I'm an adult dancer who hasn't danced on pointe for over 15 years, and was excited to get a 'professional fitting' but unfortunately was very disappointed. The fitter who is also the inventory manager sold me a pair of used shoes that were too small & really hurt my feet just trying them on. I figured out they were used or at least tried on by MANY others, when four days after the fitting, I put them on at home to measure for ribbon& elastic sewing; they had scuff marks on the platforms that I hadn't noticed at the store. Also during the fitting she handed me a pair of tiny toe pads that barely covered the tips of my toes. I asked if she had larger sized toe pads and she replied, "well I want you to be able to fit into the shoes". I thought, "well I'd also like some protection for my extra wide adult feet!!" The shoes hurt so much just trying to put them on at home that I decided to return them even though that meant driving another 100 miles there & back. I really wish I had read the other negative reviews about this place, because it would have saved me 200 miles of wear & tear plus gas, and $220 for poorly fitting pointe shoes with the added accessories. My teacher said the 2nd pair I exchanged for the 1st painful pair, which is a half size larger, are not safe for me to use! She said they are too wide & the vamp too long so I should return them, but that would mean a 3rd visit & I didn't even want to go back for the 2nd. Such a waste of time and money. And they are always very late even though they want us there on time. She apologized to the young girl waiting after me, but not to me & both times she was 10-15 minutes late as I stood outside waiting. It also felt very rushed which is not ideal when trying to find the best fit for such a specialized shoe. She only let me try two other brands since I really don't like Blochs, which were both much more comfortable, but she convinced me the awful Blochs were the safest choice. Ugh.. BIg Mistake!! :( read more

Yes it's a nice exclusive selection I would recommend for you to go and check it out and see what they have to offer. The staff was very nice and I enjoyed checking out their merchandise I highly recommend it! read more

We love Melissa, she is very informative. However, make sure your ballet teacher approves the Pointe Shoes you purchase because if not, you need to return it for another. That will be a ballet school and teacher preference and not the Pointe Shop's as they know what works for your feet shape and growth. However the ballet schools each have their own styles and goals for your feet. Therefore make sure you keep the ballet shoes pristine and returnable if the teacher asks for another style. read more

The Pointe Shop - Shoe Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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This store is a joke. Don't waste your time or your money at this so called business. You have to pay for an appointment to even get through the door which wouldn't be a problem if the girl that runs the place wasn't rude, unprofessional and a terrible fitter. The product selection is terrible as well. If you do make the mistake of buying from this place, know that items are impossible to return because returns are only done by mail and if your return gets lost you're out of a product and your money Plus the cost of shipping things back to them. If your items do make it back to them, they do not give refunds but instead give store credit only. Once you use your store credit be prepared to spend a large sum on shipping AGAIN. Only then can you wash your hands of this place and patronize a business that knows what customer service truly is. read more

It takes a lot for me to write a negative yelp review, so that should tell you what my experience at The Pointe Shop has been. I'm an adult getting back on pointe for the first time in 20 years and looking for guidance and expertise. The first pair of pointe shoes I was fitted in gave me insane pain in my toes and caused my nail to fall off. I only wore them for 3 classes before returning. The second time I went in, I did get fitted in a better pair, but was still having issues in class. My teacher recommended I go back and ask for a shorter vamp and narrower shoe. Melissa was rude and apathetic and honestly seemed annoyed by my existence? at my appointment. She made claims including that my intrinsic muscles of my feet weren't working at all and that my shoes were broken in sickled but that they would get better if I kept wearing them for a year because my body would "find a more efficient way" to dance. She wouldn't give me any exercises to improve when asked and said she didn't care whether I got new shoes or not. I left feeling frustrated and confused and worried about my foot health. I finally went to a new fitter today who was shocked at how big my shoes were and the unnecessary thickness of my toe pads. Apparently lots of have people have been having similar experiences at The Pointe Shop lately. I was so excited by all of Josephine's content and knowledge online, but it feels like quality control has really slipped now that she's not around and unfortunately I've had to pay $300+ as a result of this lack of care. read more

If you are in need of a professional fitting for pointe shoes, I can confidently tell you that The Pointe Shop will not disappoint. The shop is by appointment only, you chose the time and date. I recommend to be there on time because they are super punctual and the fittings are scheduled every fifteen minutes. The store front has no signage, just the address on the door, once you get there you get buzzed in. It's a tiny little shop with nothing but pointe shoes everywhere! There is parking across the street and also street parking (read the parking signs carefully) If you have an old pair of pointe shoes bring them, if you don't that's fine the ladies here are really knowledgeable on what they are doing. They also have everything needed for the shoe. Yes, the shoes are pricey and yes they last about a month if you're lucky! The price to pay for a ballet! Lol! Come here before going to a dance supply store for pointe shoes. The prices are the same everywhere but other places won't fit you correctly and you'll get stuck with the wrong shoe. Five solid stars!!! Thanks for reading :) read more

The Pointe Shop - This is the shop entrance. No frills, no thrills, they just get to the Pointe!! ;D aayooo! Lol! - Shoe Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

If you are of anyone other than white American she will not have your point shoe skin tone. She wants to collect for travel and fitting fees but only brings pink shoes to the setting and will not provide others and will refer you to her website to order back ordered skin toned, which means you will walk away with no shoes and have to wait. You can order from Bloch. She is also very cold and business like but warm and fuzzy to white Americans. This is how they describe their experience. Other non white Americans have said the same in the posts. She may say I'm an angry customer. No I don't care because we have someone else and my daughter is with a professional company without naming it's within the top ten and other professional companies have said this about Ms Lee. However she won't change because she only appears to want business from pink toned ballerinas with a few tiny amounts of skin toned for show and public relations. It's very embarrassing but she doesn't care as long as she has pink toned customers. I don't care either but I'm giving a review for others. We will not support a biased organization. There are plenty of non white ballerinas just as there are non black hip hop dancers. Culture mix. Ballet doesn't belong to one culture. Zero stars for rude and unprofessional company who blatantly does not observe all ballerinas. read more

8 months from our purchase of pointe shoes through Josephine, we have NO SHOES. We asked for a refund and were told we are past the 30-day refund policy, although we only had one pair for a very short time before sending them back (we had to pay shipping) because we needed a half size up. We had NO communication until I inquired 2 months later about the status of our order - when we were told the size we need is back ordered. 3 months went by with no communication until we again asked - still back ordered. Later that month it was never communicated that our shoes were in and waiting to be shipped, but a new invoice appeared for 'reshelving' of the shoes that didn't fit - that we only wore during our online fitting under the direction of Josephine. When asked, they would not elaborate on the reason behind the charge except that sometimes there is stretching or marks on some shoes they get returned (nothing specific to our shoes which we returned in new condition). 8 months later my daughter has grown 2 street shoe sizes, and our fitting fee only covered 2 fittings, so now we have to pay another fee if we want shoes that fit - and if they send the shoes ordered they will not fit. We are very frustrated with the lack of communication and the customer service - after a promising 'near fit' in one try from our first fitting we were optimistic, but we are now highly disappointed. I do NOT recommend the virtual fitting option from The Pointe Shop. read more

Melissa is a genius! No other explanation. This is the only place to go for a personalized fitting.

We were a little early for our appointment, they welcomed us in to get serviced. She immediately made some assessments regarding my daughters feet and the best point shoe for her. Our professional fitter was very knowledgeable and easy to work with! Highly recommend if your child is on pointe shoes! read more

Annoying. I drove here in the middle of my day to come buy ballet shoes for my daughter, they're closed even though it says they're open. The door is locked and it says they only do appointments. read more

Came here to get fitted for pointe shoes and it was the best experience. I danced ballet pre professionally and stopped at the age of 18 to focus on college. I am 23 years old now and started getting back into it. My Russian Rubin's were the shoe I danced in from 12-18 I loved them. My foot is a lot weaker now and my Rubin's are unfortunately discontinued and no longer work for my feet. I decided I needed to get refitted and find something that worked better for me. Melissa was fantastic! She never asked my foot size or anything she just looked at my foot and knew exactly what I needed. I put one pointe shoe brand on and fell in love with them immediately. She is amazing at what she does. I also brought my boyfriend along with me and he even was like woah that's insane how much she knows and can just look at your foot and know what will work. It was definitely a Cinderella moment! I wish I would've been fitted at a younger age with a correct shoe. She said the shoes I used before actually were too small for my feet and made them sickle. I learned so much in just those 15 minutes then I ever did dancing pre professional. Go! Make the drive to see her whether you're just starting on pointe or wanting to dance professionally. She's awesome! 1000/10 read more

WOW. This was an amazing experience. It's not custom shoe making, but it feels almost custom, as it is so personalized. The professional fitter that we had today, 3/18/18, "Gg," was excellent. Kind, patient, and knowledgeable as anyone I've known about pointe shoes. She is still dancing, en pointe, and that I think added to the personalization aspect. I'd recommend anyone to this store that needs more options that say, Discount Dance. It's 99.9% pointe shoes that they sell there and it's truly a specialized boutique. Also, the costs were no different that "discount" Dance, lol. So that's a win-win! Even the drive (Claremont to Santa Ana) wasn't too bad - so all in all? Worth it, 100%. I also just read via another review on their Facebook page, that the owner, Josephine Lee, was on Project Runway: Fashion Startup. Wow! AND I also learned that she is one of the most knowledgeable people, in the WORLD, about pointe shoes. I'm now having late-blooming star-struckedness, lol. I feel like I accidentally found the best thing for my female dancer-child (I also have a son, and he, too, may go en pointe - yes, it's a thing - and if so, I know where we are headed, no doubt at all, period!). It's pure serendipity, I tell you. read more

The Pointe Shop is not just a business, it is a place that brings people together, brings out the best in others and is expert at what they do! My daughter was not properly fit for her first pair of pointe shoes so we brought her to the pointe shop. Josephine went into such detail to find a shoe that would fit her. She noticed my daughter's bunion and shape of her feet. After that first visit 5 years ago, we have never gone anywhere else. Josephine takes time to make each one of clients to feel as though they are the only ones in the room. She listens to their needs and finds the shoe that will help them dance to their potential. She is honestly one of the hardest working, trustworthy and genuinely kind people you will ever met. Please have the Pointe Shop fit your daughter, if she is in the right shoes, the skies the limit on her dancing. This is why everyone calls Josephine their fairy godmother because without her expertise and attention to detail, our girls could not even be up on their toes! read more

The pointe shop did not disappoint! My daughter was having major problems with her pointe shoes and Melissa helped! She even gave her exercises to help her with her ridged ankles. The pointe shop did not waste anytime with getting her the right shoes! Thank you! read more

Online shoppers and mail orders beware! This retailer will not refund you for lost packages. We initially had a great experience with Melissa, the manager. She was very good at pointe shoe fitting. As a result, I decided to order two additional pairs of pointe shoes (approx. $300) at the end of February and have them shipped to me for convenience sake since I live about an hour away. Melissa assured me that she personally dropped the package off at the post office for shipping. Fast forward to today. I still have not received them. FYI, the tracking number never updated and officially shows the post office is still awaiting the package from the store. After several exchanges with Melissa, she filed a missing package claim with post office; however, she REFUSED to refund my purchase claiming that I need to wait for the post office to finish their investigation AND then I need to wait for the POST OFFICE to refund me rather than her, the seller! I have never heard of such a a thing! I pointed out to Melissa that the lost package dispute is between her store and the Post Office, not me. I did not pay the post office to ship it to me. She did. Therefore, she is the Post Office's customer, not me. As such, it is the store's responsibility to bear the financial burden and figure it out between them and the post office. It's the usual and customary business practice for the seller to bear the financial burden for lost packages, not the customer. If she had insured the package with the post-office as the seller/shipper, the refund from the Post-Office goes to the store, not me. It is appalling that she is making me bear the burden financially for the lost package while the Post Office takes who knows how long to investigate the claim. I would have been a long time loyal customer had she made this right for me. read more

Josephine and her staff are absolutely the best at fitting pointe shoes. She is always kind, welcoming and attentive not to mention that she is the best at fitting that I have ever met! I bring all of my students to her from kick it up and know that if I can't make it they are in the best and very capable hands... For their feet of course! read more

The Pointe Shop - Enjoying breaking in a new pair of pointe shoes from the pointe shop - Shoe Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I finally found my PERFECT pointe shoes. I have started pointe quite recently, and I don't live in America so when I went to see my grandma, I told her about my dance. She said there was a dance shop near her and so I went there with her and I hadn't realized it was a pointe shop and not a dance shop. I took one look at it and realized I had to buy something from here because we don't have stuff like this back at home. We went in and there were SO many selections. Its nothing that I have seen in my life. I got fitted and within 10-15 minutes I had got fitted. that was including ribbons, toe pads, elastic and pointe shoes. the woman who fitted me was so kind and service is excellent. I can't wait to go back to California and get fitted again. I miss it there so much and I am scared that my feet will get too big for my pointe shoes and will have to go back to the regular ones. read more

So I am here because I didn't know what I didn't know and for anyone reading I hope you don't have the same experience. This store partnered with my daughters ballet academy to provide all the girls with their first set of point shoes. Being her first set I didn't know anything and assumed since they had partnered with the school that this was a good place to shop from. Everything seemed ok she got through with my daughters custom fitting in 15-20 minutes we were so excited and were told there is a period of adjustment to the shoes but they shouldn't hurt very much and after the breaking in they get use to them. To make a long story short my daughter never was able to break them in, she wasn't sure if the pain she was having was normal or not until it became unbearable two months later (which we were told this pair should last a long time that she would probably outgrow them before they would be worn out) my daughters foot did not grow in 2 months she is pretty petite and has barely gone up 1/2 a size in shoes over the last 2 years. I was very dissapointed and decided to take her somewhere else for another pair and what a freaking difference. I won't name the place we went but I will be giving them a stellar review. They took an hour and a half and she took notes on my daughters foot, told her what she needed and why, educated us immensely on what to expect. We had already heard from my daughters teacher that the pair she was given were the hardest type to break in and not normally given as a first pair of pointe shoes which the other store confirmed (without me asking) all in all just educate yourself and remember if this is your daughters first pair to make sure they are taking their time and addressing your childs individual feet, that they try on different shoes, I don't think this can be done in 20 minutes. Good luck read more

Brought my sister here from Pennsylvania to celebrate her 16th birthday. She said it was the best fitting she has ever been to!

Josephine rocks!! I won't go into detail about how, but she went out of her way to give me good service and find me the best shoes for my feet. After suffering through painful shoes for 15+ years, my favorite pair got discontinued. I shopped at multiple local stores, and tried many different brands and styles with no success. I decided to make the 1.5 hour drive to see Josephine after she had gone out of her way to reach out to me with her personal number. She was well worth the drive. She went out of her way to get me a fitting appointment during the time that I could make it up there. She spent an hour with me through trial and error to find the right pair and accessories to make my feet as comfortable as possible. I ended up needing a different size for each of my feet. She was so sweet and patient, not to mention very educated in her craft. This girl knows what she is doing! She's the best pointe shoe specialist I've ever met! The first day wearing my shoes, I was not in pain AT ALL. I barely had to do much to my shoes other than sew on ribbons and elastic because the fit so well. I won't tell you what shoes I got because it's not about the shoe, it's about what fits your feet the best. All that to say, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ANYWHERE ELSE. Go straight to Josephine! read more

Josephine is the best. She fits my daughter perfectly every time. Her appointment scheduling is easy and convenient. She keeps information on the dancer so she can see what shoes have worked for them and what they need. Her new shop is super cute, convenient for us to drive to and easy parking. My only worry is that she is so fantastic she will get to busy and we won't be able to see her! read more

My daughter had such a hard time getting the right pointe shoe, we tried several places and bought two different pairs and she was in tear after her classes because her shoes were hurting her so much. We drove an hour to this place and the lady that worked with us took one look at her feet and one look at her shoes and said what is wrong with her shoe and got her fitted into the right shoe in the first try, it took her less than 10 minutes. My daughter is happy dancing and there is no more tears. We never buy pointe shoe from anywhere else, so worth the drive. She was professional, efficient, kind and very helpful. Looking forward to buying many many more pairs from them. read more

Melissa was fantastic she fit all the girls with attention to detail and was sure to ask all the right questions. I will be recommending this shop to all my ballerinas read more

We recently ordered a pair of pointe shoes for my daughter and it took them 3 months to tell us the shoes were never ordered. When asked, they blamed us for the mistake. read more

Recently my wife and I visited The Pointe Shop for a fitting, my wife's first. We were warmly received by the owner, Ms. Josephine Lee, who keeps a well-decorated and meticulously organized shop. Every different brand of pointe shoe has its own special place; they are clearly labeled and easily in view. During the fitting, Josephine quickly demonstrated her years of expertise, extensive knowledge of ballet dancers' feet and the correct fit for my wife. Josephine is a woman who clearly understands there are no shortcuts to a correct fit. Her patience and devotion to the art of pointe shoe fitting were manifest throughout my wife's appointment, a process that takes much longer for a first fitting. I was very impressed with Josephine's method for selecting the correct shoe. She is a congenial and compassionate person who keeps the dancer's comfort and best interests in the forefront of her mind. Finding a pointe shoe fitter who is this knowledgeable and receptive to a dancer's needs is rare, therefore making a fitting with Josephine a truly unique experience. That said, if you have a ballet dancer in your life who needs a pointe shoe fitting from a leading expert in the field, then The Pointe Shop need be the only place you visit. read more

This new location is a little closer and more convenient for us. Parking is meters in front or pay lots. That is about the only negative. They are still setting up the shop but looks like a bigger space. Same great service. read more

My daughter had an improper pointe shoe fitting at another shop, which left her with awful blisters the first time she wore them. A week later, I took her to The Pointe Shop at the recommendation of some dance mom friends and I was truly amazed. Josephine was able to look at her foot type, examine her point and arch, and then knew exactly which shoe to fit her with. The first shoe she tried was a perfect fit and a match made in heaven. She danced in them the next day and others could see the difference in how beautiful her feet looked and how well she danced in them. I absolutely, HIGHLY, recommend The Pointe Shop! I wish I had known about them before I subjected my daughter to the pain she had to endure with the bad shoes and fitter. She has finally found her "perfect shoe", and just in time for The Nutcracker. Thank you so much, Josephine! read more