Driving to Bel Air to put a lift on my shoe wasn't working. I needed somewhere closer. Enter Towson Bootery. I've now taken two shoes to have an external lift put on. The first was a running shoe. For this one they split the sole and put the lift inside and then reattached the original sole. I was glad they could do this because having the original running sole on the bottom is sort of the purpose of a running shoe. The work was well done and, to date, has held up during my morning runs (looking at about four months of running). The second shoe was a pair of skate shoes that I will wear around casually. For this shoe they added the lift to the bottom of the shoe because splitting the sole would've destroyed it. Just like the running shoe the work is well done and looks as good as an external lift can. Price wise, Towson Bootery is comparable to the place in Bel Air, the only other lift I've had put on in Maryland. The only knock I have against Towson Bootery is they are cash or check only. read more

Poor customer service. Was also told that there is no returns once shoes are sold, even if unworn or returning within few days.

Don't waste your time, money, or sanity. I was desperate even after reading the poor reviews. The work was fine, but the pain in getting a quote, and completion date was dreadful. This owner does not care at all. He needs to retire and quick hustling shoe repairs under the table, as it appears to me that is what is happening here. The guys lies and belittles. What a joke. read more

We had an excellent shopping experience, buying new shoes for our grandson. At 20 months old he can be quite a handful, yet the owner and his staff were very understanding, accommodating, and professional. read more

I have been looking and calling for a specific pair of clogs and they had them (I am very happy). I called in advance and they were super nice on the phone. They held the shoes for me until I got there and one of the employees brought them out. I had mentioned that I learned that clogs have different feels and I was wondering if I should try different ones and he asked what other color I'd like and I said black and he came out with three different pairs of clogs. The man was just so sweet and I'm really happy. I don't remember if they were wearing a mask however (I wore one ofc and I also realize some stores don't require that so it's understandable), but even so the customer service was great. I will definitely go again. read more

I went in this a.m. Minutes until 10a.m. I was ready to shop. $$$$$ burning a hole in my pocket Owner walked up Looked at me up & down like trash. No hello, I'll be open in just a sec....or better yet...welcome! I left, drove into the city, went to DAN BROS and bought 3 pairs of DANSKO'S and a pair of Blundstone Boots. Big sale.........for a small business who treated me with professionalism. Will NEVER return....to Towson Bootery. #shameful read more

Do NOT come here! Horrible customer service, bad selection, and the old man who runs the store is just plain mean. Why put money in his pocket? The girl who works there and sells the shoes is very nice, but she sold me snow boots that do not protect my little girl's feet from the snow. I tried to exchange them or get store credit and they refused because they "just got another shipment of snow boots and won't even be able to sell those." I would understand if they were reasonable or nice people - but they weren't! And I was even going to buy another couple pairs of shoes today! Plenty of other places to get shoes. I will never come back. The nice sales lady should find better people to work for. read more

Having a child with special needs who requires a brace on only one leg - I have spent hours upon hours tying to find shoes that will accommodate the brace and her Unbraced foot. The last two braces she had I spent over $100 buying two pairs of shoes in different sizes just to make it work. Today, we went to Towson bootery - we had a great experience buying sandals at the end of the summer - while in between braces. While we were there the sales person mentioned they are well versed in fitting braces, so when we got our brace last week I knew we would try them this time. I am happy to say- we bought one pair of shoes, they were able to get a pair that fits both feet with some minor modifications to the braced foot- all under $50! They were quite busy this morning, but by the time we were waited on the entire process was less than 20 minutes!!!! Our daughter walked out of the store in her new shoes, and they are adorable! This will be the only place we buy her shoes from this point on!! read more

I am not even sure how I stumbled up on this place of business. I called a few weeks before I actually went there this past Saturday. My grandson is a little over 7 months and I felt it was time for him to have something on his feet. After the discussing with the owner prior to going the business he made me aware that my grandson was too young for soft bottoms and that he would suggest pre walkers. I had never heard of them. He then explained that at the age a child just needs something on his feet as protection. When we arrived at the store I asked where the pre walkers were located. I explained that my grandson currently was walking backwards in his walker just a week prior to coming to the store. He showed me where the recommended shoes were located and then came to assist me in choosing the best shoe for my grandson. This was a wonderful and enjoyable experience. He allowed my grandson to try on different styles of shoes and we then came to the best selection as to he made me aware that my grandson would only be in this shoe for 2-3 months which was fine with me. He also explained to me that because the weather was about to change it didn't make since to get him a shoe that was closed in. I did purchase a thin sock to try the shoe on with a sock. Let's just say that was the most expensive child sock that I have ever purchased. LOL. That would be my only suggestion is to bring a thick and thin sock along with you when you come to try on the shoe. Being as though I didn't bring a thin sock and my grandson was wearing a thick sock I ended up having to purchase a pack of socks for $15.00. So not worth it but, for my grandson I didn't complain. My grandson left the store in his new shoe. Of course at his young age he couldn't walk out of the store with them. LOL But, what I will tell you is that when I put my grandson in his walker for the first time with his new shoes on he didn't even hesitate to move forward as if he had been doing it for years. My son, grandson, niece and I all enjoyed the pleasant experience in this store. I look forward to buying his next pair of shoes from the very same place. read more

We just bought our daughter her first pair of real, actually-for-walking shoes here. We had gone to Nordstrom first, where we had a hard time getting the attention of anyone in the children's shoe department, and they measured her at size 3 and then didn't seem to be able to show us anything appropriate for her. We gave up and went to Towson Bootery instead. We were acknowledged within a minute despite the extremely busy store, and the lady who helped us measured our daughter at size 4 1/2, explained what to look for in a shoe at her age, and showed us several appropriate options. Our daughter is tickled pink by her new shoes and walked out of the store in them, grinning ear to ear. The experience could not have beenp better, and we anticipate buying all of her shoes here for the foreseeable future. read more

Unfortunate experience in trying to return a pair of shoes to the store. Alex the owner does not seem to care about the customer as much as he does the money. No refunds for returns after ten days, only store credits for ten to thirty days and no refund or store credits after thirty days. If you are considering buying anything at Towson Bootery, you should read some of the yelp reviews before you buy anything. This is not a customer friendly store looking to build customer relationships. Although I have bought many a pair of shoes from the Towson Bootery over the years, I will never buy anything from this store again. read more

I bought 3 new pair of shoes excited to wear them to work. When I tried them on they felt well. I wore one pair to work for 4 hours and ended up having a huge blister. I immediately returned the pair of shoes because they were just too tight. They took back the two pair of shoes but not the third because it was worn. Not a big deal I get it but the way I was treated by the owner Alex was so disrespectful and rude that I will not be returning. There are other stores that treat their customers with respect and dignity. I have referred several friends to this store. This is not the first time that I was treated this way. Not a way to treat customers and this was the last straw. Very disappointed and thought that they would change but nope. read more

I've shopped here for 15 years for kids school shoes, athletic shoes, husband's shoes, my shoes. Service was sometimes good, sometimes lacking. the owner of the store is definitely a know-it-all. Recently, we went in to purchase a pair of bucks (my daughter's school shoe). We had a pair of Sperrys that were coming apart after a few months. There was a small hole forming in the center of the heel on the bottom of the shoe. He told us he'd NEVER carry Sperrys because of their shoddy quality and sold us another brand that he promised was indestructible. After 2 months the suede part was completely pulling away from the sole. We took them back in to show him and he immediately became defensive. I had my 10 year old daughter with me. He directed his attention to her and accused her of dragging her toe on the ground purposefully and told her she didn't know how to take care of her shoes since she clearly had taken them off without tying them. Completely inappropriate!! I showed him how the suede had completely pulled away from the sole at the seam and he told me it was my daughter's fault for playing kickball at lunchtime (What?!?). He told me he'd consider replacing them if I was even 1% right about why they were coming apart. I don't know why he was so incredibly disrespectful. I reminded him that I'd been coming in to his story to support a small business for more than 15 years though his prices and selection were not as great as a bigger store and that in return I'd at least expect not be treated so rudely. I have never once complained about or returned a since thing I've purchased there. That will be my very LAST visit to this store! read more

These guys know shoes and they are full-service. Meaning, they'll get your existing shoes repaired/re-soled and sell you a new pair too. Previously, I had a problem getting knee-high boots to zip - but I got an education from the salesman here and I've been wearing boots ever since!! I also got the 411 on Dansko - now made in China, but also my favorite brand. The selection of shoes for kids is outstanding! read more

Awesome customer service. Alex is a very skillful shoe repairman who has been doing this many years. He had my boot ready in two days even though he told me to give him a week. It was a nice surprise to have it done sooner than he said and when i picked up my shoe it was in better condition than it was when i bought it new!! Its also is a very convenient location with very friendly employees, and VERY reasonable pricing. He replaced several broken shoelace hooks and put them on for just $8 on my shoe!!! I couldn't have had a better experience. The only thing is its cash/check only and no atm except for the one at the bank in the parking lot but he told me ahead of time so i was able to prepare. read more

I had a pair of defective shoes that I did not buy from Towson Bootery, but that they carry. Even though there was not an immediate sale pending, they got involved and helped me contact the factory to get a warranty replacement. Towson Bootery, I will be back. Thank you for your great customer service. read more

I had been looking forward to getting new shoes for my granddaughter from TB and yesterday, we finally made it. I think the salesman looked in the back for the ugliest shoes he could find and offered them to us. My GD had just had her feet measured at Nordstroms at a 10.5, yet the salesperson said her feet were a size 12, maybe 13 if I wanted to get extra wear. I mean, should I risk her ability to walk so they can clean out their inventory? The salesperson never went over all the options and discussed the shoes on display. Maybe he took us for suckers. Anyway, I can now cross TB off my list of places to ever consider for children's shoes. Such a disappointment. read more

What a fun crew at the Towson Bootery! I love the atmosphere that the staff creates! There is the nicest lady there named Beth, she will help you find the perfect shoe! They have a great selection In styles and sizes. Their prices are reasonable and everyone is so friendly. read more

What an awful, mean, nasty, rude, evil owner this place has!!! I have been buying my children's shoes here for over 16 years and I will NEVER step foot in the place again. We purchased a pair of shoes for my 4 year old. She is very hard to find shoes for because she is so picky about how they feel. She tried them on and said they were good. I was so glad and got them. She walked around the mall for about 10 minutes in them and immediately her skin was rubbed raw from the side of the shoe. I went back in to let them know and return them. Of course, I was thinking, oh should be no problem; these were not worn outside, the store is reputable. They will see that my daughter is in tears and realize that is the only reason I am returning the shoes. I could not have been more wrong!! The owner began immediately yelling at me and told me it's my tough luck and that the sale was final. I was never informed that the sale was final when I paid for them and I told him that in a calm fashion. This guy went off; he is obviously not mentally balanced. He screamed at me in front of my children and said I knew nothing about shoes and it was my own fault for not having someone help me to fit them on her. What the heck? There was nothing wrong with the size! It was the shoe rubbing her ankle that was the problem. I was sick to my stomach when I left. A security guard saw the whole thing and asked if I wanted to file a complaint with mall management. Which I did. Evidently I learned I am not the first person he has verbally abused and he even had a security guard fired for nothing. What an evil, despicable human being the owner of Towson Bootery is. If I was made of money (which I'm not) I would have told him to keep the shoes AND my money since he is that greedy! read more

I purchased Kenneth Cole shoes for my son for school and within a week the sole was tearing. I called and returned the shoe to the store. They would NOT give me a refund, but offered to repair the shoe. The gentleman at the counter spoke to me in a condescending manner and tried to convince me that my son was playing/took gym in the shoes. I informed him that he is required to wear school uniforms daily and has gym once a week and must wear tennis. I also said that I wouldn't expect this to happen within one week of wearing the shoe and from a Kenneth Cole shoe. He responded, "These are not top of the line shoes!" umm...if they are not good quality why are they selling them? Needless to say I will not return to this store and have informed other parents at the school. Not to mention another child at my son's school had the same shoes and the sole was tearing also. I guess he was running and playing in his shoes. Quality customer service would have been to fix the shoe without the commentary or provide a refund when I requested it. Don't waste your time! I am going back to Van Dyke & Bacon. read more