Alex Shoe Repair

I thought I should update after 5 years. This place is still as amazing as it was in 2010. I trust them with all of my antique watches (does not occur to me to check the time on my cell) and would go nowhere else. They are also wonderful with any kind of leather repair. Thanks, ASR.

Was referred to THIS Alex Shoe Repair by the other one (of the same name) on 2^nd Ave. Both are similar spots but the guy (s) on 1^st Ave are apparently the leather repair experts and Alex-​2^nd-​Ave told me Alex-​1^st-​Ave was the place to go.
My precious sheepskin jacket had a terrible hole in the sleeve which meant shearling was popping out at most moments and exposing a random part of my forearm to the winter elements. When I finally got around to stopping by Alex-​1^st-​Ave was on Friday late afternoon. Mistake — it’s shabbat and as with most old school East Village spots like these, they put the kibosh on working after the sun goes down. So I pretty much gave up getting my jacket repaired and was ready to just tough through it until next time I was in the city (this summer).
I ended up stopping by the afternoon I was supposed to fly out and asked Alex-​1^st-​Ave how much it would cost to repair. He had a look, said $ 10 to put a patch on there and $ 50 to get it weatherproofed. AND, it could all be done before I left for the airport that night. He went immediately to work on it, let the weatherproofing substance wear off for a few hours and by 5pm it was clean and ready to go.
Others on Unilocal have said service is gruff. I don’t entirely agree. I will say it’s straightforward at best, but the guy made a few little jokes here and there and also expressed a lot of concern that by repairing my jacket I’d have to bear the 3-​block journey home in the cold. A better way to put it: he’s efficient and puts his focus on getting the job done right. Who cares if they’re not kissing your feet? Getting a solid repair for a loved pair of shoes or leather jacket is charming all on its own.

Ok So I am about to write the BIGGEST rave review of my life!
I have a pair of shoes that I bought in Glasgow Scotland in 1993. They are Red or Dead shoes and they are real witches shoes that is they are platforms where the toe curls up. When i bought them they cost $ 130 and even though i wanted two pairs i somehow couldnt justify it. Flash forward these shoes became synonmous with my performances for 20 years till 2009 when i performed in San Francisco in the dampest theatre on earth. I left my shoes there and after 3 weeks i saw that the wet had been absorbed by the platform and it crumbled! I have spent the past 4 years trying to get them repaired. i contacted Red or Dead… no go, i took them to shoemakers in London, in NY no one would touch them! I heard about Alex from a friend of a friend brough them in and today went to pick them up MIRACULOUS!!! Alex actually MADE a new platform! covered it in leather and made the toe CURL! THEY LOOK LIKE A BRAND NEW PAIR OF SHOES! He charged me $ 110 and that is a FAIR price because I would have paid ANYTHING to get them repaired. As I was leaving he showed me the old platform and i was so shocked ! I had assumed he had just built the platform on the old one but NO! He MADE AN ENTIRE NEW PAIR OF SHOES!!! This is because Alex is from Uzbekestan where they still KNOW HOW TO MAKE SHOES!!!
HEY THESE A REAL NEW YORKERS. people on Unilocal complain because their old world and not kiss ass. I had a GREAT time with them because i entertained them. i didnt expect BOTH master craftsmanship AND sweet talk!
If you have shoes that you love that need triage as mine did this is the place! Call Alex and Edward .The Shoe Doctors!

Very dodgy, unfriendly people. When all goes well they’re fine, but god forbid they make a mistake — you’ll never see your money or your shoes again. They seem to live by the rule «it’s under $ 100 what are you going to do?» and totally ignore the concept of customer service.

For my first time here, I was referred for a special boot alteration by Erik Shoe Repair, my usual place. The boots were expensive & I was going to return them if he couldn’t make the calves smaller to fit me since they were way too big, but he said Alex Shoe Repair were excellent with this type of work and to go there instead.
I’d never been there before & if they messed up the job, I’d be out a lot of money, so I had a ton of questions & was very hesitant about it, and being the type of guys they are, they gave me a hard time about my anxiety, but in that old-​school NY light-​hearted kind of way. The boss gave me a good deal on the work and didn’t even care whether I paid then or paid when I picked them up. The man measuring me asked when I needed them by, I said no rush, whenever – and he told me ok, come back tomorrow afternoon! Within 24 hours I was back in the shop & my shoes were ready & beautiful! I wouldn’t have been able to tell they were altered except for the fact that they fit me like a glove! Considering they were working with bright purple suede, it was as clean and gorgeous as when I left them there. & of course they made sure to make fun of how happy I was when I was so nervous the night before.
These men know what they’re doing with shoes and they do it well. Sure, they’re gruff old New York types, but unlike what others might have written about them, they were very pleasant, even funny guys! I’m a shoe fanatic and I would definitely trust them in the future to work on any of my precious shoes and boots!

The clasp on my watch had come off because the screw was missing, and I came in here to get it repaired. I paid $ 10 just to replace a screw — kind of exorbitant in my opinion, but I guess that’s still cheaper than buying a new watch. Also, because he didn’t have a screw that was the exact same length, he sanded one down to fit. As a result, he scuffed a little bit of my watch close to the clasp. I’m not terribly attached to mine, but if yours is a pricey/​beloved timepiece, be wary because you’re not going to get meticulousness here.

Just got my vintage nike hightops repaired here. They’re quick, and do what they promise to do for you. Friendly and efficient, I like that. The heel on my sneakers is now all brand spanking new. Nice!

So– This is a tough review to write because I have a true love/​hate relationship with this place.
Here’s the basics:
Customer service is non existent or harsh at best.
Repairs are very fast and extremely cheap.
The guy told me my sandal strap was broken because «you eat too much».
The $ 8 repair on a worn down wedge heel was seamless and durable.
All in all I continue to go back– maybe I secretly desire the abuse that is given to me when I am paying for a service. Or maybe I just like decent work at cheap prices.

I just got back from Alex Shoe Repair, where I had hired Alex to make a custom shoulder strap for a bag I I had designed and made. He did a phenomenal job. I had gone in twice before to discuss the project with him and he directed me about exactly what he’d need to do that job. Then I brought him what he needed and a day later I had two bag straps over my shoulder. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and skilled, which is probably why he’s lasted so long in an area that has seen small shops like his struggle. Thanks again Alex!

Idiot asshole who doesn’t know how to talk to people. Tells me not to worry that he improperly cut the heel and a piece was hanging out from it. Then I see that the heel that he put on in place of my worn heel was brown on the bottom and inside, when I was told the heel «will be black». He painted the sides black. Got a couple other glue scuffs on side of shoe.
There’s nothing I want more than to have more of our businesses I grew up with here staying, but a guy being an asshole and doing a shitty job doesn’t make it worth it.

They are terrible. Both of them. At least when it comes to watch repair. They replaced a battery for me (scratched my watch) and then when the battery failed 1 month later they claimed I never replaced it with them and charged me for another battery.

Horrendous customer service. The craftsmanship was ‘eh’ as well, glue goop all over my shoes and my sandals snapped in half a month after being fixed by them.
I’ve tried them twice, after the sandals I dropped off some boots that needed to be resoled. I specifically said FULL sole, but they only soled half of the boot. When I picked them up I asked where the other half of the sole was, which was replied with ‘you only wanted half sole’ and ‘you didn’t talk to me, it must have been someone else’ (I did speak specifically to him, and even if I did speak to someone else, they’re all employees of the same shop!)
He was very nasty and I will not go back. Maybe they are quick to repair, but perhaps some more time should be spent on the shoes.

this place is fine for watch batteries and keys, but not for shoes, especially women’s shoes. i brought in a pair of black suede pumps that had a scuffed heel and they came back worse than before. the guy painted part of my heel black and did an uneven patch job on the scuffed parts. now i have to find a place to fix them. to top it off there was even dust on my shoes. very disappointing for shoes.

This tiny store has three oft-​forgotten maintenance essentials when living in NYC: shoe repair, key duplicating & watch battery replacement services! I’ve used them for all three and I can attest that they are great.
The people who own Alex Shoe repair are brothers who opened the store in the 1980s… they are master-​craftsmen at what they do – while they might not appear to be «service with a smile» type people — what they lack in «char-​azz-​mah» they make up for in their efficient, quality workmanship at inexpensive prices.