He Gives a Polished Performance

Shoes are Ernie Whitehead’s life.

It doesn’t matter if they are black, blue, brown or tan. The dirtier and duller, the better. One stipulation--only leather pairs need apply.

For in a mere 10 minutes, Whitehead can transform the listless into lively.

The change begins as soon as you arrive at his stylish, four-seat stand in Santa Monica. With a wooden-handle brush and leather cleaner in hand, he performs his magic. Slowly, two coats of polish are worked into the leather. Then, a small, motorized brush moves over the shoes. That, Whitehead says, is “to get the glow.” The process is completed when the highlight polish is applied and rubbed with a rag.

Whitehead’s stand is a popular stop along the busy, pedestrian mall. He maintains a regular stock of customers who include doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers and other professionals, servicing more than a dozen patrons a day.

“I am the granddaddy to all the customers,” said the 78-year-old longtime Los Angeles resident. “I enjoy being down there and not sitting at home.”

Whitehead has been running the shoeshine operation on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade since 1993 when he took over the business from his longtime friend, Bob Jones. Jones, a Santa Monica fixture, operated the stand for more than three decades until he became ill and sold the business to Whitehead.

Whitehead was no stranger to the trade. He started shining shoes as a teen-ager during the Depression. He learned the business and was lucky to earn a dime a shine. However, he said, the experience taught him the value of hard work.

The Texas native attended Prairie View College, a small school just outside Houston, before entering the U.S. Army and fighting in World War II. In 1952, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked for McDonnell Douglas and later, as a greenskeeper for the city of Los Angeles until his retirement a few years ago.

His retirement didn’t last long.

Whitehead began working weekdays at the stand and has never looked back. It’s a decision, he said, that goes beyond just getting out of the house and staying active. He wants to use this second career as a way to help send his three grandchildren to college.

“I didn’t have a penny” when in school, he said. “One of my missions is to provide money for them and be a role model.”

Ernie Whitehead’s Shoe Shine is located on the northwest corner of the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A shine is $3.