Local Legacies to Know: The Downtown Duo Leaving a Lasting Footprint

Everybody wears shoes: the three words and sole truth that set the tone for Andy Milsap's shoe-shine-and-repair vocation nearly 60 years ago.

Ever since he was a kid growing up in small-town Tupelo, Mississippi, Andy understood the timeless value of craftsmanship. It wasn't long after mastering the art of tying his shoes that his fondness for fine-tuned footwear began to surface.

As the nephew of Tupelo's only shoeshine and repairman, Andy naturally spent the bulk of his childhood admiring his uncle's handywork and forming a knack for the trade along the way. By 17, he had discovered his niche—and never looked back.

As luck would have it, the world is still sporting this practical clothing item decades later, keeping Andy busy with countless shines and repairs. A lifetime of dedication and acquired expertise would eventually take him from Mississippi to the heart of Downtown Phoenix, where Andy's Shoe Shine & Repair has been operating since 2006.

The past 20 years have been devoted to Andy transforming his namesake shop on the ground floor of the Orpheum Lofts into a familiar Downtown fixture known for its warm conversations and impeccable service.

It wasn't until his wife, Grace Foster, came into the picture that the pair sweetened the deal by opening Sweet Crimes Candy Vault right next door, adding a nostalgic layer of charm to their shared corner of the city.

Fittingly, their own love story began 14 years ago at Andy's Shoeshine, where Grace's routine visits to her daughter in the condos above turned into a lasting partnership.

Andy and Grace's combined entrepreneurial spirit embodies a more profound legacy of unity, reflected in their neighboring businesses. The pair has cultivated a rare blend of family, business, and community under one roof. Their story is one of connection, from the chance meetings that sparked their relationship to the loyal customers who have supported them over the years.

Today, Andy's Shoe Shine & Repair remains one of Downtown Phoenix's most enduring small businesses, born from a lifelong passion and unwavering commitment to the conjoined shops that he and his wife call their own.

We connected with this dynamic duo to learn more about the inspiration behind their legacies and the foundation that led to years of building something meaningful together in Downtown Phoenix.

Andy’s Shoeshine has been a fixture in Downtown Phoenix for decades. How did you first get started in the business, and what led you to set up your shop here?

When I was 17, my uncle showed me how to shine shoes. He owned the only shoeshine and repair shop in town. That was in Tupelo, Mississippi, where I was born and raised. I used to tell him that I wanted a career doing shoe repairs, and he told me, "No, because there's not enough money in it to make a living. You're going to college." And I told him, “No, I'm going to shine for a living, just like you're doing.”

When I finished high school, my uncle told me he'd let me come to Kansas City and work with him and my auntie. I started working the night shift at a hospital with my aunt from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and during the day, I worked for my uncle's shoeshine guy, Gene, at the biggest hotel downtown.

I'd been there for 8 months when Gene was getting ready to retire after 28 years. The hotel asked him if he had anybody to take his place. He said, “I already found somebody.” That somebody was me. I kept it for another 35 years.

When I got ready to go, I had my daddy build me a shoeshine box. I had him put wheels on it because people wanted me to do shines at car washes and dealerships, which is how I really got started with the mobile side.

I came out here because everybody told me, you're not going to be able to shine shoes in Arizona. They wear sandals and short pants. You are not going to make any money in the desert. I said, I'll figure it out.

One day, I picked up a newspaper article about Henry's Shoeshine over at the [Orpheum Lofts] condos. I went to check it out to see if they needed somebody to work part-time, and told them I've been shining shoes for 35 years. After a while, I ended up buying it from Henry and just changed the name to Andy’s. Here we are still.

What do you love most about the relationships you’ve built with your customers and clients over the years?

The before and after. The look on my customers' faces when they look down and see the final result. It makes me happy to see them happy and have them come back. Some of them have retired but still come back to say hello or get something done. And they tell other people about us. It's a very good feeling to meet their expectations, and that helps you stay in business. My thing was, when I was young, what I was trying to tell my uncle: people are always going to wear shoes. Everybody wants to look good, but they're not always going to do it themselves. If I can provide a service, then there might be a business I can stay in for a while.

Running a long-standing small business takes consistency and pride in your craft. What lessons has your business taught you about patience, work ethic, and perseverance?

Perseverance has been one of the things that has kept us steadfast, because there have been many ups and downs. We dealt with COVID and the various things that came through the door as well. But the most important thing is staying true to what you believe, what you're doing, and holding on to that. The thing with me is to make sure I do the same good job every time and do my best to satisfy the customer. And the old-fashioned said, "The customer's always right." If they're not right, you don't tell them. You make sure to give them the best presentation that you can to keep them happy, even if they're not satisfied. And most of the time, they'll be happy.

Having your businesses right next door to each other creates a unique family-and-community dynamic. How do your two businesses complement each other, and what does it mean to build something side by side?

We used to wonder what it would be like if we owned the space next door [Andy's Shoeshine], because it was bigger, when this was the post office. We used to sit up and brainstorm about how nice it would be to have everything Downtown. Because we had another shop on Central Ave. And Thomas Street. One day, I was shining shoes at our other location when I learned that the lease was up on the space.

It was like a dream come true. We had to move everything from the other shop. It was so lovely because we had summer hires at the time. We have high school kids who want to learn how to work in my business. So we take them on every year; we've been doing that for 18 years. All our former hires have come back to visit us after they've finished school. Some of them have even come back and worked for us.

---