Politics and Shoe Polish at the Republican Convention

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Business isn’t always the best for Greg Huston of Huston Shoe Shine in Cleveland.

But this week, Huston’s chair saw delegates, political science students and small business owners from all over the country, in town for the Republican National Convention.

Getting a shoe shine is “like having cash in your pocket,” said Bill Nasgovitz, who is attending the convention for the first time. “They make you feel good, don’t they?”

The typical pleasantries were swapped for political talk this week as Donald Trump officially became the Republican presidential nominee. Huston, however, plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November.

“This is just like a barbershop or a beauty salon,” Huston said. “I’m just the ear.”

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Write to Diane Tsai at diane.tsai@time.com and Francesca Trianni at francesca.trianni@time.com