Some places reveal more about themselves by saying nothing at all. I walked into this shop, no greeting, no nod, not even a glance of acknowledgment. Silence can be powerful, but here, it was laced with disregard. I approached the man in the black apron, the one with the small gapped tooth and even smaller sense of professionalism, and asked a simple question: what could be done to clean my shoes? His answer--uncertain, uninterested, and lacking any skillful persuasion, was that he didn't know what would come out. No solutions, no confidence, no seduction of the sale. Just cold indifference. Then, without invitation, he launched into heel replacement prices for all four pairs. I never asked for heel replacements. I came for a shine. His response was not only tone-deaf, it was a clear attempt to shift the conversation into something I didn't ask for. Perhaps a poor strategy, or perhaps the result of someone who's lost their love for the craft. Either way, I didn't bite. When I questioned his approach, he snapped, "You don't have to leave your stuff here." I replied calmly, "I won't leave it here if you don't want me to." He waved me away like a nuisance and disappeared into the back. A man who holds no power, grasping at control in the weakest way possible. What truly sealed the impression was the woman at the front. She watched it unfold and did nothing. Inaction is a form of action. And her silence said everything I needed to know: my presence was unwelcome, and my business unwanted. Let this review be a quiet warning, not a loud complaint. Some places are simply not worthy of your time or money. Withdraw your presence. They will feel the loss more than your words. After the owner passed away, this place has gone terribly wrong. There are better places out there with affordable places where they would love you and your business. read more

This cobbler is awesome!! He has re heeled 2 pairs of boots and conditioned both. They looked like new and were perfect as gifts. Since they were taken by family off my feet with a Great, thanks. They also make shoes that I can not wait to purchase, fitting and measuring your feet for a perfect fit. read more

Do not bring purses here. I came here initially because of the good reviews but twice now they have ruined my bags. About a year ago, I brought two purses in for minor work - one to be polished up and one to have a couple of simple holes punched in the strap. They punched holes in the wrong bag - which was a totally different style involving grommets, so I don't understand how they could make this mistake. It completely changed the look of the bag. Last week, I decided to give them a second chance and brought in a bag to have just another simple hole punched. We discussed it very clearly and he even said "I would just do this now it's so simple but I want to make sure it's done right" so I left it with them. I came back and they had CUT a big chunk of the strap off. And just left it an unfinished cut. It was mind boggling. It also meant the bag could no longer be adjusted to the other lengths. They apologized for the "misunderstanding" (though I don't understand what they misunderstood when it was so clear I just wanted holes punched). I left the bag with them to have the strap reattached. I just picked it up and frankly the reattachment is really shoddy work that looks fragile and bad, but I didn't say anything because honestly I don't trust them to fix it. I'm so disappointed and sad about this bag, which I cannot replace, and mad at myself for giving them a second chance and coming back after they messed up a year ago. I came here initially because of the good reviews so I feel obligated to say this so others can avoid my mistake. read more

Joe's Cobbler Workbench - The holes they did punch don't lay correctly and cause gapping on the strap. - Shoe Repair Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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wow! fabulous cobbler. had a nice pair of shoes that hadn't been worn in a while.... soles and heels and polishing. Joe and his mom were great! read more

The owner is seriously one of the nicest people I've ever met. I went in to get one of my heels fixed, but they weren't taking orders for the next four weeks. My day was already going horribly, and I was about to cry because I really needed the shoe fixed ASAP. Then the owner came out, talked to me, and said he'd make an exception and have it done by the next day. He was so sweet and did an amazing job. If you need any shoe repair, go to him--you won't regret it! read more

Joe is a saint! I brought my favorite bag in to see if he could repair the strap. He was very nice and told me to come back the next day for pickup, & when I returned the next day, he had fixed the strap. The best part was that he only charged me $8! I could go on and on about how much I appreciated him saving my bag, but I'll keep this review short and sweet. He does great work in an efficient amount of time, and he's easy to work with. I'll be back with all my shoes next. read more

Joe's Cobbler Workbench - Shoe Repair Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Stopped in to have my purse looked at to see if they could possibly fix it since it was my mother's purse, and they had some great reviews. Very rude as if I was even bothering him. Would not even let me finish my sentence. I started to show him what I wanted done and he said we don't replace zippers in purses- no one in the city does and turned his back to me and walked away! Glad he has so much business that he doesn't need another customer because how did he know I didn't have a trunk full of shoes to be fixed as well! It was not that I wanted the zipper replaced- I wanted it stitched back in. Whatever- obviously too busy to worry about my business. I won't be back! read more

I found Joe's cobbler workbench to be a great find in my neighborhood.: -) He did excellent craftsmanship and repairing my very expensive shoes and I wouldn't hate to recommend him to anyone. I even had him die a high-quality pair of leather shoes that turned out fantastic read more

Best shoe repair in town with super reasonable prices. They're understandably busy, so turnaround can be a bit slow. Plan ahead.

Took 6 pairs of shoes here for heel cap replacements and they were quick and my shoes look great! Hero cap replacements are $10.

Beautiful work done at very affordable prices in reasonable time frame. Absolutely returning!

I believe this is my second review for Joe's Cobbler. The first one was years ago when Geneva and Joe were there. I am so pleased to say that Corey and his associate are wonderful and would make Joe proud! I needed some shoes ready for New Years Eve and was promised to have them back before then. Well, I received a call yesterday they were ready. I was expecting them a week later. They were repaired perfectly. I was almost reluctant to write this review as they're already extremely popular (LOL!), but they are so deserving of the accolades. Also, I live close to two other shops -- both on Magazine Street, but I go a little out of my way because of the service and kindness. THANK YOU!! read more

So mostly I just ditch shoes when they wear out, but I recently blew out both heel caps on a pair of vintage suede boots that I love. So off to Joe's Cobbler. The repairs are always stellar and the woman who works there (Josephine? or perhaps Joe's daughter?) has always been very helpful and kind. Plus I love stores with shop dogs. Hers is well trained and does not come down the stair into the store front without permission. read more

Avoid Joe's Cobbler at all costs About six weeks ago I brought in a pair of my husband's shoes and a suede Brooks Brothers bag for repair. The bag needed some plain brown leather strap handles replaced. I was told it would be about $40, and would be ready in a month. I paid, and waited (no call). I went in to pick them up and was horrified. They had done a ridiculously shabby piecemeal patch job on the straps, rather than replacing them. Forty dollars for this? The new owner argued with me about the work, or lack thereof. Also, they wanted to charge me for dyeing my husband's shoes, which I hadn't ordered nor requested. We weren't coming to terms about the bag when several customers entered the shop. Suddenly the owner couldn't get rid of me fast enough. "I'll give you a full refund," he said, rather loudly. He handed me $30 (not $40) in cash from the register. I've been going to this shop for shoe repair since the 1980's. They used to be wonderful. I will never go there again (if they're still in business, that is). read more

I left in a pair of well worn leather shoes and they came back looking new. Absolutely delighted with the service and definitely will be back read more

I dropped my shoes for heel repair at Joe's Cobbler Workbench on Maple St uptown NOLA at 400pm on 3/24/21..shoe service completed and I picked up my shoes on 3/25/21 at 330pm! #Fastturnaround #greatservice #willvisitthislocationagain read more

Awesome! Quality work and quite affordable prices. Fixed my purse strap while I waited!

My go to suede black heels lost the tip of its heel, and I was excited to finally getting around to fix it. It was only $9 to get them fixed, and they were very timely in getting the job done (a couple of hours). I wore them the next day and a couple of hours in I notice that the heel tip fell off again. The only reason I'm not giving them one star is because I didn't get in touch with them to give them a second chance to fix their bad job. I just never found the time to get them fixed. I'll be back again because they're the only cobbler close to where I live, so I'll give an updated review if they can give my shoes life again. read more

So glad I found this place. Wanted soles repaired on a favorite pair of buttery soft black leather boots. $40 later, vibram soles and shined/cleaned to look brand new. Even more, I came the Sunday before Thanksgiving and they were going to be closed the following week. Joe made a point to get the job done that very day so I wouldn't have to wait until after the holiday for my shoes. I can't recommend Joe's enough. read more

I love this place! I brought in a pair of beat up (or 'well loved') leather boots last week - heels falling off, holes in the soles, etc. I wasn't sure they'd even be reparable, but Joe revived them and made them look better than new. You can tell he has a real love of his craft and puts in the extra energy to deliver a product he's proud of. Joe and Toni are also the sweetest people. Ask them about their grandchildren! A great mom-and-pop business I'm proud to support. read more

Hands down the best shoe repair in town. Old school mom-n-pop store with a classic feel (shop dog included). I had a pair of shoes that needed to be resurfaced on the bottom. They quoted an affordable price and had great customer service. They even polished my shoes for free when I picked them up. If you need work done to your leather shoes, come here. You won't be disappointed. read more

I trust all my shoes To this shop! Quick And friendly service. I drop Off my stilettos to get Tips, prepay, and pick up As Early as the next day. The tips Here last a long time, more then other tips From other cobblers which is a big deal if you to change tips Often it can add up! About $8 a pair and they make sure your heels Are patched up too! read more

Very disappointed in their lack of attention to detail. The toe stitching on one of my expensive ankle boots had come out. Lady at the counter said they would probably need to glue it and then run stitching over it. A week later, I picked my boot up and to my dismay there was glue all around the leather and the stitching was the wrong color and wrong gauge. I only hope I can find someone else to fix this because I'm certainly not trusting Joe's to touch these boots again. read more

Joe's Cobbler Workbench - Boot with original toe stitching on the right. Boot with stitching that Joe's "repaired" on the left. - Shoe Repair Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Super customer service and reasonable turnaround/prices. I used Joe's when I lived in NOLA 7 yrs ago. Am back on the Gulf Coast and had a bunch of shoes which needed attention. Unfortunately Joe passed away, but a young relative has taken over and is running the business well. The young man was very patient about telling me what could be fixed and various options/prices. Picked up my shoes today and they are ready for more miles. Thanks! read more

These folks are efficient, courteous, and knowledgeable, and their prices are perfectly affordable. I brought in a pair of cheap but beloved sandals with a broken strap, and it was ready the next day, good as new. For $5. Seriously, this place is making me re-think my shoe-buying habits...like maybe instead of buying new ones, I will just take my old comfy ones to get repaired. Novel idea, right? Anyway. Heartily recommend. read more

The person that took my order first told it would take two days to fix a strap on my messenger bag. I allowed her to have a whole week, hoping that she would call me whenever the work was done. The first time, the woman was rude, which was a shock since she was providing a service that I was going to pay for. Interestingly enough, she was very nice to the white couple that arrived shortly after me. She made me wait 5 whole minutes before she got off her seat to receive my request. After the first week that she had my bag, I came in person to ask her about the status. She laughed and informed that these type of jobs take a lot of days. A white man came right after me and she smiled and got off her seat to receive his wonderful order. I was there first, but she still felt it was necessary to take his order while trying to answer my question. I informed her she said it would only take two and that I needed my bag as soon as possible, if not I would´ve gone to another place. I hate pulling the race card, but I am not white, and as POC I understand micro-aggressions. From what I inferred, this woman could not care any less whether I got my bag, whether I even should receive a greeting (something I offered immediately after entering her establishment). It seemed that my lack of whiteness, afforded her with establishing an upfront disregard to my needs and the service I was paying for. I waited two more days and left a message and received no answer. I ended up waiting another week and when I showed up and she informed me bag was ready. It looked horrible. She fucked up the stitching, there was glue everywhere on the strap and bag. She could have easily cleaned it before handing it to me. But no, I was still polite, I paid for what she had done, thinking it was easier to hold a grudge and write this review on this site. Maybe this person is a rude person, with no regard to customer service but from what I have experienced she disregarded me as person worthy of receiving good work and seemed much more friendly to white folks that right after me. I should not have paid and I should have called her out. But alas, I did not want to align myself with whatever racist or xenophobic assumptions that she may have had about myself, my kind, my race, etc. It´s hard to say whether it was racism or just a slip in the workmanship. Either way, my bag is fucked up and there´s glue all over it, and the shit is coming right off. I believed these people were professionals but the work they did on my expensive bag is utterly disgusting. If you are Person of Color, you might receive average to below average work. STAY AWAY and support other business that care about customer service. read more

I must have gone to this place on opposite day, judging by everyone else's great experiences. I dropped off a sack of my wife's shoes (5 pair) at the end of May and was told I'd get a call shortly. I was called back on July 21st and told the shoes were ready. For those keeping score, that's two months. These were standard Steve Maddens in need of heel and strap repair; it's not like they had to be mailed to Siberia for rare Amur Leopard fur lining or something. The work was fine, the time with no contact or updates was absolutely not. read more

I took 5 pairs of shoes here to have the heel caps replaced. It took 2 days and was charged $8 each. I thought the store was quite tidy for the work that is being done. I've been to other shoe repair shops where there was zero organizational structure and I felt like this one was very well run. The shoes are stored in plastic bags on an alphabetized shelves so the owner was able to quickly locate and retrieve my shoes. Ditto Jilly's review that if you're taking in particularly expensive shoes, I would specify how you'd like them stored so they don't get squished and scuffed. Planning on taking my boots in to be refinished in preparation for fall. She quoted me $9 for that. read more

Joe's Cobbler Workbench is the best shoe cobbler in New Orleans, and as every dandy knows, all dandies must have a reliable shoe cobbler for repair and the occasional shoe shine. A small shop located in the East Carrollton neighborhood, the inside is set up like an old-school shoe cobbler shop, which it very well is. Shoe shines are affordable at $7.50, and all other work is top-notch and realistic. I brought in a pair of Bruno Magli slip-ons that were coming unglued, and Joe fixed them right up, good as new and dapper as they've ever been. Service was also very quick-- I was given a written slip to come back in two days after having dropped them off. Also available are shoe shining products and laces. It doesn't get any better than this in terms of a reliable shoe cobbler. read more

Always reliable great service, do really good work on boots which is mostly what I've had them work on. I highly recommend for any type of shoe but I know for boots they are really really great. Friendly reliable service. In the same location for many many years on Maple Street super convenient read more

I have recently moved to New Orleans from San Francisco. I found Joe's Cobbler from all of the other positive posts here on Yelp. I must say that they are the best shoe repair shop that I have been to. I took six pairs of shoes to them and all of work was excellent. I tend to buy more expensive shoes and have them repaired and reconditioned. I would not hesitate to recommend them for any work that you need. read more

I went in with a busted wedge heel strap and Joe fixed it in about five minutes and didn't even charge me! I could tell he was slammed with work but he stopped everything to help me. Thanks Joe, you're the best!! Will go here for future all shoe repair needs. read more

Who even knew there were cobblers anymore? This place saved my dog from being put up for adoption after he ate through my favorite pair of boots (don't worry, Sully, Aunt Emily is mostly joking) by patching them with an exact match and excellent craftsmanship. Several months later, I needed the strap on a bag adjusted, and swung by to drop it off. The lady who runs the shop, who is colorful in the best of New Orleans locals ways, fixed the strap right away and didn't charge me a dime. The only word of warning I will give you is to keep in mind that this shop is very New Orleans in its color...and its adherence to deadlines. Yeah, they might say you'll get your shoes back next week, but that's more like a guesstimate. And if you call, they might not remember the shoes you're talking about. Don't panic! They still have your shoes, they are probably looking for the right suede patch or wood for the heel or what have you. You will get your shoes back, and you will be extremely happy with their craftsmanship. I have taken other articles of dog-victimization to other shoe repair places in town, and found that they 1. charged more 2. followed the same loose timelines of returning said articles and 3. the work they did didn't last. This is the only cobbler I will use anymore. Sully is pretty grateful to them as well. read more

Dropped off four shoes - one was missing the heel cap [and since I didn't notice for a while, the heel was looking bad and worn] and the other three were dance shoes that I wear as everyday shoes and they needed proper soles rather than the velvet ones they came with. I would have given this place 5 stars but when I brought the shoes home, I noticed they were a bit smushed due to how they were stored - one pair was in a plastic bag piled with other shoes [they have a wall lined with shoes like this] and the other three were in a paper bag with no padding between them so they got a bit scuffed. Not too big a deal since these are not expensive shoes, but I would be very specific about how to store the shoes if I brought in pricey ones, and maybe even bring the original box for them to use. All in all, a good experience and I will come back in the future. The lady there was very nice and the shop dogs were cute. read more

Just had soles and heels put on my favorite boots. They did a GREAT job! These boots looked better than new when I picked them up. Phenomenal work and really nice people. The shop dog even came out to welcome me! Thanks Again! read more

Joe was a really nice gal, and any business that has a well behaved shop dog (his name is Ace!) steals my heart automatically. I needed a heal repaired on a pair of pumps that my dog decided to snack on several months ago. I dropped off my shoes on Thursday in the late afternoon, and she told me she would have them ready next day. She advised me to bring cash because she doesn't take credit cards for totals under $10, and advised that my shoes would be $8.84 tax included. Came back on Friday mid day and the shoes were ready to go! Price was as quoted and the work was good. I can't quite give 5 stars because she had to alter the color of the heels - this is a denim pair of pumps with a dark brown heel that she buffed black in order to better match the caps. They look great, I'd have just appreciated a phone call before she made the alteration. Additionally, my shoes were stored in just a thin plastic bag with a tie around them. It was fine for these shoes - they were inexpensive a durable because they're denim, but a pricier leather shoe may have suffered. I will definitely use her again! read more

I went here just for a shoe clean and polish. I dropped my shoes off around 3pm and they were ready the next morning. The shoes looked great and the price was good ($7.50). I can't comment on any other services but I would use them in the future based off the service I received for the shine. I agree about the shop dog too. Very well trained and very sweet. read more

I have spent so much time here with Joe. He's beyond knowledgable, quick and reasonable. He is an expert at his craft. He has rescued several pairs of my boots!! I adore Joe and am always eager to drop off shoes to him. read more

Businesses like this make me proud to call New Orleans home. Took my favorite shoes in after my dog used the wooden heel as a chew toy. She told me they would never look the same, but she'll try to do what she can. I came back and they looked amazing! On top of that she refused to charge me, just said to come back soon. I will never go to another shoe cobbler again, she's made me a customer for life. read more

I love my shoes and get so sad when my favorites start to wear. That's why I love this place... they give my shoes a second life! I've had heels and flats re-soled and boots shined here. My shoes look almost new. The rubber they use isn't always as soft as the original, but it's more durable and lasts long. They are quick, friendly, and reliable. I would definitely recommend Joe's Cobbler! read more