WASHINGTON — On most days, more than half of the customers at Union Station Shoe Shine in Washington’s main train hub are federal employees and others heading to Capitol Hill, who stop in for a $10 shine. So if the federal government were to shut down, the owner of the shop said he would inevitably see fewer customers stepping into one of his five chairs to have their boots, brogues or wingtips polished on their way to work. “It would be catastrophic because we’re still trying to recover from th
Once again, the florists, bars, gyms, cafes, dry cleaners and other small businesses that serve federal employees in the District of Columbia and its suburbs are bracing for an economic blow.