Shining With Dignity

“IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY. IT’S NOT ABOUT ME. It’s about dignity and doing things for others without the expectation of a return,” lawyer Castaldo says about his newest business venture—a shoeshine stand.

For the past two years Castaldo has been setting up in downtown Hanover every Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. to shine shoes. His patrons run the gamut of the Hanover crowd—professors (even one who taught when Castaldo was a student), students, restaurant workers, stockbrokers and other professionals. When he first started the stand he offered to shine people’s shoes for free—a venture he says was a “total failure” because people didn’t trust that he was truly seeking nothing in return for his work. He adjusted his model and started donating all his proceeds directly to the Upper Valley Haven. He asks for $3 but takes whatever people will give him. To date he says he has donated about $1,000 to the shelter.

The reception he receives varies among those who know him and see him on the side of the street. Most friends, he says, have been very supportive and understand what he is trying to do. A few friends think he has gone absolutely nuts. “The public doesn’t like it when somebody they know socially is doing this,” he laughs. “I blur class lines and distinctions, and that makes some people very uncomfortable. Picture yourself in this position, if you held yourself out to your community, doing something some people might consider menial or just weird. It took some courage. I’m a firm believer in the dignity of all work—in any job you do. Driving a car, flipping burgers. You can do it with dignity and a sense of purpose.”