Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 284, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1917 — GIRL RUNS “SHINE PARLOR" [ARTICLE]

GIRL RUNS “SHINE PARLOR"

Declares That She Has Lots of Customers, Likes the Work, and Makes Good Money. As the man with the dust-covered shoes climbed into a chair in a shoeshining “parlor” in Ft. Wayne avenue, relates the Indianapolis News, a neat, trim-looking colored girl came briskly out pt a back room. “Good morning,” replied the prospective customer. “Where’s the shoe shiner?” “That’s me. I'm the shiner.” “Is that so? Well, you are the first girl I ever saw shining shoes. Like the business?” “Indeed, I do. • It pays me well and we are all looking for the money these days.” “How did you happen to get into this kind of work?” "Well, it was like this. My itousin, who owns this place, runs a transfer wafcon. He is away so much he had to have somebody stay here and answer the telephone and look after the business. He tried boys for a while, but they are all gone to war or talking about it and it was hard to keep them, so he gave-me the job. This used to be a shining parlor and so many men came in asking for shines that I derided to get into the business myself. It didn’t take me long to get onto it, and now I have lots of customers.’’