George Corner Shoe Repair

My initial impression of George’s was superb.
I had a pair of Allen Edmonds that needed a cleaning, they came out looking better than new.
I also had a pair of clarks dbs that I wanted a resole with a chunky Vibram sole. It’s not an easy fix; crêpe soled clarks lack a welt. The cost was nearly prohibitive: Clarks run about $ 75 – 90 a pair and the resole was $ 90ish. The smugness I felt for saving a few scraps of leather from our buy-​first, disposable, consumer driven culture though? Well, there’s no putting a price on that.
The resole went great, I even hit everything with a layer of Sno-​Seal (omigod so good) and I’m 50ish% sure I could’ve walked up Denali in just my Clarks the moment they slid onto my feet.
2 months in and unspeakable horror: the sole has started to peel away. Theres about 2 mm of separation on the toe. I haven’t been back to George’s yet to diagnose the situation, but the truth is this:
–I asked for a ridiculously difficult job which basically entailed building a part of the shoe that was never included in the original design
–He charged me a price that amounted to robbery (in my favor) for several hours of work and a $ 25 sole
–The work looked excellent upon completion
–I stepped in an ankle deep puddle and walked out with dry socks the Tuesday of snowzilla’16 even with some separation occurring.
I’ll be back to George’s next time I need a cleaning or cobbling.

I’ve taken dress shoes and work boots in for heel/​sole replacement and they did a great job on all of them. Prices and turn around time are reasonable. Two thumbs up!

George is rude, his repairs are overpriced and he won’t give a discount even if you bring in 10 pairs. You’d be better off traveling elsewhere for good service.

I have been to George a few times in the past and always had a good experience, however after my last visit I will not be returning. I brought in a heel that had broken, he said it would be no problem to fix and charged me $ 35. After I picked them up a week later, as soon as I tried to walk in them again the heel IMMEDIATELY snapped. I brought them back pretty upset, he insisted he had fixed it but ultimately took it back to «fix» it again. All he did was try to glue it which did not work and it snapped again as soon as I tried to wear it. So, about a month of my time wasted going back and forth, $ 35 bucks down the drain, and my shoe is still not fixed. Total rip off and rude customer service on top of that.

These guys know what they are doing and will take in complicated tasks other cobblers won’t touch– from repairing a Coach bag to reattaching a broken heel.
They charge accordingly for the time invested, but it’s worth it.

This guy is both kind and talented. After a unique repair job didn’t work out quite as well as we had hoped, he gave me no trouble with trying a new approach.
As I walked in, he stopped what he was doing and tended to the re-​repair right away. I’m confident the shoes will now be just as I need them.

Friendly, efficient service. Jorge is a sweet and competent owner. I have had several pairs of shoes repaired here (my heels and my husband’s dress shoes) and do not have any complaints. I always feel that Jorge is honest in his pricing, assessment and work. Will continue to support this neighborhood small business.

This is my first Unilocal and it is a Unilocal well spent. After finally taking in some weather beaten dress shoes (snow, sleet, salt, and a restaurant job involving a lot of walking) that I received for Christmas in 2013, as soon as I entered into the repair shop the lovely woman assisting me assessed the shoes and recommended how they can save my shoes from purgatory.
After taking another look and handling a quote that was fair and reasonable, she assessed that she would prefer her father to handle them as he will know how to best restore them, and restore is exactly what Jorge (George) did.
I’ve attached photos of a before an after so you can see for yourself the quality. Truly a warm friendly service for something so minimal but at the same time means I have another year with these shoes.
I’ll be coming back if ever need the services again and would recommend them to everyone else. Happy New Year!

I dropped off a pair of black, heeled booties I have had for four years and the time had come to get the heels fixed. Picked them up today, and they look AMAZING! Excellent job, they couldn’t look better! They look exactly as i wanted. Absolutely beautiful work. I can’t wait to get my next pair of shoes fixed!

Jorge (George) is a warm, amicable person. He knows his stuff, AND he has a great attitude and approach. I had three pairs of shoes that needed attention: one he repaired, one he dyed, and one didn’t need repair beyond a good cleaning, so he sold me a quality polish and brush. I am very satisfied with his service and would highly recommend him to anyone with shoes or bags that need a little TLC.

A strap broke on a really nice bag that I got in Turkey. Took it to George’s and not only did he fix it but replaced the cheap vinyl with leather and I can’t even tell the difference. He can do a lot besides shoes and is amazing!

Called to get a price estimate for resoles on boots. Wouldn’t even give me a general range! «I don’t work that way.»

Really pleased with my first visit to George’s Shoe Repair. He re-​soled my beloved cowboy boots and they look and feel fantastic… pictures attached. He also repaired heel tips on a pair of heels and flat suede boots, all three were done perfectly and in just one week’s time. He’s also a sweet seeming man and very polite. Thanks!

Read these awesome reviews so I called this place before I trekked all the way to U Street. He answered the phone with a «hello»… awkward. Had to ask if this was George’s Shoe Repair. He said yes. I began to ask whether he was able to fix… and he cut me off saying it would be better if I came in. Okay, fine. I said I wanted to know before I came. And he said fine, but I’m busy right now and told me to call back in 5 minutes. Horrible customer service. Really not sure if I should call back.

Solid place for all sorts of work — sole proprieter is a pro. Took an old and battered pair of Chaco sandals in — he replaced the heel sole for $ 25 = another year on the street for these trusty kicks! I asked about some toe cap damage on a pair of leather shoes — he recommended against work (!!) as they have not reached the point of repair over damage to appearance yet — who turns work away in this town because it is unnecessary? Well worth it — FYI, he asks you to pay up front in cash so be ready.

Came here on my lunch break to have the peg thing on one of my heels replaced. I went to two shoe repair places on 17^th first but they only did shoe repairs on certain days. I needed my heels repaired ASAP so I could wear them out after work. I dropped my shoes off here, walked to get takeout at Henry’s, came back 15 minutes later and they were done. Plus it only cost $ 6. Highly recommend and I’ll definitely be back if I need shoes fixed in the future.

Downgraded from a five to a two star review: I’ve had the same boots «fixed» by George two times, and each time they fell apart in the same way. (This after paying for each repair with about a month and half in between repairs).
I went back to Corrective Shoe Repair to get the same boots fixed for the third time, and was much happier with the results (and was also shocked to hear the guy at Corrective Shoe Repair comment that it looked like it had never even been fixed).

I brought in a pair of 11 year old go-​to leather heels where the fore sole finally gave up the ghost and self destructed… at work, of course. They also needed new heels. I called several other places, and they all wanted well over $ 50 for the repair. I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on 11 year old shoes that I only paid $ 60 for, no matter how comfy and well broken in they are.
I was charged $ 35 and got more than I bargained for. I got a new half sole and heel with genuine Vibram replacements and he thoroughly cleaned and reconditioned the entire upper. They looked almost new again. The work was speedy and they were done in two days. George was super friendly and I’m definitely going to be using this shop again.

Jorge — George, who who owns this perfect shoe repair shop, is wonderful. He can be a bit of a flirt with women — not offensively, muy simpatico. Pero muy importante, my shoes and boots have always been repaired, re-​soled perfectly with an extra bit of water-​proofing and shine.
When I’ve brought in repairs that could be handled more easily, like a sandal where the sole was beginning to come off, rather than take it and fix it for $ 10 (or whatever it would cost), he offered an inexpensive glue.
I chose the glue, of course, and easily fixed my sandal hard and strong — and the glue will last for many other home shoe repairs.
Bravo, Jorge!

This is my first time going here, so I’m hesitant for the 5 star honors, but so far so great.
Great jovial service. Took my boots in to have my heels replaced and the soles corrected. Not only did he do a fantastic job integrating the corrections, he shined the boots and buffed out the scratches thanks to his own passion for perfection.
Highly recommended!