Don’s Shoe Hospital

I couldn’t bear to part with my favorite pair of winter boots although the soles were so worn they were dangerous to wear in the snow. Don’s was my last hope. I gave Don a call. He wasn’t able to promise anything over the phone but if I brought them in he would check them out for me. He’s showed me a couple different options for soles, I picked one out and left my boots in his hands. Four days later my boots were renewed and better than ever. They’re like brand new shoes that have been broken in to my feet.
My review should end there but let me tell you about Don. Don is 86 years old (2013). He is in the store six days a week. He is one of the most pleasant people I have ever met, any of you that know me personally I will say he reminded my of Grandpa, Uncle Fred. He is cash or check only which I did not realize until I went to pick up my boots. There is an ATM by the coffee shop next door. Don threw in a new pair of shoe laces for my trouble of having to go get cash, who does that these days? Don, that’s who. If you need to call him be prepared to yell as he’s a tad hard of hearing.
If you have shoes that need repaired I would recommend getting them to him soon. It’s hard to say how much longer a treasure like this will be around.
Oh, new soles were $ 70. I’ve spent $ 100s over the last few years looking for boots as comfortable as these.

I’ll be the first to say that I am typically the «it’s broken, replace it» person in our house. It’s my philosophy that if you buy the highest quality goods you can afford, they’ll still eventually fail but have provided a good value — they’ve had a good life, let’s let them rest. There are, however, a few exceptions to that rule, and most of them involve fine leather goods: shoes, wallets, handbags (my wife’s, obviously), briefcases, etc.
I found myself with a few of these items over the years, and have seen great care and skill applied at Don’s to revive said goods for a reasonable price and in a fair amount of time.
I met the proprietor on my first visit — an extremely kind gentlemen — where he took the time to not only explain what had gone wrong with a seam that was in question (on a shoe my wife was extremely upset at the thought of losing), but how he could fix it and that it may not be perfect. When I arrived on the agreed upon day of pickup, the seam had been repaired masterfully!
We have been satisfied clients ever since and cannot recommend Don’s highly enough.