Ruiz Shoe Repair

I am so impressed with the integrity of this business! It is family owned and operated. Edward is the patriarch. Mike is the son who is running a well oiled machine. He does fantastic work. I had some Dansco shoes that needed repair. He fixed and polished them. They looked brand new. On another visit, I had a dog collar that needed to be sized for my 3 pound chihuahua. He did it on the spot. Bambi and I were grateful. I have made several copies of keys done there. He not only guarantees his work, he takes pride in it! This business is a treasure in Sierra Madre!

Mike helped me make take a canvas print pattern and see it on to the shoes, and did an excellent job. Everything was done to satisfaction and he was very helpful throughout the process. I would definitely recommend him for any other types of custom alterations and shoe cleanings as well as the shoe repair of course!

Took my cowboy boots in to get them re-​soled. Mike pointed out that the last place to resolve them completely made the pads uneven by about a ¼″ and put extra stitching and didn’t properly bond the new bottoms to the boot.
He went above and beyond and also changed out the heel support. All for cheaper than the last guy’s total job. I will be bringing all my boots to get their repairs here.

I had a terrible experience. The owner repaired my watch band three weeks ago. About a week ago the leather strip broke. Today I went back and showed him. He was extremely rude and accused me of lying about when I brought the watch in. He said that because he had not charged me much, I should have to pay again for the repair. I said that because he had not done the job correctly, he should redo it for no charge. He then became very angry and said that he would not repair the band under any circumstances and that the watchband rubbing against my skin had caused the leather to tear. I took my watch to another shoe repair store in Pasadena, and the leather worker repaired the little loop on the band and did not charge me because the job only took a few minutes.

My family has been going here for a very long time. Never had any complaints of the handiwork, prices are great, and he is so nice. I have had my Red Wing lineman boots rebuilt by Mike and he has even made them better than when I first purchased them from the company that originally made them. He even put in a steel shank for me in the soul of the foot and did a fantastic job. Super reliable and knowledgeable about what he is doing, I would recommend his services to anyone.

Mike is the best! He is a wonderful craft person and knows what he is doing. I have taken him more than one pair of shoes and several pairs of boots and he has brought them back to life. I have also brought other friends shoes in and he has made them like new. He always has surpassed my expectations and works in a timely manner. No complaints here, these other people who have gone in with poor reviews likely have attitude problems themselves along with unreasonable expectations. He is super polite, kind, and works hard. We have gone to him for years. I would recommend him highly to anyone.

Mike has many talents, one of which is shoe repair. The two others I’m aware of are kindness and integrity. You can image how all three of these combine to make an excellent experience for his cobbler customers.
My most recent experience was his resoling a pair of classic mahogany weejuns and correcting scuff marks and discolorations by restaining a pair of cap toe Ferragamos. Wow! Both looked better than when I bought them! Part of that is shoe quality another part is master craftsman. Mike is a master at his craft and is equally generous providing leather cushions in the weejuns and staining the sole so as to match the original color. Other cobblers have done neither.
I rest easy knowing my valuable pieces of fashion and function are in his hands. Btw, while I was there, some locals stopped in just to exchange pleasantries. The shop has obviously earned the respect and appreciation of the community.
Easily five stars.

What a frustrating experience! I took my favorite old sandals in for new soles. First issue was that every time I was promised it would be ready it was not. Finally they were ready but boy was I shocked. Instead of a nice simple leather sole they were now thicker and more coarse. The stitching was off the edge in many parts. It did not resemble what I brought to him and asked him to duplicate. He tidied them up to a point where I was OK with them though disappointed. The work cost me more than I paid for them. I brought them home and one no longer fit! Strap was too tight. I returned them and here I am 2 months later I went back in today it was not ready. He completed it while I waited. I took them home and tried them on — there is a large bump under the heal and I cannot wear them. I compared the two and they are not matching. The straps are attached in a different location on each and the straps are covered in old glue. Total loss. I am so frustrated with the service at this store. I am out 75.00 and I no longer have my shoes.

RUDE, BROKE MY SHOES, THEN WOULDN’T GIVE ME SHOES BACK UNLESS I PAID FULL PRICE! I kid you now. Not only did Ruiz Shoe Repair BREAK the zipper he was supposed to repair on my boot, he then blamed it on another repair person saying, «You must have taken this boot to someone else because look what happened.» Then he showed me the specialty zipper pull he broke. What? I told him I NEVER had this boot repaired previous to him. He then went on to say that I was surely mistaken, continuing a defensive rant on how breaking the zipper pull had nothing to do with him.
Oh, it gets better. Sooooo… after arguing with him by setting the record straight, he then started blaming me for the mishap (huh? how did I become the person to blame?). I then decided to take my boot and I offered to pay him for the cost of the new zipper. He then grabbed my boot, and said I need to pay him full price or no boot for me! What? When did he become the Boot Nazi? Did he just say he was kidnapping my boot? Am I living in an alternate universe or is this guy the worse businessman I’ve ever seen?
So, in order to get my boot back, I had to pay him FULL PRICE for actually breaking the designer zipper pull he was supposed to fix. Oh wait, I also gave him an extra tip which I’ll share with you: DON’T TAKE YOUR SHOES TO RUIZ SHOE REPAIR UNLESS YOU WANT SLOPPY WORK, A BAD ATTITUDE AND YOUR SHOES HIJACKED FOR RANSOM UNTIL YOU PAY, EVEN AFTER HE BREAKS THEM.

A few months back, we had an awful experience having my wife’s Louis Vuitton wallet fixed by a Cerritos mall shoe repair store. This led to my wife deciding not to have any of her leather items fixed. The items continued to stay unused and in the cabinet until I read the reviews on Ruiz. I decided to take two bags (1 LV and 1 Chanel) over and see if he could try to fix both. The zippers were changed and the threads went through the original holes. The stitching was perfect!!! The bags are now in excellent condition!!! Without hesitation, I would recommend this place for repairs of high-​end leather bags. The handwork is refined. The zippers matched and instead of paying a couple hundred dollars in the Beverly Hills LV Store, we ended up with a great deal. To top it off, the customer service was par excellence and the bags delivered timely. He did not collect the money upfront and was very honest. He took care of the bags like a subject matter expert. If he messed up these two bags, I would have been in very serious trouble with my wife. I do not understand some of the bad reviews but, our experience has been perfect. Highly recommend and my wife is taking another bag over this weekend.

Needed the zippers replaced on my boots. Was quoted 50.- After several delays, the owner charged me 40.- for this horrible work! Now I have to find someone who can fix his work! He did tell me that the tassels will hide the stitches, so I could wear them… I was speechless …
Found Victor’s shoe repair in Burbank and they corrected the stitching ! But the stitching holes remain! Ruiz ruined my boots! If you can’t stitch a straight line, than you should not be touching any shoes! Very unhappy with his work and will never be back! Horrible work!

Absolute EXCELLENCE in customer service in a time when it is so hard to find.
I have this pair of black leather sandals that I adore. They are comfortable enough to be casual while dressy enough for formal events. I have owned them for 8 years. I wear them so much that I have worn the lining in them down to the point that they are sadly uncomfortable.
It’s a Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm and I wander into this little shoe repair shop with the project of my sandals. THEY CLOSE AT 5pm. Only problem is I leave for a 2 month trip Monday morning! «Can you fix and mail them?» I ask. A warm smile comes across the shop owner’s face as he says «Come back at 5pm and they will be ready for you.»
He completely took them apart, added a new layer of memory foam and a new layer of leather and put them back together. It is as if they are brand new! SERIOUSLY. I can’t tell the difference from when I purchased them!
Excellent and fast service, impeccable workmanship and all for a very fair price!
In a time when most people throw out the old and buy new, paying $ 25/​shoe to completely rebuild a favorite is so worth it!
I can not recommend this Ruiz Shoe Repair enough!

I don’t know where all these negative people/​comments have gone but it can’t be Ruiz Shoe Repair!
I have had nothing but an excellent experience there. One of the best customer service experiences I’ve ever had. The owner is beyond kind, he makes you feel welcome and is so helpful with tips and ideas to make your repair cheaper and easier for you. He also fixes designer items to make it as the day you bought them.
Definitely my new shoe repair place. I live 30 minute away from this shop but I drive there all the time, cause they’re just that good. Everyone go to Ruiz Repair, you won’t regret it!
Thank you for your amazing customer service, always!

literally the worst customer experience and craftsmanship.
the first time i took my purse to him, he replaced the lining with something we had never agreed upon. Then, the lining started rubbing off onto all my belongings in my purse. ruining them.
I took my purse back and told him i wanted him to redo it. He agreed, however, he would keep telling me my bag would be ready on a Saturday. Saturday would role around and he would keep coming up with some excuse that it would not be ready til the following Saturday. «i’m waiting on the fabric.» «the fabric came but there was a stain on it, i’m sending it back.» «My machine is broken.» «they sent me the wrong part for my machine.» «my mechanic has not come in.» so on and so forth.
basically a huge jerk.
When i went in to finally pick up my purse, he was incredibly rude to me and blamed for for his less than suburb craftsmanship. He is a misogynistic man, and treated me like a dumb little girl.
I will never take anything back to him. Also while looking at his Unilocal page now, I found he has put pictures of my purse online, something I never said he could do.
please pay attention to my warning. do not take anything to this man.

I was greeted by Mike, who was very detailed and polite. I left a pair of black danner boots to be shined and needed back that same day. Without hesitation Mike agreed. I picked up my boots later that day before closing and Mike did an excellent job!
Not sure about some of the negative reviews but my experience was A1 perfect.
I would highly recommend and I will be going back!
Leo

Trev R. recommended Ruiz’s Shoe Repair to me after I had a bad resoling experience going directly through Red Wing Shoes.
Ruiz’s did an amazing job resoling my boots. The boots were reconditioned, waterproofed, and shined. The price was about $ 40 less than what Red Wing charged me before. He really takes pride in what he does and it’s great to see that craftsmanship is alive and well in Sierra Madre, CA.
I’ll be bringing all my boots here from now on.

I found this shoe repair place while walking my kids home from school. He promised high quality and low price so I have him 2 pair of work boots to resole. The work should have been simple but the guy Mike really spent some time making my sorry old boots look new again. Before this I went to Zinke’s and had a negative experience. Now I pay less and get more… Way more.

Liar Liar Liar Rude Rude Rude !!!
I found this shop 2 weeks ago when i was visiting a friend in Sierra Madre. It looked like a run down hole in the wall place but the lady coming out of the store said their work is fast and they are professionals at what they do.
I wanted to give them a try so i brought in a pair of Edward Green shoes that needed some heel and sole repair. The owner Mike who is a short obese man seemed a bit rude in the beginning and kept cutting me off when i tried to talk to him. He seemed like he was having a bad day so i ignored it and gave him the pair of shoes. He quoted me $ 78 which seemed high but he said he had to use higher quality parts since it’s an expensive pair of shoes worth over $ 500. I was told the repairs would take 2 – 3 days to finish and he gave me a ticket.
I arrived 5 days later to pick up the shoes and as soon as i walk into the store and greet the owner the guy yells at me and starts throwing a tantrum that he told me to come back in 2 days. He said he is a very busy person and hates people who do not «obey «his schedule. Uhhmmm excuse me what !! This guy is the rudest person I’ve seen in my life. He spits while yelling and all his spit flys into your face Disgusting !. His store is a very small mom and pop shop. The place is run down, looks like a mess, and to top it off this place is filled with dead bugs near the door and windows and filled with lots of dust !.
He told me the repairs would be done in 2 –3 days He never mentioned to me to pick them up in 2 days. After he argued with me for 15 minutes i finally had enough and just tossed him the ticket and told him to go get my shoes. He came back 20 minutes later, he apparently couldn’t find my shoes. This was a LIE since when he came back he had a small coffee cup in his hand this guy went and made a pot of coffee and made me wait for him. What a JERK !!.
After finally being infuriated i was ready to pay and get out of here. This guy only accepts cash and no credit cards or debit cards. Who doesn’t accept credit/​debit cards these days ??. He rang up my bill and the total came up to $ 106 !. I argued with him and told him he quoted me $ 78. He said the materials cost more apparently. At this point i just wanted to pay and leave this dump once and for all.
After paying he handed me my shoes. I open the box and tried the shoes on outside to see how it was. I walked to the Starbucks 1 minute away and got coffee and came back. I noticed something weird about one of the shoes. I took it off and looked underneath and the apparent repairs he had done were falling APART !! I stormed into Mikes store yelling and mad and showed him the shoes. This Rude Liar tries to blame it on me ! Unbelievable he said i damaged the shoes… Really ! i walked in them for less than 5 minutes.
After very loud yelling and arguing he said he would call the police on me if i did not leave his store. After 20 minutes of arguing with the owner Mike i left the store and the store owner from one of the business next to his asked me outside what was going on. Apparently this isn’t the first time something like this happens. He told me the guy was a Shady Rude Person & a Liar !
I went to my friends place and told him what had happened. We walked into this guys location again and this time he greets my friend with a smile and pretends he doesn’t even know me !! I mean WOW. He said he never did the repairs on my shoes and i was Lying !!. I went to my car and pulled the box he had given me and showed my friend. After going in and showing him that he argued and cursed at us what seemed to sound like Russian and kicked us both out of the store !!. $ 106 down the drain he did not refund 1 cent back. And worst of all since he only accepts cash you cannot do a charge back. Now i understand why he only takes cash. So you won’t charge back on your credit card.
I took the shoes to another location in downtown Los Angeles 2 days ago and the worker there told me the repairs had to be undone and fixed. The worker told me it looked like a Monkey had worked on the shoes. The Worker quoted me $ 42 Dollars !! I was shocked and in disbelief. Not only did he use cheap materials. He charged me almost 3x the amount this new place was quoting me.
I finally got the shoes fixed in Downtown Los Angeles and the overall work is not only cheaper but a million times better.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. THIS GUY IS A THIEF, LIAR AND INCREDIBLY RUDE !! SHAME ON YOU MIKE !!

Have been going to Ruiz for years. Their work is excellent. If you are in the area, I highly recommend Ruiz. You won’t be disappointed with the results.

2 pair of sandals to be resoled dropped off by my husband who didn’t ask how much it would cost. I went in to pick them up on Saturday, didn’t have my claim slip, gave him my last name, he stared like I was nuts, I gave him the last name again at which time he said i don’t use the last name — 3 more minutes of rude blankness on his face — he walked back and pick up the shoes — I think he knew where they were the whole time. He rang me up: $ 57!!!, $ 12 for the heels on one pair and $ 45!!! for the other pair. I told him that was ridiculous and he then stated that he quoted that price to my husband — WHICH HE DIDN’T– He lied!!!, then he told me I was his first complaint ever — and I said well it’s my lucky day and then (get this) he said: NO IT’S HIS LUCKY DAY BECAUSE HE HAD TO LISTEN TO ME… Holy moly — that was the frosting on the cake. He’s an idiot, don’t go there.