I go to Shoe Architects for all my shoe repairs, and they consistently do excellent work. I recently had the soles on my Miu Miu boots completely replaced and restored, and the results were impressive. Quality shoe repair can be hard to find these days, especially for designer or well-loved shoes. If you have a pair you want to keep wearing for years to come, I'd definitely recommend Shoe Architects. Alex and his partner are skilled professionals who clearly take pride in their craft. read more

Not a good color match on thread and a failed sole replacement led to me taking my business elsewhere

They do good work there. I always take my shoes, bag to them because they do good work. They get good business and they have a lot of shoes and bags etc. to fix because people come to them. The bad reviews are false. They are good and can fix your shoes, boots or bags. I work in the area and I rely on taking my things to Shoe Architects. read more

worst experience I've ever had. I brought in my birkenstock shoes thinking they knew what they were doing, but they completely ruined my shoe to the point where I can not wear them comfortably anymore. I had to call them back the first time I went about how they left a hole in the insole when I came back just for them to change me more to fix their mistake. Definitely not worst the value as there prices are trash for trash work. If you do not know much about how shoes are made, definitely do not go to these guys. read more

Went in to get a new band for my watch. The pin in the band broke after a few weeks. So I went back. They fixed it as part of their guarantee and let me pick a new band so I was very happy with my purchase. read more

I've had work done here 2 times before, no problem, hence the previous glowing review. On Feb. 2014, I dropped off 1 pair of boots to be resoled, 1 pair to be stretched, and one boot that needed a tear fixed. All total $72 of work and a commute from Manhattan because I trusted them. Circumstances kept me from picking up my boots until Jan. 2015. But I did leave a deposit. My greatest fear was that he wouldn't be able to find my boots at all. The ticket says they are only responsible for 30 days. Shoe repair places tend to look a little cluttered. This one was no different a year ago. Now... It's like a bad episode of Hoarders. Piles and piles of coats and boots, none in bags. It's crept over the counter into the front floor space. I really started to worry my boots were just gone. Amazingly, he found them fairly quickly, the whole time warning me they may be in storage. What storage??? The whole storefront is storage. But guess what? My boots didn't have soles. "Can you come back tomorrow?" "What??? You've had 11 months to do this???" "Okay, come back in a 1/2 hour." I go across the street and fume in Starbucks for 45 mins. Because God help him if he's not done when I go back. "Hi, are you here to pick up?" "I was just here. You were putting soles on my boots." "What's your name?" "??????" This guy must be brain damaged from sniffing the glue. I'm not being facetious. He should really see a doctor. The soles look like they were just slapped on. He barely cleaned them up. The boots that were supposed to be stretched, God only knows if they were. They still feel tight, but I'll eat that. What I will not pay for is the shit patch job on the boots. I could have done a neater job with frickin' Krazy Glue. He kept trying to convince me he did the work. But screw you. You did shitty work and I'm not paying for it. Since they don't itemize anything on your ticket, and he hastily took off the masking tape tag, I only got $12 knocked off. Fine. At this point, I'm just glad to have my boots at all. Like I told him, in front of the two other suckers that came in after me, I used to recommend this place and this is how you do me? Never. Again. read more

Shoe Architects - How do you look me in the face and tell me that's fixed? - Shoe Repair Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I'll start by saying I come here because it's is close to my house. If there was another place within the same distance I would go there. They guy that works here is mostly nice. A little to flirty at times but harmless. What sent me here recently was an overhaul of 4 pair of boots. The weather was changing and I thought lets get this done before my legs freeze. He quoted me a price under $60. I was ok with the price b/c I destroyed all of my boots. What I wasn't okay with was being told to come back the next Friday for my boots and them not being done. I was told to come back the Wednesday and they still weren't done. Ladies and Gentleman, it took over three weeks for it to get fixed. So my legs froze a little bit. Will I go back.. most likely. However, I will not take shoes that I need right way. read more

Was a little apprehensive after reading the reviews, but ended up being so impressed with Alex and his shop. Was open on New Year's Eve, only charged $10 for taking out links in my new Movado watch for my husband, right on the spot. Said that if it wasn't the right fit, he would be happy to take out more free of charge - I returned TWICE to take out an additional link, and he stopped what he was doing to do the job quickly. I also found shoe laces in a cognac color I have been searching everywhere for, and he said he could order custom colors if need be. Happy to find this convenient, local (and affordable!) watch repair shop - husband is very happy with his perfectly-fitting watch! read more

I've gone to this place for two years and am continually impressed with Alex's reasonable rates, fast turnover, and knowledge about everything - watches, shoes, leather, etc. Based on other cobblers in the area, he is probably the most affordable and one of the nicest, in that I've never felt like I was getting overcharged or cheated. He always takes my order regardless of how busy he is and walks me through pricing and the necessary work etc. I imagine the negative reviews are about his pace, which would be slower as he is a small business owner that can't afford to turn away customers A.K.A he gets behind. But he's just one guy in a tiny shop and has always been incredibly fair. Support small businesses! read more

Why didn't I read yelp reviews before going here =( Sloppy work and I had to wait 3 weeks. Initially they said one week when I dropped them off. I went back three times! Twice they were closed randomly, and once they weren't ready yet. I asked him to re-heel five pairs of pumps, re-sole a couple, and to polish them. They came out looking scruffier than when I dropped them off! I asked about it and he tried to sell me products to do it myself. Then he pointed out one pair he hadn't re-heelend and asked if I wanted it done. Umm yes, I wanted them all done! So I had to wait about 20 minutes while he did that and helped other customers. In the end I now have shoes with sloppy stitching, shoddily cut patches in the soles, and the same scuff marks I'd gone in with. When I went in the first time, there was a woman yelling at him for literally five minutes. I should have taken the hint and left immediately but I was in a rush. Not worth the $105 he charged me at all. read more

Has swapped out watch batteries in seconds (for $10) in addition to doing more complex repairs (under the originally quoted price) on watches for my partner and me. Alex is friendly and funny, and his shop is unpretentious. Much happier with services, prices, and interactions here compares to other shops we've dealt with read more

I recently saw the documentary about the people who build Steinway pianos-pretty much all done by hand-who will continue to do stuff like this? I feel certain that the guys who work at shoe architects laugh at people like me because a broken zipper on a pair of boots; a heel past its prime is a quandary but for them it is all in a days work. My first visit was late in the summer I had a pair of now out of production converse one star slides that were nearly worn through the soles and a broken buckle on a pair of Boston style birkenstocks. The older gentleman asked me my name and stated it at every opportunity-Eve, what do you want me to do? Eve you want me to replace this buckle? Eve are you going to leave a deposit? Eve come back next Saturday. The price for that job was $72-seems kinda steep but like i said the converse they don't make anymore I have had them for seven years and are pretty much my footwear of choice between memorial day and labor day. The birkenstocks-I know you are supposed to only go to an authorized retailer but I already sent this pair to steppin birkenstock in PENNSYLVANIA. (a city of 8 million people and not one freestanding birkenstock retailer WTH??-PS I am not a hippie) The old guy pulls me aside conspiratorially and shows me that they have birkenstock like soles to replace mine which although only a year old (replaced after a decade) are pretty worn. I give him a shocked look but clearly he has swayed many away from authorized retailers-I tell him maybe next summer. This week I bring my timberland knee high boots for a zipper repair-the right one-last year I had the left one replaced. The shoes were only $50.00 at DSW but I figure why not try to preserve them instead of the just throw it out and buy new ones mentality. (don't get me wrong I am usually all about that) They do a good job and stepping into this establishment you will momentarily feel high from the fumes-an added bonus? read more

Oh they definitely say your name over and over again. Since my name is Sara, they called me Princess. Oh Princess, what you want done to your shoes? And that's well and good. What wasn't- when I came to pick up the shoes (on the day specified) they scurried around to do some last minute work on them leaving me hanging around in their store for twenty minutes. They had also promised a free polish and waterproofing, but when the shoes were finally handed over they were dusty from the store without any sort of waterproofing. I don't need any 'extras,' don't lie to me and say things will be done when they won't be. While I was there, I watched as a women waited because they'd misplaced one of her shoes. Imagine? What could you do with only ONE shoe. Also the pattern repeats, late with completing work, sort of overpriced, and flaky with the details. Nice guys, sure, but I'd rather have competent work by professionals. read more

I have been to them three times, mostly to get heels on my high heels fixed. I always get the sense that he's over-charging. This past time I needed the heel of one of my high heels re-secured, and he quoted a high price. I gave him a look of shock, and he dropped the price, but not by much. I was told to pick up my shoes on Tuesday. Came in Wednesday. He can't find the shoes, when he finally does, they're not ready. Can I come back later? I'm already 1 day past when you said they'd be done. I have a flight tomorrow and I need those shoes. Forget it, will try to swing by before I leave for the flight. Maybe the shoes will be ready 2 days after they were due? Wish I could say it was the only time this happened - but the past two times it was the same story. Pretty high prices, when I came to pick up the shoes they weren't ready, and they had trouble locating them (I waited for about 15m for him to find them). The work is ok but for the disorganization, price and failure to have things ready on time, I won't go back. read more

I left a messenger bag with to this shop for stitching. I was initially told 4 days but it ended up being 4 weeks and myself going in 3 times and every time the same response 'not ready'. In my last attempt I was told to come back in a couple of hours but at this point I wasn't looking for a rushed request. Rushed work equals mediocre work. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Brought in my Frye boots to have rubber added to the bottoms. I was nervous to have work done on my shoes but was very pleased with Shoe Architect's service. Friendly, knowledgeable, on-time service, good prices, and they buffed my shoes with mink oil no extra charge. $30 for the service seemed a fair price.The buffing did not take away from the natural distressing, only cleaned and removed scratches from the surface. I will be coming back seasonally to have my shoes re-rubbered. Phew! I've found a good cobbler, now if only I can find a good tailor... read more

This guy doesn't know what the hell he is doing, and worse he doesn't know what he doesn't know. I asked him to dye a pair of light shoes I had darker. He just spray painted them, with enough coats to make them look like they're made of plastic! I stupidly paid him $40. For basically ruining my shoes. I wish he had just said that he didn't do that kind of work. He has them back now to try too correct the problem. He's only had about a month so we'll see when he gets around to it. At that point I'll update this review. I will say that he's a charming man and at first I thought this would be a shoe guy I could have a good rapport with . But if he were only competent that would make such a difference, read more

I have been getting all my repairs done here for over 10 years, from coat zippers to shoe soles to leather jackets. Alex is a great, always gives me realistic expectations and timeframes. Since he runs a solo operation, I have an understanding that the work he does is professional craftmanship using high quality products hence the jobs may sometimes be delayed which is ok. The prices he charges are fair given he uses fine imported leathers, vibram soles and the finest conditioners, dyes and polishes. The store also carries accessories, laces, etc. A truly skilled artisan, thank you Shoe Architects! P.s. I have also recommended this business to my family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. They have all been happy with the services rendered. read more

I am coming from picking up my shoes and am thoroughly disappointment in the service and quality of work. I went here last year and the work was fine so I was not concerned about coming back. To preface the work, I now realize that I should have walked our when I first came in. The place is a total mess and they do give any care to the shoes that are being left for work. I mean people do not bring crappy shoes to be repaired only pairs that are worth the extra money keep up. I spent $175 on 4 pairs resoled and one pair the insoles needed to be replaced. I went pack the first time to pick up and all of my ballet flats had gigantic treaded soles put on. I was completely in shock. After explaining to him that I did not want these soles and that I wanted the smooth to match my existing soles he tried to sand them down first! And then tried to argue that sanding would be better than replacing the sole since the new sole would be too thick? That was total bull s**t and I knew he only did not want to redo a job he did poorly. I brought my two pairs home to only realize the one pair that would need an insole never had the insole replaced and there was dried blood on the bottom! I had to take them back the next business day and he agreed to add the soles. This was a Monday and he said everything would be done on Wednesday. I can back today on Saturday. The ballet flats were fixed but he still had not put the insole into the shoes and when he pulled the foam pair from the wall I had to stop him to mention that he had removed leather insoles and was replacing them with foam?! After a little hesitation he put the leather in and pulled out the glue pot in front of me at the register. Then he had the guts to up the charge of the bill since he said he asked me if I wanted leather when I first came in - he did not. After having to return 3 times with each time my shoes not ready on the days they said they would be, the soles were done incorrectly and the insoles were done incorrectly then being argued with about what I wanted, I have to advise EVERYONE to not take any business here. read more

I had a pair of wolverine 1k's that were long overdue for resoling -- the discontinued Pestwick model that have a vibram wedge (roofer) sole. I checked around local shops for a quote and this place was by far the most reasonable. Pulled the trigger yesterday and only then thought to check the reviews. I'll say I was definitely concerned after seeing all the negative feedback about failing to meet the agreed upon timeframe. Stopped by this afternoon and was pleased to learn that my boots were ready, just as the shopkeep promised (24 hour turnaround). Set me up with new insoles in 10 minutes (not part of the initial work order, but I agreed that they were trashed) and a solid recommendation for new laces as well. I'm genuinely thrilled with the work and the price point. I'll absolutely be returning here again. Without hesitation. read more

Now, I grew up in Latin America so I understand lax standards when it comes to deadlines, but this place is ridiculous. I've gone in there twice to pick up some boots and every single time they make me wait 10 minutes to tell me that the boots are not done yet. Ridiculous. They don't even seem to feel bad about it. read more

So after dropping off the two pairs of shoes on a Friday, owner told us to pick them up on the following Tuesday. Instead of Tuesday I went to pick them up on Thursday. Upon picking them up, guess what the owner said....."shoes are not ready". I looked at him like WTF! The shoes were still not polished, taps and soles were not put on. This guy does not hold up to his word. He works very sloppy. read more

Alex is extremely professional, will tell you all that is involved in what you need done, trained in Russia and very knowledgeable about many aspects of shoe repair/ leather work, including putting the very thinnest beautiful soles on fancy shoes, fixing leather which is cracked and dying, etc. I have used his business for years and would absolutely not go to anyone else, in spite of the increase in costs. There is no substitute for honesty and integrity. read more

They are completely disorganized and don't respect their customers' time. I dropped off a bag for a new strap and a zipper pull with some shoes and had to go back 4 different times over a month. Every time he kept telling me to wait 5 minutes. I would come back and it still wasn't done. This forth time when I came back a full week later after he said everything would be done, he first couldn't find my bag (I saw it in a dirty bin) and then the work on it still wasn't done (no strap or zipper pull!). I told him to just give me everything even if it wasn't done. I will never go to them again. read more

Ruined my shoes - not only was he 3 days late with the work - but his work was poor, bad color shoe die, and he put scratches in the tops of my shoes. Awful - never use this guy. read more

Terrible service. I brought my wedding shoes to get cleaned here and I am certain that they didn't actually clean my shoes. First of all, they couldn't find my shoes. It wasn't until I described the shoe that they went in the back to look for them. All of the other customer's shoes were given back in a bag with the receipt stapled to it and my shoes were just handed to me. When I asked what exactly they cleaned, because my shoes looked exactly the same as when I brought them in, the guy mumbled something and then right in front of me started brushing some of the dirt off my suede flowers. I inspected my shoes more carefully when I got home and I literally was able to clean some of the dirt off of my shoe with water. I didn't want to argue with the store because to be quite honest, I didn't trust them to leave my shoes there again. Unfortunately, I will definitely not be going back there again. read more

They replaced my leather straps on a suede shoulder bag/purse. Excellent job and fair price.

I have patronized this place a few times over the years, as it is in a convenient location for me. I seem to forget each time how frustrating the previous experience was. Firstly, without fail, he does not have your shoes ready at the agreed upon pickup time and expects you (at least in my case) to wait while he does the work. It does not matter whether he has a day with your shoes, or a month with them - they will not be finished when you go to pick them up. Secondly, he is very expensive for a Brooklyn location. For example, His prices are the same as Gary's Top Shoe, which rents space in the Rockefeller Center Concourse, where I can only imagine the rents are a great deal steeper than at 339 Flatbush Ave, in Brooklyn. The actual work seems to be fine in most cases. However, it's a bit unsettling to walk in to get your shoes and then watch him rush to get them done. So, instead of good, dependable craftsmanship, you get a rush job, very likely at the expense of good work. My most recent experience went like this: -Went in on a Monday to get the heels replaced on my boots, which he had quoted over the phone would cost me about $5-$10 for both. I realize that he can't give an actual estimate until he sees the boots, but when I went in, he said it would be $20 and he would throw in waterproofing. I was very surprised at the price and said I didn't need the waterproofing - would it be cheaper without? No, he was throwing that in for free. Since there was someone else waiting, and I didn't feel like arguing, I just agreed. He asked me how soon I needed them, and I said I would come by at 2 PM that Friday to get them. No problem, he told me. -On Friday, I arrived at 2 PM and handed him my slip. The boots weren't finished - he needed 20 minutes, and asked if I could wait. I said I would have to come back for them (I had to be somewhere), and when I looked putout, he asked if that was okay. I said it wasn't really, since I had told him when I would be by to pick them up and they should have been ready. -I couldn't get back to pick them up for another two weeks. Before picking them up this time, I called ahead and made sure that he had, indeed, finished them. When I picked them up, there were a few people in there, and I just took a quick look and handed him the $20. When I got home, I looked more closely. One of the new heels had been glued and nailed. the other just glued. Additionally, I have no idea if he actually waterproofed them (no reason to think not, other than a severe lack of trust). I called him to ask why only one of the heels was nailed, and he said he must have forgotten to nail the other. He said it would be fine, but that I could bring it back in and he would quickly nail the other heel. So, in essence, he did not complete accurately the very simple (in the grand scheme of shoe repairs) job I overpaid him to do. Now I have to go back AGAIN, which I will, but for the very last time. read more

AVOID THIS PLACE UNLESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF $$ &/OR ARE MALE. There were 2 guys who where manning the store when I went there yesterday. Both in their 30-40's. The One who attended to me was a complete creep. When I showed him the broken buckle on my shoe that I needed to replace, he started fishing to see if I was single by asking if my husband or boyfriend broke it. It was a pathetic attempt to see if I'd reveal my marital status. The buckle on my other shoe broke in the same way & when I went to 1 place to get it fixed, he charged me $4 to sew a replacement--on the spot. The Shoe Architect guy wanted $8. I told him I'd just get the buckle & fix it myself. He wanted to charge $6 just for the buckle! I told him I'd give him $1. I'm sure he's gotten maybe 1/2 dozen under $3. He countered with $5. I left buckless. I will never return to this place ever again. read more

Hey. Not a fake review. My wife took shoes in to be widened. They said it'd be done by thursday of the same week. 2 weeks go by. No phone call Finally go in and they didn't know which shoes we were talking about. They literally hadn't even started on them. We were there at 8 am when they were supposed to open, Guy shows up at 8:20 Tells us that the shoes would be done in the afternoon of the same day. Go back in the afternoon (4:30) and he tells me to come back next week, which makes it 3 weeks to get a shoe repaired. Don't waste your time, money or frustrations on this place and find somewhere else. I'm not whiney or picky.... this place really does just suck. read more

These guys are fine. My husband is nice and takes my shoes/boots there while I'm at work. They're a little surely.....but we've found that most cobblers in the neighborhood are. The prices are fine. But the quality is good. I'll be taking more shoes back soon. read more

I've been happy with the resoling work I've had done here. I've definitely had to wait longer than seems appropriate, had my items not be ready at the time first indicated, watched the staff poke through piles of shoes to find mine, et cetera, but given the general condition of service in New York altogether, what you find here is nothing out of the ordinary. The staff is sweet and the prices are on the high side, but I'm more happy than unhappy, and I know what I'm getting here. I've had cheaper resoling done elsewhere, but it looked awful and the quality of work was not as good as here. read more

I have been here a couple of times since I moved to the neighborhood. Both times shoes were not ready when promised. ("Tomorrow") despite what was on the ticket. Quality is ok, prices are not particularly high or low but what could have been re-tacking a loose piece of rubber onto a shoe bottom was priced as a "half-sole" job... (Agreed to it but seriously??) read more

finally picked up my boots after a month of them being there. you can get an idea of the kind of business this is by the organization (or, lack thereof) of the interior. i came here because it was close to home, wish i would have read the yelp reviews first... the cobbler is friendly upfront. was quoted $80 to resole and replace the heels on a pair of expensive leather boots (he asked me why i didn't just want to get a new pair of boots and i told him that i spent a lot of money on these and really liked them - probably a mistake as i'm sure it added onto the price he quoted). we went over all of the work to be done on the boots and agreed to a price. week after week, he told me "not ready, next week". when i finally went to pick them up, he dug them out of the bottom of a pile on the floor. they were not even in their own bag or anything with the original ticket on them. its a wonder he found them at all. i looked over the shoes and noticed that one of the insoles wasn't attached anymore. i asked him why he didn't replace the insoles as originally requested/quoted. he told me that we didn't discuss that part and that new insoles would be an extra $20. i brought these in with multiple problems which he agreed to fix, how would these be "fixed" if an insole is now unattached? i brought them in with the insoles attached. you would think a good cobbler would fix this outright and not wait until the last minute to charge you extra, especially if its a problem that occurred due to his work on the shoes... leaving frustrated and feeling cheated. the work is decent, however one of the shoes is now tighter than the other. he gave me a verbal "100 year guarantee". wondering if he will honor that if they end up falling apart, or tell me that we "never discussed that"... upon leaving, a man came into the store to pick up his shoes and commented to the cobbler that he was overcharged - that the same job at multiple other places was $10 cheaper. the cobbler responded by saying that "those prices are from 40, 50 years ago". hmm. read more

I would avoid this place. A few years ago he did some work on my shoes did an excellent job. More recently I dropped off a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals. It took me calling him four times to get a response and he had the shoes for almost a month!! When I finally got a hold of him, they still weren't ready! He said he would clean both of them as part of repairing them. When I picked them up they were both still filthy especially the sandals. I asked about it he said oh isn't that how they usually look? He then gave me a sponge cloth and I cleaned it myself.One of the sandals involved preparing the cork. When I got home I realize he hadn't even done that! I definitely regret going to this place again and paying the full price. BTW it was extremely expensive. He doubled his prices from the last time I was there. I thought it was worth it because before he did a good job and clean the shoes up nicely. But this was a waste of money. He's not gonna be seeing me again that's for sure! read more

We've been going to these guys for 5+ years for all our standard shoe repair stuff and they are really nice people and totally solid and reasonably priced. Perfect neighborhood shoe repair joint. Ignore the large piles of stuff and general clutter - they still take care of your shoes. read more

I've given these guys a lot of chances, but I find myself on Yelp today looking for a new shoe place. I've often felt like they overcharge for their work, which is a drag in and of itself, but the insult to injury is that they RARELY have the shoes ready when they say they will. I've had to go back two or three times to pick up items that were supposed to have been ready. It's not worth raising my blood pressure over: I'm going elsewhere from now on. read more

If I could give this place minus stars, I would. They don't believe in deadlines and are completely unapologetic about wasting your time. In fact, they will even hold your (unfixed) shoes hostage if you ask for them back. And forget about making the customer happy -- basically, they won't even offer you a discount after being more than a week late on your shoes. AVOID THIS PLACE BY ALL COUNTS. (The one across the street is more considerate..I am a fool for not going there.) read more

wow there's quite the extremes on shoe architects. i went in to get two pairs of boots re-heeled and a pair of pumps too. $10 for each pair of boots and $6 for the pumps. $26 was not too bad and a decent fix. they added in some wood for the heel that i wore out. these were pretty cheap target mossimo boots, so happy for them to sub wood in for plastic. classed it up. he also said that my sole was wearing down, but i was sold on the upsell and he was fine with be passing on his advice. the only thing i would suggest is tha tyou were planning to pick up at 8am when they open. call first. i went at 8am (granted on rosh hashanah) and it wasn't open. i went the next day and they were open at 8am sharp. all in all, satisfied with their services and will return. read more

I go to these guys all the time. Yes - they are flirtatious but come on - they're old Greek guys who don't know any better. Calling a lady "beautiful" is hardily sexual harassment. For the most part I think they're prices are totally reasonable. They get the job done, they're on their feet all day long, they have to pay the rent on Flatbush and 7th Avenue - give the guys a break! read more