NEIGHBORHOODS

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
J.J. Johnson is continuing her dad Arthur C. Good's work in
shoe restoration. She is located at Restaurant Row, near Building 2.
With her is client Paul J. Cunney, an attorney.

Taking a shine to
her father’s work

Jeanette 'J.J.' Johnson puts
heart and sole into her well-
remembered dad's
outdoor salon

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

ART Good never got rich cleaning shoes, but he made a lot people smile.

"He was a friend to the death," Jeanette "J.J." Johnson said of her father, who died in April 1997 at age 72, a week after earning his diploma from McKinley High School.

The smiles and happy talk are still free at Art's Professional Shoe Salon, as Johnson continues her father's work.

"People pass here day in and day out and speak to me about him," Johnson said. "I'm blessed for what he did. He was friendly to everyone, no matter who they were."

The outdoor shoe salon is on the mauka side of Restaurant Row.

Good, who came to Hawaii from Lake Tahoe in 1982, was proud of his work and considered his business to be more than just shoe shines, said Johnson.

"He called it shoe restoration," Johnson said. "He loved working with leather.

"The first step, which makes the end result, is to clean the shoe's surface with saddle soap. He did more than just polish."

Like her father, Johnson cleans, then polishes and buffs the shoes to a shiny finish in about 10 minutes. Her rates start at $8.50.

She also redyes and repairs shoes.

"My dad's clientele were so loyal they wouldn't let me work on their shoes," said Johnson, who filled in for her father whenever he was unable to work during his period of illness.

"I'd tell them he was sick, but they'd say they'd wait until he got back. That's how much they respected the work he did."

Good opened his first salon at the old Blaisdell Hotel on Fort Street Mall. After moving to Restaurant Row, he was in and out of the hospital from 1995 to 1997.

By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Jeanette "JJ" Johnson, who is carrying on her father's work at
Art's Professional Shoe Salon on Restaurant Row, brushes the
shoes of a client. Johnson's dad, Arthur C. Good, died in April 1997,
but his daughter shines on.

"I wanted to continue the business, and he thought it was a good idea," said Johnson, the eldest of Good's five children. "Doing this was his love.

"This business is a reflection of the economy. Right now, we need all the business we can get."

Though times are tough, Johnson has been putting aside 20 cents from every dollar she's earned since April with hopes of starting a scholarship fund for McKinley High students.

"I'm sure it'll only be a modest amount by Dec. 31, but I wanted to give something to the school for my father," she said.

"All of this is being done shoe by shoe."

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