Farmer’s Market Shoe Shine

I’m so happy to find this place. Not so happy that it’s in the Farmer’s Market where parking is impossible, but I will find a way. The nicest father and son team who have been here for 30 some odd years warms my heart. The fact that they do excellent work and charge $ 8 for a shoe shine endears me even more. I picked up 2 pairs of flats this morning and dropped off all my winter boots to be spiffed up.

Really friendly service and an excellent shine tucked away near the Grove entrance from the Market. I was killing time and in need of some TLC for my shoes, so I figured I would try them out. I am very happy I did.

Awesome shine! My dirty, but well-​loved boots look BRAND NEW! Service was quick and friendly. Will return often.

Lenny (not Lonnie) runs the place now. He’s great. Friendly, professional and his services aren’t too expensive. They’re open from 9−5pm 7 days a week (unless it’s raining). Only place I’ve found in the LA area to get your shoes shined while they’re still on your feet!

I had an interview yesterday so I needed a good shoe shine. I looked this place up when I knew I was going to be at Farmer’s Market and I’m really happy that I did. They looked great and my interviewer even commented on how good they looked.

You gotta go see Lonnie. He owns this spot. If you’re a first timer he’ll bust out the album of celebs he’s hooked up when he worked at LAX. He’s got classic photos in there. He’s a little quiet but let’s his elbow grease do the talking.
Gary is his partner. Kind of has a raspy voice. He’ll be open with you and talk about being on dialysis. Both of these cats are pretty cool. Lonnie however can bust out a mean spit shine that can last at least five days. Good set of guys. They are located straight across from Zara right underneath the long stairwell.

Take note gents, ladies notice two things off the bat; a nice pair of shoes and a decent watch.
A good shoe shine is one of the few remaining civilized male activities (it also protects your investment in a good pair of leather shoes). Sadly, it’s hard to find many shoe shine stands so you’re reduced to doing a substandard job by yourself (possibly using a sharpie to fill in the scuffs). Go check out Farmer’s Market Shoe Shine on your lunch break.
Get a quality shine ($ 5 shoes/​$ 6 boots) while you read the paper or check out the passers-​by (read: cute girls).

Gary has brought over 10 years of Shoe Shine experience from LAX, and it certainly showed when I desperately needed him to do his magic while visiting from outta town around 4:30pm on a Sunday afternoon of memorial day weekend. My initial reaction was to head straight to Nordstrom’s, as they usually have staff to shoe shine, but that day their normal shoe shine guy had the day off! I asked if there was another place nearby, and sure enough, I was redirected to Farmer’s Market just a stroll down from the Grove Mall. Just beyond and around the corner of the Bath & Body Works shop, you’ll find Gary working the shoe shine high chairs.
He doesn’t do shoe repair, although after looking at the Farmer’s Market Directory, I didn’t realize that there also exists a shoe repair business by a similar name at the other end of the Farmer’s Market. Guess I know where to head to when I need my clubbin’ boots to get shined at… Farmer’s Market! Back to Gary though, his shine is the best shine my boots have ever received at a Nordstrom’s and anywhere else for that matter. He conditions, dyes, shine, and paints the trim of the sole’s edge like nobody’s business. His secret technique involves applying everything by hand. No applicator necessary, as it doesn’t quite do the job of getting into all the fine lines/​crevasses of my boots according to Gary.
His prices are cheap and on par with Nordstrom’s. Around $ 5 for shoes, $ 7 for boots. His job on me deserved a $ 10 as his last customer for the day, and a returning one for the foreseeable future at that!
Tell him «LOO-​es» sent ya ‘cuz I wanted to be his first reviewer on Unilocal!and help spread the word. See you back on July 4^th, Gary!