National Shoe Service

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE… brought 2 pairs of vintage men’s shoes for a «touch up»… brush the white nubucks and color block the black & white spectators… THEY CAME BACK YELLOW in the parts that were to be white… and he rubbed the leather so hard ti came off… maybe this place is good for a basic polish of a modern leather… but DO NOT TAKE YOUR VINTAGE PIECES HERE! they are ruined!!!

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the shop owner, though I asked him at least three times what his name was. But that didn’t matter.
Upon coming into the shop, you get the sense that you are in a garage. Shoes everywhere; leather goods stuffed in every nook and cranny; some strange music playing on a small boom-​box – you almost expect to see some mangy nondescript dog laying on the floor looking at you with tired bored eyes. But there was no dog. Just the owner with a thick accent and his one employee who probably lived in the neighborhood.
When I brought my shoes in for repair –and let me tell you, they were in bad shape: as though I was playing tennis in them – I was not too impressed with what I was seeing on coming into the shop at first.
This guy really knew his stuff. The shoes were not made cheap and I wanted them to be repaired with the best material on hand. He showed me what he had to offer. He informed me the Vibram soles would last longer but wouldn’t look as good. He then showed me the leather soles which I immediately said I wanted. I was a bit skeptical as I asked him if he could keep the upper sole and general looks of the shoe intact. He assured me that he could. It was a bit pricey, but I was willing to give it a shot.
When I came in to pick up the shoes, I really was not prepared for what I was about to see. The shoes looked absolutely brand new. Not only did the soles look fantastic (as though I’d just got them out of the store) but the heels were cut just as I’d asked; he knew what my needs were and met them. Amazingly great job. I have another pair of shoes that I’ll be sending over.
For a complete repair of the sole and heel I paid 75.00. If you want to have sole protectors (those tabs that fit at the front of the shoe and heel) that’s another 10.00. For seventy five dollars it was worth it – I’ll have those shoes for another couple of years before they start to wear out.

I got a zipper replaced in a pair of boots here and the work was ok, but a little sloppy. The zipper was sewn in a bit crooked so the left boot is now tighter than the right. Also, there was a black piece of leather that ran along the inside of the zipper so your leg didn’t rub against it. He replaced this with a brown piece of leather even though the boots are black. It doesn’t really matter since you don’t see it, but I probably won’t go back here to have anything else done. He might be fine for other things.

This is the best shoe repair place around. Christos is a master of all repairs. He is genuinely careful and will take time to make sure your repair is what you want. I have brought many a pair of shoes here, leather belts and jackets. He is the BEST!
Trust your shoes here.

Fast, inexpensive and very good job!