Bay State Shoe Repair

Very knowledgeable cobbler, can fix what most cobblers turn away, great turnaround time.

I have used this shop many, many times, with shoes, boots, and other leather items. I always had great experiences. I always recommended him to my friends and family who needed leather repairs done. Always. Until now.
I brought in a Kenneth Cole Reaction leather purse, that had literally been soaked through completely in a flash rainstorm. A friend of mine who does leather care managed to bring it back to life, beautifully, except for the shoulder strap. The strap was leather on the top, which had wrinkled irreparably from the water damage, and vinyl on the underside, which was just cracked and looked awful from age.
I brought it into the shop and asked for a new strap to be put on. A whole new strap (it was a simple request, since it was a single strap of leather riveted to a brass ring on each end of the bag).
He insisted that all it needed was a piece of leather on the underside of the strap, to replace the cracked vinyl. I wanted a completely new strap, because the water had made the rest of the strap shrink up and wrinkle, and it looked awful next to the rest of the bag. He kept insisting that I didn’t need a new strap. He is the expert, so I said okay, and left the bag and took my claim ticket.
I came back to pick it up two days later. Exactly as I had predicted, the strap still looked awful. Who cares about what the side resting on my shoulder looks like? And the underside, where he had put a new patch of leather, looked like it had been stitched by a three year old!
When I told him no, that didn’t solve the problem, and wasn’t what I had asked him to do, he got all snippy with me, again insisting that it was fine, and that it was the best he could do with it. Um, no, you could do what I asked you to do. He kept repeating «So, what do you want me to do?», in louder and louder tones, and I kept replying that I wanted him to do what I asked him to do in the first place. He eventually started completely ignoring my presence in the shop. The next time he asked me «What do you want me to do?» I said I wanted my money back. He opened the register and threw the cash at me.
This man has been nothing but kind to me in the past, and done excellent work. But I will never work with him again, not with that attitude. It’s too bad I now have to find another cobbler, and it’s too bad for him that I will not only never recommend him or his shop again, but I will actually steer customers away. Never again.

Best experience ever. This guy is old school work ethic and craftsmanship and repair. I have skinny calves and had to have two pairs of knee high boots basically re-​made to fit me so it didn’t look like I was wearing galoshes. He was expert, did two pairs in less than 48 hrs for a reasonable affordable rate, and they fit like a glove. Basically I had bespoke shoes made that fit me perfectly. He even had me come in during the process for two fittings. I trust all my babies (shoes) with this shop, and you should too! In an age when the small business owner is pushed out by the Walmart nation, this place is a gem that should be supported. Scuffs, resoles, new heels, alterations, cleaning stains… Bring them here!!!

It’s getting harder to find a place to get shoes repaired. Little shopl. Easy to find, plenty of parking. Authentic in every way. I brought some cowboy boots in to replace the rubber heel bottom before the actual heel of my boot started to wear. I paid $ 30 cash up front and they were ready the next day. The looked better than the day I bought them. I think the rubber composite was better than the ones that came on the boots. Beautifully polished while avoiding all the decorative stitching. This guy is a true craftsman. I will take all of my future shoe business here.

Excellent service by this true old craftsman. I walked in with a pair of sandals needing a new strap and walked out ten minutes later good to go. Too many people are throwing their shoes out these days. Have them fixed instead. It’s cheaper and doesn’t feed the throw-​away society we’re in.

a true old world craftsman

The elastic strap on my favorite Doc Marten mary jane’s started to break, and I needed a good shoe repair place to fix them quickly. I found Bay State and called the store to find out their hours and talked to the owner. Luckily, they were open on Saturday morning just long enough for me to drop my shoes off and possibly pick them up on the same day.
The store is in downtown Haverhill (not in the heart of downtown, just on the edge) and has ample free parking. It is a an older building and the repair shop is a bit worn, but I don’t really care about how it looks as long as my shoes get fixed correctly! The owner looked over my shoes, said he could repair them in ½ hour and even offered to replace the elastic strap on the other shoe before it failed as well. I asked him to clean them as well, and his estimate was just $ 15.
When I went back after 30 minutes, they were indeed ready at the stated estimated price. He did a great job on the stitching (it is even and looks professional) and they are fixed and look like new! Great price and great work = 5 stars.