Oscar’s Shoe & Leather Recrafting

Best shoe smith, hands down! My boyfriend and I frequent the Streeterville location and Oscar does an Amazing job every time!!! So happy we found him after moving downtown. Would not take my luxury designer shoes anywhere else. I’m consistently impressed with his passion and attention to detail. The pricing is fair and the service is on time every time. Expensive shoes are an investment that should be well maintained. Highly recommended for professional, courteous, friendly service.

Oscar is the real deal. Saved my expensive leather coat after i let a friend borrow it (who had too much to drink earlier.) I thought the coat was trashed until i brought it to him and he reassured me he’ll try his best. the coat was a distressed green grey leather and was not easy to clean. after a week i picked it up and was pleasantly surprised to see the coat was detailed and looked fabulous! Go to Oscar!!!
FYI this place is a little tricky to get to. its on the bottom floor of an office building. no signage just go to the bottom floor!

Shine king with out a doubt shines the best shoe I’ve ever seen, mirror finish in 20 minutes, amazing shine, thank you shine king you have a customer for life!

I’ve brought my husband’s croc boots here and both times they were brought back to life.
Oscar is open to explaining the work that needs to be done and offers options on whether or not you want to go all the way with a ‘project’ (these boots were indeed a project!)
I had a great experience and highly recommend for everyone to come and try this place out.

I brought 2 pairs of boots that were originally headed for the trash but I loved wearing them so much so I brought them to Oscar to see if he could do anything. Well I just picked them up and they look brand new! Thanks Oscar! You exceeded my expectations

Oscar is a craftsman who treats his work like art! Excellent attention to detail and superb results. I took an old pair of dress shoes, a pair of suede shoes and a pair of chukka boots for repair and restoration. They were in poor condition. No longer – now they look like new! The price was reasonable and they were repaired quickly. The real treat was how excited Oscar was to show me what he had done. I am a new customer and Oscar’s is now my go-​to shoe repair shop.

Oscar is a miracle worker. Three pairs of shoes that I was about to throw away he made look brand spankin new. More than pleased, ECSTATIC with how all three turned out. The leather was ripped and torn, the soles were gaping at the front and the sides and the toes were salted, torn, and looking horrible to the point that I couldn’t wear them anymore.
I will never go anywhere else to get my shoes and/​or leather repaired.
And I love that it is actually Oscar there every day doing what he loves.
GO OSCAR!!!

I have had 3 pairs of shoes repaired by Oscar, and he has always gone above and beyond my expectations. Excellent craftsman, very fast service, and fair prices. I brought in two pairs of good leather boots that were so beat up from winter road salt they were essentially unwearable (very badly stained and heels completely destroyed). After Oscar’s work, they look brand new! I also had a pair of designer high heels restored– although I had worn through these heels all the way until the metal supports were exposed, he did not order a replacement heel as most cobblers would do (for a higher price) but carefully restored the heel by hand himself. He also cleaned the suede for me and included it for free. I would recommend bringing in multiple pairs of shoes at once as discounts are negotiable in this situation. Highly recommend their work!!!

Oscar is very friendly and professional. He continues to do such great work on repairing my shoes. I just dropped up some pretty banged up leather shoes that I was hoping to revive for fall/​winter. When I came to pick them up today, they looked like a pair of shoes from the designer section at Nordstroms. This man is a magician! He is always very timely, and the cost is very fair. He has some great advice about wearing shoes during winter time in Chicago.

There is no question that Oscar is an amazing craftsman and the work he has done for me has been beautiful.
Unfortunately, Oscar and I had a fairly unpleasant exchange recently.
I went in a couple of weeks ago to pick up some boots that I had left for over a month — my fault. Oscar said it was nice to see me and it had been a long time. I saw my red boots and the box that the beige boots were in on the shelf and got excited. They looked great! But then that was all he had for me and there were four items on my ticket. It had been awhile and I couldn’t quite remember exactly the rest of the items on my ticket. Oscar claimed that he couldn’t be responsible for items left for seven months in his store — when I know for a fact they were only left for two months. (They were boots and there was snow on the ground seven months ago — I had brought the boots in July.) The he tried to give me someone else’s shoes that were the wrong size and insisted that those other two pairs of shoes were the ones that I brought him. We had a heated argument and I left the store very angry.
After posting a negative review, Oscar somehow found my winter boots (which look great) and an old brief case for which I had asked him to stitch a broken strap. No wonder I couldn’t remember the brand of the 4^th pair of shoes!
I think the situation could have been handled better if Oscar had apologized in the short term and assured me that he would either find my shoes or reimburse me lost items AND the money I paid for the repairs. If you do business with Oscar, make sure you know EXACTLY what you are bringing, request a dated and detailed claim ticket and I would not recommend pre-​paying in cash for your order.
I’m glad that Oscar contacted me after the fact and happy that I have back my favorite winter boots.

Showed up at 8:00 am (the time their website and the door says they open). Closed. The sign on the door said «Will return at 8:30». I did the same. Still closed. Go somewhere more reliable.

Oscar’s is my new go to place for shoe and purse repair. He was honest with what he thought he could do. He exceeded my expectations. I had a pair of fabric shoes whose pointed toe was fraying. He was able to repair them and they look brand new. I had taken the shoes to another shoe repair shop twice without the same results. I’m totally thrilled. I had a pair of shoes that were gold metalic in color that needed some help. He was honest that the industry has not made polish that would be a good match. I appreciate the honesty, some businesses would try to make it work with what the carry.

Fantastic job with my shoes – they were fixed, repolished, etc. and looked gorgeous. Only downside is that the prices are a bit high compared with other places, but I can’t complain too much because my shoes did return looking just like new.

The insole of my favorite pair of shoes had come undone while out and about. I live out of town and had 1 hour before I was to be picked up. He said it would take about an hour. I waited (I gave him the shoes off my feet) and he had the shoe repaired and both pair shined in about 40 minutes. He explained what happens to shoes and gave me advice on how to not rub out the heels of my right shoe (from driving). His fee was very reasonable. I will definitely be bringing him the rest of my shoes that need repair!

Super friendly and excellent work. Don’t go anywhere else.

Oscar did good leather work for me but I jumped ship when I found someone better –charging a third the price for everything serviced and sold — at Gus’s Shoe Repair.
Oscar’s often in a good mood and amicable, but can also sometimes be curt.
He doesn’t seem to have the any respect for his customer’s time. Once he promised to have repairs done on an item on a Tuesday, and when I went all the way down there he told me that he had said Friday, when I know for a fact it he said Tuesday (because he said to pick up the day after NATO finished which was a Monday). The ticket wasn’t marked but he treated me like a liar. The last thing Oscar does is apologize.
You can’t count on his hours either. He says he opens at 8, but there is often a sign on the door saying «had to step out, be back at 8:30.» This happened two days in a row but the problem is that you see it at 9:30am on your way to work– an hour after he says he will be back. So like my small fiancé, have fun carrying that bag of shoes and boots that you planned on dropping off all day with you to work. And if you needed them back urgently from a Monday drop off, now you’re dropping them off on Tuesday or Wednesday and he’ll to be curt with you about not having time to get to them for a few days.
We’ve moved onto someone more reliable in Gus’s who will do things while you wait if you call ahead and ask politely, even stay open late if you need it done and come from far away. If you want to waste your time finding Oscar open and finding your items ready when he says, then enjoy Oscar.

I will NEVER go back to this establishment!
Granted Oscar did a great job on the work requested of him, I went home with an additional surprise! A red stain on a tan suede pump that he denied seeing (but 3 others attested to seeing the discoloration) that I KNOW was not there when I brought them in. He denied seeing the discoloration so there was no removing a stain he couldn’t ‘see’ and he wouldn’t discount my payment (which I paid in full before work was complete)
This isn’t even the worst part! Another customer walks in, listens to my quarrel and begins berating me about my complaint because Oscar hadn’t started her shoes for her dinner date with her husband and my complaint was costing her time. I asked her as politely as one could to mind her business then she rushes me and grabs my arm! I WAS ASSAULTED IN OSCAR’S by a 60+ yo women late for her dinner date bc Oscar was late with her shoes, arguing with me bc of his mistake on mine!
This was THE worst nightmare I’ve ever encountered! Once I called security on this senile hag Oscar lied and said the woman never touched me! He was covering for this psycho bound for a dinner date bc I’m assuming he did not want to take ownership of his mistake with either admission of the discoloration or by discount. He still tried to cover for her even after she confessed. Was I in the twilight zone?
Oscar is a decent cobbler but a dishonest man and THE ONLY EMPLOYEE of the shop not to mention owner so there was no one else for me to turn to.
Find some other cobbler bc Oscar seems a decent man until you call him out on his mistakes.

There is a reason I keep coming back to see Oscar with both my and my boyfriend’s shoes — wait, make that *many* reasons.
I first came here to restore my boyfriend’s beloved (but much-​abused) Versace lace-​ups and when I brought them back home the bf could hardly believe they were the same pair! They looked fantastic. Since then, I have been bringing more and more pairs by (for more shoe-​shining, heel-​tap replacement, rubber sole replacement and shoe repair) and have always had great quality results. I completely trust Oscar with my shoes — and that’s a huge relief for a control-​freak like myself!
And the prices are reasonable for downtown. Can’t argue with that.
If that weren’t enough, there is Oscar himself. What a nice guy! Always cheerful and spreading his good mood around. I always look forward to seeing him when I stop by.
Love this place!

Was recommended to me by a coworker and I couldn’t be happier. He saved one pair of penny loafers and preventively put rubber grips on an expensive pair of Allen Edmonds spectators for me and offered tips on how to extend their life.
Friendly AND cost-​friendly service here.

This is totally the kind of business Unilocal was made for! It’s hidden in the basement of an office building so I’d never have found it without Unilocal… but now, I don’t even know how I ever lived without it!
Oscar has saved my most precious Marc Jacobs bag (while teaching me small tricks to mend tiny damage like frayed stitching on my own), made several beaten-​down, well-​loved boots and ballet flats look as good as new, and graciously held back laughter when I showed how I emergency-​repaired my broken strap on a leather purse with a stapler and I begged him for professional help. Oh, and he has also saved my wallet because he is incredibly reasonably priced.
Service is super quick and super friendly. Honestly, I can’t find a single fault with this place. It could be a bag from Target or Chanel… if a zip is broken, stitching pulled out, or leather messed up, anything… I don’t even freak out anymore, I just go to Oscar’s.

I brought a pair of tall boots here to have the calf resized, taken in. They have a long fold over cuff, so I knew the double layer would be difficult, but he said he could do it.
I will say his craftsmanship is wonderful, the work and stitching is completely professional. But he fails to LISTEN to the customer. I specifically tried the boots on when I came in so he could size them to my leg, but he left a bulging calf curve that looked completely tacky. When I said I didnt like it, he proceeded to argue with me about what we had agreed upon. Adding to the frustration, he makes you pay in advance, and wouldnt fix them without charging me MORE – making it impossible to withhold payment until the job is done to my satisfaction. Needless to say I left with my boots in hand. I went in telling myself that I wouldnt take them home if they werent perfect, but I wasnt about to leave my (now $ 300) boots with someone I’ve pissed off (it’s like asking your waiter to spit in your food).
I’ll either take them somewhere else or sew the outer layer myself.

Oscar’s is second to none! I have been searching for a shoe/​coat repair shop in the downtown area for some time and only had luck further North. Oscar’s is conveniently located East of Michigan Avenue and his work is incredible.
My boss’ wife had a bad zipper tear on her Burberry coat. I brought it directly to the store and they wanted to charge hundreds and hundreds of dollars to replace. Even though Oscar said it was one of the worst tears he has seen, he gladly took the coat in at a bargain price.
The final product is absolutely outstanding! Not only did he adhere an identical zipper to that of Burberry’s, he hand-​crafted a leather zipper pull to match all of the others on the coat. Oscar’s gets an A+ on everything: customer service, promptness, value for the money and craftsmanship!

I spilled some oil on a pair of nubuck boots and, on the strength of his past Unilocal reviews, brought them to Oscar’s to see if he could get the stain out. Lots of places would have said «we’ll do our best» and in one week I would be left thirty dollars poorer with a pair of still-​stained boots, but Oscar came right out and said that it would be impossible to get the stain out. I really appreciated his candor.
So I decided to just pick up some polish. Oscar spent about ten minutes schooling me on the difference between cream polish and wax polish. Seriously, Oscar knows everything about shoes, shoe care, and shoe repair. From now on, he’s my go-​to guy.
Oh, and the shop is pretty cool too.