Bangalore, Oct 16 (Bangalore Mirror) : Think always 'Out of the Box' - that is what successful people advice others. Here in Bangalore, a youngster who did his post graduation in New Zealand has return to his homeland has done just that - thinking differently, and without any hesitation, he has opened a 'shoe laundry'.

Cloth laundries are common. But what is this shoe laundry?

Just imagine picking up your muddied shoes, taking them to the nearest launderer and getting them washed and dried, or polished. The shoe laundry takes care of all your shoe needs.

Bangalore’s first shoe laundry has just been launched by a former news producer of a television channel. Ask Shashank Bharadwaj, 29, why he quit a plum job to get into the business of washing shoes, and he says the “change just happens to be in the natural scheme of things.”

“I worked with a channel as a news producer before moving to New Zealand for my masters degree in communications. I then took up a job with an investor relationship firm and worked with them for about eight months.

“But more than a year ago after I returned to India, I was looking for somebody to wash my sports shoes and could not find any options. So I decided to open a shoe laundry myself,” is his answer.

The shoe laundry is located at Vidyaranyapura.

For a lay person, it would seem like a very unsound business idea that will cater only to lazy souls who can’t wash or polish their own shoes. Does Bangalore really have that many lazy souls for the business to flourish?

Shashank takes offence at such critical judgement being passed on his potential customers. “My family is also sceptical. But it is not about being lazy; it is about people who have become very busy in a city like Bangalore. It is not just the sports shoes variety that you have in mind. We clean everything from Jimmy Choos and Kenneth Cole to Pumas and Reebok. Also, the amount of dirt our shoes accumulate needs professional help,” he says.

But having convinced himself that the idea made sense, Shashank studied the concept, found a similar business in Mumbai, contacted its owner, had him come down to teach the technique to his four hands here and finally began operations a couple of weeks ago. Given the exorbitant rates that people pay for their shoes and with more number of international brands coming into town, his logic does not seem misplaced either.

“I have invested Rs 6 lakh in the venture,” says Shashank.

So how long does it take for the laundry to clean your shoes? It is a ten-step process, beginning with the separation of the laces and soles, a pre-soak, then washing by labourers before being put in a customised washing machine for a thorough clean-up. They are then put in a disinfectant to clean up the odour and rid them of bacteria and are dried naturally.

The technique, of course, differs for every shoe. The leather shoes are not soaked but only cleaned with water and are dried differently. The soap solution is customised as well.

But probe him for some more details and he is quick to hide behind the phrase “trade secrets”. The service even picks up and drops off the pair at your home and even does minor repairs.

Shashank claims that in the last two weeks that he began the business, he has cleaned about 60 pairs of shoes. “A client of mine didn’t know how get his Rs 20,000 Italian leather shoe cleaned because he was scared it would be ruined. But we are just what the doctor ordered for a dilemma like that. For now, I get orders from men and, even women, who call us usually about their husbands’ shoes. Maybe men dirty their shoes a lot more,” he quips.

So, if you are looking for a clean pair of shoes and can’t be bothered about the whole cleaning up of the mess, just call him on 9916484295.