Model Shoe Renew

We came in to get heel taps added to my wife’s leather boots, but after consulting the owner, she decided to have them completely resoled. The results were quick and she has been very happy with them. I wound up buying a much-​needed pair of shoes while waiting for her, though I was a bit frustrated by the very small area to try them on. They also only allow returns/​exchanges for unworn shoes, so be REALLY sure about your shoes before you leave the shop.

In a recent encounter, the woman who usually manages the counter was sort of like one of the aristocrats in many British dramas (the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, for example) — making seemingly offhand remarks that are intended to skewer another person for something they said or did (or didn’t do). I don’t enjoy being the butt of her ego-​trips and will NOT be going back.

The owner can be intimidating but he knows his stuff and tells it like it is. I felt a little embarrassed when he looked at my boots and told me to stop wearing them immediately because they were in such bad shape! He was right though, The soles were peeling away at the toe and the leather was dangerously close to being irreparable. But at half the cost of what I paid for them, he did a fantastic job of adding a new rubber layer to the soles and stitching up some holes. I was hesitant at first, but after this experience I will definitely come back! I will say that they almost missed the stitching and had I not pointed it out I would have left the store with is unfixed. Just be responsible for checking what you paid, they can get so busy that little things can get lost.

I don’t know how in the world these people have at least 4 star ratings they are very rude the Middle Eastern guy who was in the front acted like he wanted nothing to do with me and had a white American lady come out and help me when she attempted to help me she was extremely rude as she approached me she looked up at me and she said oh hi customer how can I help you just which I found very odd and unsettling then I told her about my issue about help my zipper on my purse broke she tried to do everything in her mind to not help me in anyway she tried to refer me to other places then said to her but don’t you fix purses I said some guy with an accent over the phone told me to bring in the person that he can fix it for no more than $ 50 he then looked off into space she didn’t know what to say so then she brought me to the counter and I gave her the purse I said when do you want me to pick it up she was like you could pick it up in two weeks we should have it done by then I said okay can I have the receipt so I can come pick it up the the lady goes oh no you owe me $ 50 I said but you haven’t even fix the purse I’ll pay for it when I come and pick it up from you she SAT there and got a attitude with me and started arguing with me I told her in most cases every time that I have gotten something repaired I would drop off the item and everytime when I would pick up the item then I will pay for it and this was the first time that I’ve ever heard of paying up front also said I would feel more comfortable if I knew I could look over the work before paying for it so I know everything was done properly she kept getting an attitude with me and saying that I needed to pay her I gave her the money and then I decided to go look at stuff around the store as as I was looking around the store one of the guys who work there ask me can I help you I said no I’m fine I’m just looking preceded and repeated to do this on 10 occasions while I was in the store I would also like to point out the fact that I did not have on a backpack was carrying any big bags or doing anything to bring attention to myself which I found very odd why he was asking me 10 times if I needed help even even though I gave him an answer

THE professional place to go for shoe repair, cleaning et al. The owner knows his craft well and they do well jobs that other hacks say are too hard. The missing star is for timeliness on one pair of shoes when I was going out of town. The owner shipped them to me and was extremely professional but it could have been bad if I was going to one of my less accessible locations. Overall, amazing professionals!

There are few things in life that are worth repeatedly investing in. Shoes and shoe repair are 2 of them! If you have a pair of shoes you want to keep in great shape bring them here. The staff is super friendly and they always recommend the best options for fixing/​preserving your shoes. My husband thinks they upsell me every time I go in but you know what? His shoes always feel like a dream when he gets them back AND they don’t make his favorite shoes anymore so they are literally irreplaceable.
Thank you to the whole staff for helping keep his favorite shoes in great shape!

Peter, you are clearly lying. I never came into the store with my friend Lizzie. In fact, all three of my visits to Model Shoe were ALONE, and I definitely picked the bag up alone (you can confirm with Judy, but I’m sure the truth isn’t really what matters here). My friend in no way colluded with me to leave a negative review, I did that of my own volition since I had been subjected to seriously appalling treatment from you. She left a bad review based on her own separate experiences, and the fact that you have multiple negative reviews related to bad treatment of customers speaks volumes. I also never demanded you give me a refund for the dye job, or that I’d otherwise leave a bad review. That’s a blatant lie, and requesting that you honor the $ 10-​$ 15 credit you promised me is not the same thing as getting you to work for free. I left a bad review because the overall experience was horrible, the repair was unprofessional, and while the color of the dye was fine, that doesn’t nearly make up for how awful the rest of my experience was. You’re clearly an unethical businessman if you’re solution to saving face on Unilocal is to make up a story that villainizes me in order to mask terrible service.

They did a pretty okay job on some work pumps that needed new rubber deely-​boppers on the heel and they gave me a Unilocal checkin discount.
But there was some damaged patent leather on the heels when I brought them in, and nobody asked me whether I wanted it fixed, nor did they take the initiative to fix it themselves.
I would probably go back because the price was good and it was close enough to the Cheeseboard that I could dream up an excuse for a cheddar cheese scone. Who am I kidding? I chose this place because it’s close to the Cheeseboard! Busted!

This place knows its stuff! I’ve never been one to actually repair shoes before, but now I’m so excited to take in some other shoes I was thinking about throwing away to get repaired.
I came in hoping to just get a heel cover replaced on a shoe (the plastic bit that covers the metal– my «click clack» was sound more like «click scrape»). I was about to start interviewing for jobs and wanted my shoes to sound normal. Peter took a look at my heels, and told me that he could absolutely replace the plastic bit, but that they also needed resoling, because the fabric was starting to tear and eventually the shoes would fall apart. He said that they were good shoes worth saving, and since I slip in them all the time, I agreed to the resoling.
I chatted with him while he was writing my ticket, and mentioned that I was interviewing for teaching jobs. He kindly gave me a teacher discount, AND said he’d glue in the lining of my shoes for free (typically two bucks each, but every little bit counts for this poor teacher)! I was ecstatic, and truly touched. My total was around $ 35, and absolutely worth it.
I picked up my shoes a few days later, and they are like a brand new pair of shoes! They even cleaned the fabric and polished the heel! I went to my interviews confident and excited, (got a job!) and am so happy that these shoes will now last a few more years.
This place will always have my business, not just because of their fine work, but their excellent customer service.

As a disclaimer I don’t really know anything about shoes, so maybe this review will be helpful for other shoe ignorant… shignorant…Yelpers.
The only reason I visited is because its close and my mom told me my favorite pair of shoes looked «pathetic». I’m suspect there’s something more to be done to resurrect my pathetic shoes but these folks won’t be the ones to do it.
Just went for new soles and laces. I was told they don’t make the soles for my shoes anymore, so they would have to use some other sole and «build it up» to fit. Whatever that means, its obviously an improvement but not what I would consider a great job. $ 60 for a re-​soling, which seems steep. The wait time was also 5 days, which seems like a lot. I’d go back if a I desperately needed work done, but shop around.

The soles on my SIDI mountain bike shoes disintegrated after years of use, and I needed to replace them. Though SIDI replacement parts are no longer available for this shoe model, these guys were able to custom-​fit Vibram boot soles to the shoes! The new soles may be black rather than the original bright yellow, but they’ll work just fine, and they give these expensive and awesome SIDI shoes much more life. Glad for that!

My wife and I have taken many pairs of shoes there and they always have done an excellent job with the repairs. I also have had zippers and suitcases repaired.
In Berkeley, for shoes, MSR is the only place to go.

Got my work boots and Marni tote fixed here and had the best experience from start to finish. Went back and forth at drop off to ensure expectations were clearly set. Check.
They’re fast. It only took a few days to re-​sole and shine beat up boots… and to add supportive stitches and take out a nasty stain from a beige leather handbag.
Just picked up and they turned out so much better than I had expected. Pricey? A bit… but the additional care and craftmanship put into these 2 items is totally worth it!

These people are magicians! I’ve had several pairs of beloved shoes & boots resoled and repaired here. The latest, I swear, look better than they did when they were new.
I’ve tried other shoe repair places (closer to my house) and they don’t compare to the level of skill and attention to detail this shop has.
Judy, the woman at the front desk is great too. She’s always been patient and helpful, and I’m amazed at how well she’s dealt with some challenging situations. She has helped me figure out what can be done, sets realistic expectations, and has saved me a fortune on shoes I thought might be done for — instead of me replacing them, she’s made sure they were restitched or polished or reheeled in ways that make them perfect for me again.

So I recently stepped onto a grate wearing heels and down I went. All of a sudden one foot was about 5 inches below the other as I awkwardly tried to appear normal to my coworkers. I quickly yanked my heel outta there, and looked down to discover the ugly hard plastic heel showing through randomly snagged leather. Damn. Well, thanks to the lovely folks at Model Shoe Renew, my cute work heels are back in tip top shape. Good as new! They even put on a thicker, non-​slip sole. They’re a little pricey, but a lot cheaper than losing my beloved pair of almost new shoes!

Can’t underestimate the value of a good cobbler & tailor. So I’m thrilled I found my new ‘shoe guy’! And he’s a nice person, too.
I brought in two pairs of pumps last month to get caps placed on the heels (they’d worn down to the metal nub). I returned to find them polished and the fabric on the heel smoothed.
Service for each pair cost $ 14. My fave shoes back in action? Priceless!

Disclaimer: I enjoy supporting local businesses and I live nearby, so I would have liked to give them a high rating. But this time, I could not.
Highly disappointing experience.
I came in to get a sole reglued to my boot, and then was convinced to get reglued, taps, a new liner in the heel, and leather re-​conditioning — for $ 45. Expensive. I walked out feeling raped. That said, a good salesmen will up-​sell you, but good businessmen will actually do what they say.
This person was not a good businessman.
I returned a week later to find that soles were reglued and taps nailed on, but the liner is already peeling off and the leather was not touched. They asked me to leave the shoes there to get that done, but they wanted the remainder of their payment first.
Horrible experience. Do not go there.

I’m completely satisfied. I tore a whole through both boots (improper care in my end) and needed new soles. The soles were redone and vibram protection added.
Not sure what competitive prices are around here are like but the total was $ 135. I do believe only adding vibram to existing soles is $ 35 which doesn’t seem bad.

As a Seattlite I like looking myself and then asking questions. I got yo browse for about 15 minutes and then right as I was looking for assistance Shaudia (?) Came up and helped me.
Most Seattle shoe repair stores are dingy and repairs only, bit this one was cleaner than a Payless and handmade shoes to boot! I was helped by two people to find the perfect pair of shoes for my big ‘olé size 11s and didn’t feel awkward at all. In fact, I felt like Cinderella finding her perfect fit! They were perfectly androgynous with enough calf room for me. The store even waterproofed it for free once they found out I was from Seattle, a first for me!

I get all my shoe work done here. Peter and his team are good! I have been adding rubber soles to dress shoes when I get them right off the bat, taking my guys shoes in here when his commuter pairs get worn heels, as well as furnishing my shoes with a good pair of insoles every time I get a new pair. They also have good comfort shoe, OBT brand shoes, lots of comfort flip-​flops, and leather goods like belts and wallets.
They also do purse repair. When I got a new V-​Day STATUS bag, (Status being taken, or that the purse is expensive, I guess?) I took my old daily purse/​handbag in for some repairs– they re-​stitched a handle that was starting to come a bit unraveled, and polished and buffed my green Kate Spade to her somewhat tarnished, but well worn leather glory.
The prices… I don’t shop around for these services anymore, but when I buy a pricey pair, I’m willing to shell out $ 25 – 30 to get heels restored, or soles added. Last time I was in, I heard a lady say, ‘I’ve had these shoes for 20 years, I need the heel glued on”…Peter quotes $ 25-​and she walked away. Don’t underestimate the power of negotiation, either. Just try it.
Look, you’ve had these for 20 years and you don’t want to shell out $ 25 shekels for a repair?!
I don’t know. To me, it’s worth it. My feet are worth it. My big ass handbag is worth it.