Amid San Francisco's challenges, longtime shoe shiner still sees opportunity
SAN FRANCISCO – A growing crisis of empty office spaces in downtown San Francisco has politicians, entrepreneurs, and more, scrambling to reverse a downward spiral.
One man's livelihood, that depends on robust foot traffic in a changing city landscape, has been through steep ups and downs lately.
Christopher "Olajuwan" Mitchell has been buffing shoes for more than 40 years.
"No matter their color, if they're gay, straight or whatever. You just treat people human and just leave it like that and keep rolling. That's what I've been doing it," Mitchell told KPIX.
The shift to casual dress and remote work, emptying offices to a record high after the pandemic, have pummeled Olajuwon's stand.
"If you want to get your business going you have to come out here and grind, when it's slow," said Mitchell.
Even around noon on a weekday, Market Street appears empty. Boarded up storefronts abound.
Olajuwon is now the lone shoe shiner in front of the Embarcadero BART station. He said there used to be more than 25 like him.
"Normally, when you're walking down the street, there would be 5 to 10 people within 15 feet of you. Here, you're lucky if you have a few people," said Danny Horrell, who had one of his belts shined.
San Francisco's office vacancy rate continues to climb, now hovering above 30% according to commercial real estate experts.
"We're getting close to our peak in the vacancy rate," Colin Yasukochi told KPIX.
Yasukochi is the executive director of the Tech Insights Center at CBRE, one of the largest commercial real estate services and investment firms.
Cities across the country are grappling with the economic impact and tax revenue decline because of emptying offices, but San Francisco's rate is the highest among major cities.
"We're hopeful that stating sometime in early 2024 we will start to see a turnaround in the economy. That will lead to business growth, more hiring, and potentially more demand for office space," said Yasukochi.
That reversal would be a much-needed boost for Olajuwan, whose business was crushed during the pandemic.
But it could not wipe away the smile on his face, silence his laugh, or destroy his perseverance to honor his parents.
"I always wanted them to be proud of me. Even though they're not here, I want to at least let them know that they didn't waste their time with me," said Mitchell.
Even with empty buildings and storefronts surrounding him, Olajuwan is focused on turning what's dull, into a San Francisco shine.
