Shine On at Larry’s

Larry was the Best at shinning my Stacy Adams shoes before i came to him my shoes was lookin worn out and old Larry brought them back to life again!!! it’s like i bought a whole NEW pair of shoes THANK YOU LARRY!!! 4 putting the shine back in my shoes agin Youre the BEST Awsome service and frendily idk what more i could say if you need your shoes shined GO 2 LARRY he’ll put the shine in them and ONLY $ 10 great price keep doing what you love Larry ill be commin to you if i need my shoes shined again have a GREAT DAY
Sincerly Jerome Shelton A HAPPY CUSTOMER :)

Decent shine, $ 10. Better than the shine at Montréal and Toronto airport. Not as good as the shine as Cosmo Hotel Las Vegas. Convenient location. Guy is still dressed in business casual.

Whether you’re in a rush, going on lunch, or ending the day, this place is worth a stop. All Larry needs is a few minutes to get your shoes looking better than the day they came out of the box. This guy will have you sit down on a comfortable armchair he refurbished himself and have you feeling like royalty with the way he treats your shoes. Larry started out with nothing and pulled himself out of the gutter to establish a more than respectable business. His work ethic is matched only by his manners. Shine on Larry!

I’ve seen this shoe shine cart on the corner every time I come out of Montgomery Street BART for a few months and kinda wondered about it — the guy is dressed like he should be polishing your quarterly report, not your shoes. Today I needed a shoe shine as I was walking past, so I stopped. For $ 7, I got an entirely satisfactory shine, and then some. Now granted, Larry Moore’s (the proprietor) normal shine is one coat while some places offer 2 – 3, but he’s got other advantages. (And I’m sure he’d do more coats if you asked.) One is the polishing treatment he gives the edges of your shoes (the top and sidewall of the sole), a touch I’d never encountered before but that adds a notable sharpness to the look. Second is the coat of leather conditioner he applies at the end of a shine. And third is his story — see the trivia below. The combination of factors means he’s built up quite a set of regulars, including those who drop off shoes for later pick-​up.
He’s quick, friendly, and will cut you a break if you’re homeless or on the way to a job interview. He also represents the best type of entrepreneurship that you feel good about supporting. I think you look like you need a shine…
TRIVIA: Larry truly pulled himself up by his (and your, and my) bootstraps, if you’ll forgive the pun. Going from homeless, alcoholic panhandler to housed, sober businessman in 12 months, Larry is an inspiration. You can read the remarkable story of his business, the bureaucratic obstacles he’s faced, and the huge public outpouring of support (including from the owner of The Custom Shop, the storefront in front of which Larry sets up) in a series of articles from C.W. Nevius of the SF Chronicle:
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3^rd)
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Larry gets five stars because of the effort and outcome of his work. Sure his «stand» is a couple of chairs bolted to a cargo dolly and placed at the curb. And, yes, the City of SF is giving him a hard time about getting his permit to occupy that portion of the sidewalk. But Larry is there virtually every day with a tie on, a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and a desire to do a good job on your shoes. And he does. Larry will take as long as it takes, and use as many tricks as he has to, to restore your shoes to luster. He wipes the dirt and dust off, smears them with polish, buffs them out, then paints the boot black on your heels and edges. And if he’s not satisfied, he’ll do it again. I honestly can’t remember what his price for a shine is ($ 6 – 8, maybe?), ’cause I just give him $ 10. It’s always been worth it to me.