if properly cared for, he said. “After I invest in good shoes, these guys keep them going. It’s like a good, professional stockbroker.”
UpFront is a daily front page news and opinion column. Winthrop Quigley can be reached at wquigley@abqjournal.com.
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