Louis Shoes Rebuilder

i brought my sandals to modern leather goods first, a block away. i needed a metal strip glued back on. their cost? $ 25 and 2 days’ wait. that seemed a bit exorbitant to me, so i came here. super old school, lined with old shoe shine booths. they glued the strip back on for free and gave the shoe right back to me. sold! my new go-​to cobbler when i’m having a shoe emergency at work.

Too expensive! Wanted $ 40 to re-​sole my LB pumps. I even had my own red replacement soles

My office just moved into the area, and I was looking out for a shop that was more convenient. I only needed the soles and heels of my boots replaced, which can be done with quality for about $ 25. This spot charges $ 55. Needless to say, i didn’t leave my boots and I’ll be going to my regular place that it not so convenient, so i can say i wasn’t being had.

Quality workmanship, good price and very warm, friendly staff!
I brought in a pair of boots to have the calves taken in — I took them to three leather repair places, and Louis Shoe Rebuilders quoted me the best price and seemed the least like they were trying to inflate how big of a job it would be.
They did a beautiful job, and were really patient with my freaking out about handing over my expensive boots. They were thorough, too — I came in for a second fitting when the leather had been pinned but not cut yet, to make sure the boots would turn out right.

I love coming here to get my shoes fixed. They really know what they’re doing and do it with quality products. It’s reasonably priced and they do it fairly quickly. Usually the same day if I drop it off in the morning. I’ve brought over 15 pairs of shoes over to him to fix and each time in always surprised how he does it so well. I’ll definitely continue to support this family owned business.

On back to back days I’ve found a fantastic barber, and now a perfect place to get my shoes all fresh. I’m finally becoming a man.

Have gone here twice because I walk by it each day and each time I vow never to return. The owner/​manager is just grumpy and rude. I dont believe he likes working with the general public. Fairly expensive and sloppy results. I called beforehand and I felt like I was getting scolded by my parents. I will not go there again!

Miracle workers!
As in any relationship, we started slow. I brought in one pair of heels that needed new heel tips (thanks NYC sidewalks!) and was in and out of the store within 10 minutes having had a friendly chat with the lady at the front.
Then I found my favorite pair of work heels (you know those 3in shoes that look great but are still comfortable enough to walk around in the whole day?) falling apart, scuffed in the front, scuffed on the heel, and parts of the sole completely torn up (I admit, I loved them so much they sometimes turned into going out shoes). Brought them into Louis Shoes and the guy gave me a disapproving look but told me I could pick them up in two hours. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much… they looked more than ready to retire. So imagine my surprise (and delight) when I came back to find a pair of shoes that looked almost new! New sole, scuff marks and rips repaired, polished and looking amazing.
The guy gave me a smile, told me to take care of them since they were great shoes, and sent me on my way.
Side note: Louis is slightly more expensive than your average shoe repair in the subway (e.g. $ 10 for heel tip replacement) but totally worth it, especially if your shoes need more extensive work.
Now, if only they were open on the weekends… or later at night.

I have to edit my review from earlier. While my initial experience was fantastic, I brought a pair to be resoled and another heel to be repaired and shoes to be shined. The resoling was done with leather but the heel was plastic and very cheap looking. The heel that was repaired on my other boot lost the rubber grip a few days later – the whole thing just fell off. And the shoe shine must have been wrong for the shoe leather or something – the shoe was sticky and waxy and looked like a mess. not going back. There are other places in the city.
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I randomly walked into this place after another shoe repair shop completely botched my shoes and my feet were uncomfortable. I didn’t know what was wrong with my shoes, but they said they’d take a look at them. A few seconds later, they handed me my shoes and I tried them on… perfect. When I asked how much, they said «Don’t worry about it, next time, bring your shoes here.»
And I did. I brought a pair of cowboy boots and they fixed it perfectly… matching the original heel of the boot perfectly. I also brought a pair of New Rock boots that had custom soles (with decorative metal plates in them). I’ve had them for over 10 years, wore them daily for about 6 of those years. Louis Shoes fixed the heels perfectly, even finding a heel that matched the custom sole.

They always makes my shoes look brand new. I take all my favorite shoes there to re sole. A bit pricy but all worth it.

The talented cobblers at Louis have fixed almost every pair of shoes and boots I own. New York is hard on shoes, and when you buy expensive ones, it can be slightly terrifying to put them in the hands of a stranger. Not so here– they’ve repaired everything in my closet from Ann D to YSL; cracked-​off heels, worn out soles, torn seams, and uppers in desperate need of a polish. Their workmanship is the best I’ve seen so far; and I’ve been to a shoe repair shop or fifteen.
Not sure what happened to the reviewer below, but they have always been very helpful… even when I took a pair of boots back for tweaks.

I can’t believe people are so crazy about this place. They’ve been nothing but a-​holes to me. I had the heels of some boots repaired there for ¹⁄₃ more than my neighborhood place charges (see other shoe repair review). I wore the boots a handful of times and one morning I was leaving for work and realized that my toe was stuck to something — a rusty nail from the heel of the other shoe!
I took the boot to them and they said they’d fix it for free like they were doing me a favor. I wanted a bit more than that (like an apology!) considering the fact that I had stepped on a rusty nail and was a bit shaken up… tetanus?
Another time I took some vintage boots to them to price some new heels. They told me $ 50 which was more than the cost of the boots. I said no thank you and the guy practically threw the shoes at me and said «bye bye.» I couldn’t believe how rude…
My neighborhood place? No problem — $ 18.

I never had a shoe guy before Louis, and I’ll never have another.
The man is amazing. I told him so the other day after he repaired the worn out heels on my favourite Kenneth Cole slouch boots (seriously — the nails in the heels were sticking out and the heel itself had been turned into a round nub). I thought they were dead on arrivial, but he assured me he could bring them back to life. And he did.
I haven’t taken them off since getting them back (which, by the way, only took a day; though I’ve taken stuff to him before and was able to pick it up the same day), and I’m pretty sure they’ll have to be doctored up again before I’m through with them.
Luckily for me, Louis will be there in the bottom of the Empire State Building, waiting with a smile and a shake of his head to tell me to quit dragging my heels.