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» HAS Newsroom
Houston Airport System
August 11, 2006
“Don’t pass me up, shine ‘em up!” is what you’ll hear if you’re walking by the ticketing counters in Terminal A at Bush Intercontinental Airport’s (IAH).
Shoe Shiner Troy calls on passengers to get their shoes shined on their way in and out of Houston.
The business of shoe-shining has proven to be very successful for Airport Shoeshine Parlors owner Elsie Hebert. The savvy businesswoman began her business at IAH several decades ago and has been there almost as long as the airport itself.
Hebert came to work as a barber in August 1969 for a company already established at Bush Intercontinental and soon became manager. In the 1970s, Hebert opened her own barber shop after the previous shop closed down.
When the 80s rolled around, Hebert approached the City of Houston with the idea of opening a shoe shining business, but was rejected due to the lack of space. She then came up with the bright idea of placing these shoe shining stands under the escalator wells, which was approved and the business began.
She’s come a long way since 1969 and is very grateful for the help she receives from her staff, one of which has been with her for almost 25 years.
“Without my guys, I wouldn’t be me, ” she said.
All of Hebert’s thirty fulltime employees, plus the college students that come in on the weekends, offer great customer service. Hebert tells them, “keep shining until you like them [the shoes], or the customer won’t like them.”
Six shoe shining parlors are located in all of IAH’s terminals today. All five terminals have one parlor, with two stationed in Terminal C.
The newest location in terminal E, has won her three awards since it opened. With the growth of Terminal E and the stiff competition increasing, Hebert’s Airport Shoe Shine Parlor was still one of the top five tenants in the first quarter of 2006.
The first class service is why they receive repeat customers on every trip through IAH like George Goodman. Goodman flies through Bush Intercontinental about three times a year and always stops to get his shoes shined.
The shoe shining booths open as early as 6 a.m. each day and don’t close until 9 p.m. There is only one service offered, one great shoe shine at only $4.
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