Jimmy “The Rabbit” Feiler, Timmy “The Turtle” Hodge, and Jim “Snuffy” Smith grew up on the west side of Baltimore playing basketball and baseball together in grade school.
Now they have their feet done every two months at at 1407 Sulphur Spring Road in Arbutus.
Feiler went to Ascension and then to Calvert Hall to play baseball and basketball. He was an all-Maryland shortstop. Hodge also attended Calvert Hall by way of the Monastery School and was a standout on the basketball team. A graduate of St. Bernadine’s, Smith went to Loyola and played point guard for legendary coach Ed Hargaden. They met up again at the University of Baltimore in the early 60s to play sports in college.
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Their dogs have trudged a lot of miles together.
“We mostly walked a few miles to get to the [baseball] diamonds and gyms when we were kids,” said Turtle Hodge. “We didn’t have any other options.”
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The pioneer of the pedicure, Feiler first went to Kim’s with his girlfriend four years ago. Hodge and Smith started going last year as an extension of their exercise routine.
Maya, Le, and Kim from North Vietnam are happy to see the Rabbit, the Turtle, and Snuffy on this Tuesday morning.
“Business has not been so good,” said Kim, the owner. “It’s been very slow.”
The cost is twenty dollars plus tip—ten to fifteen dollars lower than salons in Towson--and it spares the trio from attempting the precarious and untidy procedure at home. Even with an extensive array of colors to choose from, they bypass the option of having their toes painted.
“I can cut my fingernails myself,” said Rabbit. “Some places put fish in the tub and they nibble your calluses--not here.”
Foot care can be an issue for those of a certain vintage and it’s relaxing after an hour of walking.
“It feels good when they rub your legs,” said Turtle Hodge. “They take all the dry skin off.”
After Hodge and Smith developed heart issues, it was Feiler who suggested that they start exercising three years ago. Known as “The High Steppers,” they get together once a week to walk the track at Catonsville Community College, Meadowood, and in the wintertime, Towson Mall.
“It’s an exclusive club and we’re not accepting memberships at this time,” said Snuffy Smith. “We get a lot of comments on the gear.”
They have an extensive sportswear line including hats, mesh shorts for the summer, and green-pepper colored sweats for the winter.
“It runs the gamut from hats to shirts to sweats,” said Smith. “Our names are on them. We’ve got hoodies.”
Snuffy and Turtle have undergone heart surgeries and are retired. The Rabbit works selling McCormick spices to grocery stores. After the pedicure, they head over to Leon’s to complete their three-part ritual.
When the subject of their metrosexual behavior is broached, Turtle is quick to draw the line between his friends and those males who spend exorbitant sums on their outward appearance.
“We put more money into our bodies than on the outside of them,” he says, as he takes a bite of his Taylor Pork Roll.