The warm weather is welcomed by most in the city at this time of year. However, it can create some slushy conditions and make wearing your favourite pair of shoes feel risky.
Logan Smith, 14, has come up with a solution.
It takes patience, but Smith has enjoyed cleaning shoes for years. He did it in cadets, then decided to stride further. The ninth-grader recently started his own business, Fresh Outta The Box.
“That was my first kind of start-up in the business and it went very well.”
It’s been a challenging year for Smith. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s last year and struggled with day-to-day activities such as shopping. With courage and help from his parents, the teen started going into local stores in Saskatoon.
One of the first stores he felt comfortable in was Momentum Clothing. As Smith was establishing Fresh Outta The Box, he thought Momentum Clothing would be perfect to partner with.
“Logan reached out to us via social media interested about his sneaker cleaning business and talking about how he feels comfortable in the store and enjoys the experience around here,” Momentum Clothing floor manager Jeremy Marucot said.
The store was initially hesitant, but they were very impressed with Logan’s platform. Logan hasn’t kept any of his profits and instead donates it to charity.
Money has gone towards the Australian wildfire efforts, and a more personal organization to Smith — Autism Services of Saskatoon. He has raised about $300 so far.
Smith credits Autism Services of Saskatoon for showing him his strengths after his Asperger’s diagnosis. He said he’s very good at paying attention to small details, which helps him when he’s cleaning shoes.
“I just wanted to show people what autism really can be and just get the stigma out of people’s minds,” Smith explained.
“When people think of autism, they think of the crazy bouncing off the walls cases, but they don’t think of a normal kid who can run a business or people who can succeed with a disability.”
Marucot said customers are excited when they see Smith set up in the store and have been impressed with the quality of his work.
Smith said his biggest focus right now is school and hopes to become a vet tech one day. He will continue pursuing Fresh Outta The Box while in school and hopes to partner with more local businesses this summer.