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Lyova, Yerevan’s Only Street Shoe Shiner; Bringing Back a Tradition

Gagik Aghbalyan

Saro Bahdasaryan

Here’s Lyova Gevorgyan. This 60-year-old shines shoes in Yerevan to make a living.

Gevorgyan is reputed to be the only ‘master’ shoe shiner in Armenia’s capital.

That’s kind of amazing given there are so many shoe stores in Yerevan and residents are always seen cleaning their shoes with anything that’s handy.

Gevorgyan says most of his customers are foreigners.

Bringing the street shoe shiner tradition back to Yerevan is the brainchild of Armen Badalyan, who owns a well-known khngkali restaurant on Toumanyan Street.

Badalyan told Hetq that he grew up in downtown Yerevan and fondly remembers every detail of the capital’s past cultural life.

Gevorgyan, who works as a guard at the restaurant, says he gladly accepted the job when Badalyan broached the idea.

The shoe shiner says he can tell the character of people by the shoes they wear.

Comments (1)

Levon
Don't patronize the khnkali restaurant on Tumanyan Steet. The owner is a misogynist who tried to get the trees on the street cut down. He's a jerk!

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