Minas the Magician

Minas the Magician

The storefront of Minas Shoe Repair

Entering Minas Shoe repair, I am immediately overcome by the effervescent

aroma of shoe polish and wet leather; the smell of the trodden boots my grandfather

insists on never throwing away wafts past my shoulder and out the door as it conclusively

thuds onto Wall street. The walking room inside only amounts to four hundred square

feet at most, but the shop’s walls are lined with wall-to-wall mirrors through which one

can observe directly opposite a row of royal green shoe-shine thrones, discolored

chemically by the styling gels of some very stiff-haired clientele.  

The silver-haired gentleman hunches near the counter of his store, obstructing my

view of the workspace behind, which bears great resemblance to the guts of a nautical

vessel. Minas Polychronakos is a previous tenant of the late World Trade Center and now

maintains two successful shoe repair shops on the streets of Beaver and Wall, whose

interiors always house a variegated fare of flashy suits and fashionistas.

But Minas doesn’t want you to be informed that it’s all the Business crowd– a

notion which is affirmed by praise-filled newspaper clippings taped to the store’s mirrors,

which are framed haphazardly under bouquets of celebrity photos and amateur headshots.

The shelving behind Minas proudly displays the unique range of footwear he resurrects,

ranging from the out-of-place infant Air Jordan to the extravagant, sharp-heeled Jimmy

Choo.

I briefly focus my attention on an elusively framed picture hanging nearby of the

cobbler in Greece during his younger days, and I’m not surprised, given his work ethic,

when he tells me the photograph is over thirty years old.  For the time being, the enduring

Minas claims his business is doing well despite the high cost of leasing a retail space in

the financial district. “I know a few businessmen who have nearly lost their shoes in these

times—‘ he jokes, ‘-but there are always new residents moving in near Wall Street, and

I’d like to stay a part of the neighborhood as well.”

Minas and I shake hands warmly in farewell and I am momentarily convinced my

arm will turn to gold, mythologizing that the beneficent man is a wizard in addition to a

“go-to cobbler and therapist,” as claims Tina Y of Long Island in her yelp.com review. I

too, am a satisfied customer of three years, and have found he is able to resurrect even

postmortem mukluks into majesty. Surely, there must be an element of magic involved.