Millions of travelers probably saw Charles Sanders at the Atlanta airport. But few knew his name.
At his shoeshine station, Sanders for decades buffed the shoes of everyone from civil rights leaders to regular travelers passing through — becoming a fixture at the world’s busiest airport.
Sanders died Oct. 9 at the age of 85, after a career as co-owner of Master Shine at Hartsfield-Jackson International.
Born Jan. 28, 1939, Sanders started shining shoes at the Atlanta airport around 1963. He remembered when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders would meet at the old terminal before heading out on trips, and get their shoes shined.
“They came from different parts of the city and always met at the shoeshine stand,” Sanders said in a 2016 interview. “Hosea Williams, Andy Young, Ralph Abernathy.”
Balram Bheodari, former general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson, said for as long as he could remember, “Mr. Sanders had been a staple in the shoeshine business at ATL.”
Bheodari said Sanders’ love for the business was “the epitome of service to others.” Sanders didn’t just shine shoes, he said, but was very much an airport ambassador, answering travelers’ questions and giving directions to those trying to find their way.
Back in 2016, Sanders was at risk of losing the shoeshine concession as the city of Atlanta for the first time in 17 years opened bidding up to operators who had an eye on business at Hartsfield-Jackson, including a shoeshine mogul from Las Vegas.
La Detra White, an Atlanta area marketing consultant, heard of the challenge Sanders faced back then and launched an online campaign to raise donations to help Master Shine and Sanders prepare proposals to compete for a contract.
That year, Master Shine was one of two local businesses to win contracts for shoeshine stands at the world’s busiest airport. Goodfellows Shoeshine from Las Vegas was disqualified from the running due to an issue with documents submitted.
White in a post on Facebook recounted how Sanders took her out for a steak after he won the contract. She said Sanders’ life was “special and meaningful and inspiring to so many.”
“He lived a long, good life,” White said. She said she loved hearing Sanders’ stories from decades of shining shoes at the airport, and said he “employed so many men over the years.” With his death, his brother Willie has taken over the shoeshine business, she said.
In an Instagram Reel in the wake of Sanders’ death, the Gathering Spot CEO Ryan Wilson urged his followers to support Sanders’ brother, “Mr. Willie,” and visit the Master Shine shoeshine station on Concourse A.
Sanders had pride in his work.
“They cannot shine shoes like we can,” Sanders said of potential competitors in 2016. “They clean shoes. There’s a difference between cleaning and shining shoes.”
“We give the best shines in the country,” he said of Master Shine, which he co-owned with four other shoeshiners.
But Sanders also noted the challenges of the shoeshine business as menswear trended toward more casual dress. Sanders noted then that summertime was especially sluggish for shoe shining.
“Tennis shoes and flip-flops” was much of what he saw during the hottest months of the year. “So if you don’t make enough money in the winter, you’re not going to make it through the summer.”
Then, businesses at airports around the world took a huge hit when the COVID-19 pandemic decimated air travel.
Because of hardships during the pandemic when many concessionaires had problems bringing in revenue and making minimum rent payments, Hartsfield-Jackson extended contracts, including an extension of Master Shine’s contract until 2029.
In recent months, Sanders’ health kept him from working at the airport, according to White, leaving it to his brother to take over. The business continues to operate at the airport, according to Hartsfield-Jackson.
“The Department of Aviation joins the entire ATL concessions community in expressing our deepest condolences to the Sanders family following the passing of Mr. Charles Sanders,” said Tyronia Smith, assistant general manager of commercial revenue at Hartsfield-Jackson, in a written statement.
Sanders, the second of five children born to Pargie Wilkins and Dock Sanders, attended Turner High School in Atlanta, according to a program from his memorial service at Rucker Funeral Home in Decatur Oct. 26.
He was preceded in death by his three sisters, according to the program, and is survived by his brother Willie Sanders as well as nieces and nephews.
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