London Bridge Boot & Shoe Repair

Great price for great work. I needed half sole replacement for my USN brown leather shoes and was very pleased with the result.

Store was recommended to me by the Birkenstock dealer at Hilltop for factory repairs. Nice man in a typical repair shop but he kept my Birkenstock work shoes for 2 months while he searched and toyed with different sole options. While I appreciate his tenacity in searching for the correct sole when I finally got my shoes back my right shoe has a large uncomfortable lump in the heel so it must be returned for repair. Both heels have lumps but the right foot is worse. He and I wear almost the same size shoe so he could have tried them on but being a cobbler should have known better to begin with… very dissatisfied.

I love Mom and Pop type shops. There are some service areas that you find more than others. Shoe repair is one of them, there is no such thing as a chain, these are small independent businesses that have been around for years and in many cases have had the trade handed down from Father to son. In other case from owner to apprentice. The shoe shop repair business has dried up. Fifteen years ago there were over 60k, today less than 6k. In our area of Hampton roads there are two, or three.
The shop is behind Subway on Great Neck. If you turn just prior that will take you to the strip located behind them. Parking is plentiful and you can pull right up to the door. There are lots of small independent services along the strip and it was interesting taking a look at them. Unless you have a reason you will not see them from the main road. I found the parking lot and walks clear of debris. Signage was good, they are at the very North side.
This was my first time in the shop. I met David, the owner of London Bridge Shoe Repair who has operated the business for 30 years. He has one assistant and surprisingly said he needs another. According to David they have more than enough business to keep them busy and make a living. They do all kinds of repairs on leather, but specialize on shoes and boots. Want to get your shoes shined by a professional while they are on your feet?
They also have various retail products for shoes/​boots such as polish, cleaning brushes etc. He can do that too! Don’t expect the store to be well organized. There are leather items here and there scattered about. The retail items do present well. The floor was clean. I enjoyed my conversation with him and found that he was well suited to not only repairs, but customer service.
So the reason for my visit was to pick up dance shoes for my daughter. They come with a smooth leather bottom that needed a non skid surface. The service they provide does not come cheap. The cost was $ 15 and it would be interesting to know pricing of materials and amount of labor. I think he does quite well. The workmanship looked good to me, but of course the test is after there worn.
With the amount of shoes being made overseas, mainly in China for very cheap the industry has notably declined. That does not mean there are not consumers who purchase higher quality items that make it worth to repair vs. replace. I recall the days I use to resole my shoes, but have not had that done in over 15 years.
I am thrilled to support local businesses. Hopefully providing a first review will bring awareness to this shops location for others that may need leather repairs.