Shoe artist shines in Westin bathroom

Whatever you do, don’t call Carey Jones a shoeshiner. He’s a P.S.A., or Professional Shoe Artist, thank you very much, and he even has a copyright certificate to prove it.

While mere shoeshiners quickly polish your shoes, giving them a sheen that lasts a few weeks at best, Jones treats his customers’ shoes to a secret four-step process he created himself, which produces a clean, re-dyed, new-looking pair of shoes that will remain that way for the next year or so if you occasionally buff them with a damp rag.

“I want the world to know you can now have your shoes done, not simply polished,” says Jones passionately.

Jones plies his trade Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the lower-level men’s restroom in The Westin Columbus (Ohio). A rather quirky spot, but Jones doesn’t see it that way. “Some people look at this as a bathroom. I look at it as my theater. And besides, what’s the best place you can get to a man?!”

And get to them he does. This past May, Dick Wager, CEO of Nashville’s New Day Pharmacy, walked into the Westin restroom to use the facilities. His feet clad in a beat-up pair of dress shoes, Wager was interested in Jones’ offer to “do” his shoes ― until he saw the sign saying the cost started at $25.

To persuade him the price was worth it, Jones showed him some of the shoes he’d worked on, like the pristine pair of Allen-Edmonds’ on his feet (an incredible 37 years old). He also noted the majority of his business is now mailed to him from past customers who initially found him when they were staying at The Westin on business and, um, nature called.

Convinced, Wager left his battered shoes in Jones’ able hands. When he retrieved them a few hours later, he was stunned. “This is amazing,” he half-whispered. “It’s like a brand new pair of shoes!”

Jones works on leather, reptile and suede shoes ― Allen-Edmonds are his favorite ― plus leather coats, purses and the like. He also makes minor repairs. When he’s not working on shoes, he maintains the restroom, cleaning the sinks and marble floor, spraying pleasing scents and even polishing the wooden doors of the stalls as carefully as he does his customers’ shoes.

“When a man’s shoes look good, he feels good, just like a lady with her hair and nails,” Jones says. And while he’s proud of inventing the Shoe Artistry process, he says he’ll teach it to anyone ― if they purchase a franchise.

–Melanie Radzicki McManus, RED Travel Writer.