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Shoe business has lost its shine

1970-01-01

EDEN — Tins of Kelly's shoe polish, cans of Kiwi leather protector and brushes are scattered along a platform inside Tuck's Shoe Clinic. Three chairs sit side by side, and above them a handwritten cardboard sign lists the price of a shine: Shoe, $3. Boot, $4.

The store's namesake, 83-year-old Clarence Tucker, remembers when there were five chairs and young men lined up down Washington Street just waiting to fill them. Shoe shining isn't the same these days.

"I do a good shine business, but not as many walk-ins," he said.

From shining to stitching, Tucker has kept the feet of Eden residents looking spiffy for more than 50 years through his shoe repair business in the city's Old Leaksville District.

But after Monday, Eden residents looking for Tucker will have to drive south to Reidsville.

Closing the Eden store was a hard decision for Tucker to make, given his long history in the city.

"I really hate to close it because of that, but I'm facing reality," Tucker said. "And the No. 1 thing, at my age, I can't continue to work two stores the way I'm working. It's not good for the business, and it's not good for my health at my age."

Driving a few extra miles won't be a problem for Wanda Dalton, who said she'll follow Tucker wherever he goes.

"We like the work he does," said Dalton, who was in the store with her husband Tuesday afternoon to drop off shoes for a heel repair. "He knows what he's doing."

Having always gotten joy out of working with his hands, Tucker picked up the shoe repair trade from a cousin. After completing a three-year stint in the Army, Tucker honed his skills in shoe repair and leather craft courses at N.C. A&T.

Tucker sewed his first seeds of entrepreneurship in Newport News, Va., when he purchased a shoe shop. He worked the shipyards from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then went straight to the shop, where he worked another six or seven hours repairing shoes. He paid off the shop in a little over a year .

Back home in Reidsville, Tucker's wife, Ida, had given birth to their first child, and he grew homesick. He packed up all his equipment and set up on Henry Street in Eden in 1952 .

He moved twice more on Henry Street, eventually outgrew the neighborhood altogether and went in search of a spot that would accommodate his blossoming clientele. With the help of a customer who was an attorney, he set up shop on Washington Street in the mid-1970s.

A strong work ethic became his hallmark. For a while, Tucker worked two jobs: third shift at Fieldcrest Mills, and then he'd head to the shoe shop.

For Tucker, the reasons his business thrived so long in Eden are simple: "I like people. I like what I'm doing."

But others credit it to Tucker being both a good repairman and a keen businessman who is fiercely loyal to his customers.

"His business just spoke for itself through his customers," said daughter Rochelle Tucker. "If the customer needed it by Friday and it was Thursday night, then he was going to do whatever he could to turn it out."

Tucker proclaims he can "fix most anything pertaining to a shoe." Over the years, people have sought his help with items such as tents and horse saddles, said his daughter Que Tucker. The most outrageous thing Tucker said he has been asked to repair was a parachute.

"He was always able to ... satisfy the customer in just about every instance," Que Tucker said.

Eden residents knew they could always rely on Tucker for quality work, said Cindy Adams, president of the Eden Chamber of Commerce. Tucker, she said, subscribes to the old school work ethic: You take pride in your work and do it until the job is done.

"The way I look at it, his business has just been a pillar of the business community," Adams said. "I think he is an excellent role model for young entrepreneurs. He is such a man of integrity. He is so kind and very good at his craft."

Former Eden mayor Phil Price said that when he was younger, he didn't go out on Saturday nights without first stopping by Tuck's Shoe Clinic for a shine. "He had that nice pleasant smile then as he does now," Price said.

And as Price grew older, he came to appreciate other qualities in Tucker. He was known for being trustworthy, an excellent listener and a straight-shooter. Tucker eventually served about 20 years as a Rockingham County commissioner.

"He fought for the rights of every citizen," Price said. "I appreciate what he did on the county board when he was there."

Tucker's helping hand has extended to those seeking to learn his trade. He has trained apprentices, but he said there have been some who "couldn't cut the mustard" because they didn't follow his example when it came to customer relations.

Tucker's customer service skills were on display Tuesday afternoon when Ricky Dalton asked Tucker how long it would take to fix his wife's shoes. Tucker let Dalton decide.

"I got time to have it ready when you want it," Tucker said.

Tucker got busy on Wanda Dalton's shoes that same afternoon, running the worn heels against sandpaper on a finishing machine and adding foam rubber and taps.

The Eden shop holds a lot of family memories. It's where Tucker's daughters first learned the value of a dollar, shining shoes on weekends and summer breaks. Dad let them keep the shine money and the tips.

Tucker has second-guessed his decision to close the Eden shop, saying that if he could sell it and work there part time, he would.

Quitting work altogether is out of the question — at least for the time being. So Tucker will put all of his time and resources into the Reidsville store.

"I feel too good to retire," Tucker said.

"I know my limitations, and I got sense enough to observe my limitations."

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis