DENVER (Aging Untold) — The busiest places can feel the loneliest, but Jill Wright has found a way to change that at Denver International Airport.
Wright operates a shoeshine stand where she has been lathering leather for more than 30 years.
She describes herself as fascinated with people.
“When they’re traveling through the airport, they don’t know anybody,” Wright said.
Every shoe brings a new opportunity for connection.
“You just have to meet people where they’re at, so wherever they’re ready to connect, that’s where we’re going to meet them,” Wright said.
Adapting to changing times
The business has evolved despite an age of flip-flops and sneakers.
“We serve a little bit different of a clientele than we used to, because there’s not as many people wearing the dress business shoes,” Wright said.
The company, Executive Shine, caters to those who still take pride in a fresh look.
“Having a nice pair of shoes and having them clean and professionally taken care of. I learned that as a young kid,” one customer said.
“I don’t do it well at home, and so every time I’m passing through, these guys do a great job,” another customer said.
More than just shoes
Wright said her business goes beyond shoeshines.
“Executive Shine is a human connection company masquerading as a shoeshine company,” Wright said.
Tara Soto, who works at the stand with her husband, John, starts by asking how customers’ days are going, where they’re headed and what they have going on.
“Just simple questions to begin engagement, to begin a connection,” Tara Soto said.
Building confidence through conversation
John Soto once struggled with communication. Twenty-six years later, conversation comes naturally.
“I used to have a big stutter problem when I was like 16 years old. I could not even say a sentence,” he said. “I just love talking and I love stories.”
He and Tara know people even better than shoes.
“Sometimes people don’t really know what they’re looking for. But something is missing. There’s a missing piece in life right now,” Tara Soto said.
They find common ground where paths converge, serving everyone from senators and congressmen to CEOs.
“I think, especially now with the way our country is, that bringing people together is really more important than ever,” Wright said. “They’re all, at the core level, a human being.”
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