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Edited on Sat Dec-06-08 11:37 PM by philboy
I remember getting my "working papers" when I was 14. That would have been somewhere between Oct '72 and Oct '73.
Near my home was a shop where shoes were shined, and men's hats were taken in to be sent out and blocked. This "shop" was a small room, no larger than about 7 ft X 12 ft.
So besides shoveling snow and stuff, this was my first job where I worked for someone else.
I had a key to the place, and I would go and open up and shine shoes when the owner was not around. i used to make a KILLING there, great tips shining shoes. All of the business men would come in and sit on the bench and put their feet up on the brass things, etc.
One day I was shining shoes, and a guy in a suit sat down and asked me how much I was getting paid, etc. Turns out he was from the labor board, and he ended up making the owner pay me some obscene amount because I wasn't getting paid enough "on the books". So anyway, I get this huge payment, plus my tips....I was rich!!
This shop was located near a head shop. All of the older hippies would come in, sit down, and shoot the shit with me. Sometimes I would shine their shoes for free, sometimes they would throw me a buck.
There was a Grateful Dead poster on the wall where I worked. I think it must have been advertising the Watkins Glen '73 show. I lived relatively close to the Glen, and all of the people that used to come in and talk to me were going. I was too young to go...but I remember these times as some of the most fun of my life.
These "hippies" were incredibly smart and kind people. Some of them had good jobs, etc. They used to talk about science, math, philosophy, etc. So cool. :hug:
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