BUTTE — A Butte restaurant is helping one of the city's most beloved figures feel connected to the community as tens of thousands of people prepare to fill the streets for St. Patrick's Day.
Steve Faulkner, known around Butte as "Shoeshine Stevie," was honored with a special lunch and a display featuring his shoeshine kit at the M&M restaurant — a place with deep personal meaning for him.
Faulkner once worked at the original M&M washing dishes alongside Kari Spolar before the building burned down. He is best known for making his way around Butte with his shoeshine kit and for the potholders he crafts by hand.
WATCH: Meet Butte's "Shoeshine Stevie" - honored just in time for St. Patrick's Day
"Stevie's a big icon. He shined lots of shoes here. He was running around Butte all the time shining shoes," Kari Spolar said.
Her daughter, Roxzan Spolar, echoed that sentiment.
"He's kind of an icon of the hardworking heritage Butte has," Roxzan Spolar said.
That hardworking spirit is on full display in the potholders Faulkner makes. During lunch, he showed off his handiwork — though he had a little trouble keeping track of the exact count.
"I made about 66 of these," Faulkner said. "I made 75 of these."
When asked how long it takes to make 75 potholders, his answer was simple: a week.
M&M owner Salina Pankovich created the display to honor Faulkner's contributions to the community.
"He's still a very hard worker. He still makes these potholders. He's just a very unique individual, and I really think that people love honoring him," Pankovich said.
With upwards of 10,000 people expected to fill the streets of Uptown Butte for St. Patrick's Day, friends say the large crowds make it unsafe for Faulkner to go out and sell his products the way he once did. The lunch and display give him a way to still feel like part of the celebration.
"We're celebrating Stevie. Today is Stevie's day, and for what he got put here means a lot to him and a lot to me," Bob Leipheimer said.
Kari Spolar joked that Faulkner's years of hard work may have added up to quite a sum.
"I'm pretty sure he made some pretty good money. He probably made about a million dollars. Huh, Steve?" she said.
Faulkner was quick with a response.
"If I made a million dollars, we'd be happy. Right? Would you be happy if you made a million dollars in tips?" Faulkner said.
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