Photos: Tucson's best shoe shine shop for more than 50 years
Charlie Scruggs opened the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop at 13 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, in 1938. He and Ernest Alison served customers like "Stewart Udall, the former congressman and secretary of the interior; Morris K. Udall, Stewart's brother who spent 30 years in the U.S. House; and former Sen. Dennis DeConcini," wrote the Star's Steve Meissner. "His customers also included a steady stream of lawyers, merchants and downtown businessmen, as well as movie stars and other celebrities who were passing through town." He had a reputation for "precision work" and eschewed polishing machines used by other establishments.
Scruggs suffered a stoke in 1986, but kept working until he retired in 1992. He died in 1995 at age 80.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Owner Charlie Scruggs chats at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Customers wait for a much-needed and much-wanted professional shoe shine at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Owner Charle Scruggs, left, reads the newspaper as employee Ernest Allison works on shoes at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
The tools of the trade at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Ernest Allison uses the window light to shine up a pair of shoes at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Ernest Allison shines a pair of cowboy boots at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
Employee Ernest Allison cleans a pair of boots at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop in Tucson
A client is one step removed from downtown street life at the Deluxe Shoe Shine Shop near Stone Ave. and Congress St. in Tucson in August, 1979.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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