Don Ward

"'Don’t worry,' Don says, upon hearing that his next customer has never had her shoes shined before. 'I’ll be gentle.' He instructs her to climb into an office chair bolted to a red-and-gray plywood box the size of a refrigerator, and sit down on a grubby towel printed with the White House’s insignia. 'I brought it from home,' he says, pausing for laughter. He throws a stained towel over her knees and skirt, to protect her modesty ('It’s not my birthday!'), and starts in on the story of how Don Ward, who prefers to be known only as Don — 'Cher can have only one name; so can I' — runs a successful business shining shoes at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Forty-seventh Street in Manhattan, just south of the headquarters of Fox News."
New Yorker - Making Money: There's No Business Like Shoe Busines
YouTube: No Your City: Episode 3 (Don), Don Ward: Shoe Shiner Extraordinaire