Novelty Shoe Rebuilders Limited

After reading all the 5-​stars reviews on Unilocal,I was really excited to take some shoes to Novelty. After taking the subway out of my way specifically to visit, I was met with the rudest employee. He didn’t greet me, but rudely just asked what I wanted when I walked in. I had brought in a pair of partial leather boots in to see if they could do anything (I realize they probably work mostly with leather, but a reviewer said they fixed a roller blade strap once so I figured I would give it a shot). He said they can’t fix anything that isn’t all leather and called my boots «plastic» which was unnecessary. I couldn’t believe how condescending this man was, and he walked away from me after that exchange, so I didn’t even bother to see if they could fix my coral red leather pumps I had also intended to drop off (leather has ripped and rode up on the heel). I also didn’t feel like I could trust them after being in the shop. I realize that other employees may not be this rude, but customer service is really important to me. I also just read the other 1-​star review, which seems to justify my weariness.
Guess I’m still in search of a shoe repair shop in the city that compares to the stunning quality of the shop I used when I lived in Sudbury, ON (Heels’n’Soles). For now, I’d rather lug my shoes home whenever I visit than go back to Novelty.

I come here all the time to get my Allen Edmonds, Alden’s and Church’s shoes recrafted. They also do an excellent job of dyeing and repairing leather.
This is hands down the best shoe repair shop in all of Toronto.

Novelty Shoe Rebuilders Limited is a hidden gem located in the Downtown Core. I had a pair of grey leather boots (made in Portugal) that I wanted dyed black. They took a quick look, gave me a very reasonable price and within a week, I had a beautifully dyed pair of boots that looked brand new. Very impressed and would definitely recommend this shop’s services.

Love the employees here – they have the same energy as New York cobblers. Also, one of the staff said he appreciated the craftsmanship of a pair of high-​end Italian open toe flats I brought in (by Bruno Magli), which made me smile.

Thank you Unilocal community for another reliable recommendation! I can safely say I have found my go-​to shoe repair shop. I brought in three black heels, all requiring a bit of TLC. To my amazement they all came back looking brand new in just a weeks time. I got the tips of all of my heels replaced and they also fixed spots where the leather was fraying to prevent holes from occurring. My bill came to just around $ 55 which in my opinion is a steal for the workmanship they offer.
Tip: I suggest you call ahead before you go to pick up the shoes to make sure they are ready. I’m not positive they take credit (didn’t see the VISA sticker anywhere) but they do take Interac/​Debit.
My only real complaint would be there was some leftover flakes of dried paint or sanding from something on the interiors of the heels. Not a major deal since that just required a quick wipe with a soft rag and some leather cleaner. If I was paying a bit more or if they were very very expensive shoes, I would have liked a bit more attention to detail on this.

I don’t normally write reviews, but I was impressed enough by the service at novelty to leave them something nice. This is my first time getting shoes repaired and I’m quite happy with the work they did on replacing my heel tips and patching up the fabric that was fraying near the bottom. I honestly thought they were too far gone. I didn’t give 5 stars because they were a bit gruff on the phone when I called in to ask about the price, but Robert was very friendly when I came in.

AMAZING. I would give them extra stars if I could. I initially tried this place out because of the great reviews. I brought a pair of light gold leather Louboutins in to get the tips in the heels replaced. When I brought them in he asked if I wanted them «re-​done» since that had quite a few scuff marks on them. I had no idea what they did to them, but they came back looking almost brand new! Since then I’ve been back multiple times with the same fantastic results. They’re also super friendly and very reasonably priced! I will never go anywhere else!

Amazing experience with these guys. As soon as I walked in the door, the gentleman behind the counter was extremely friendly and welcoming. The sole on my boot was peeling, and I needed it to be fixed. He told me the earliest he could do is Tuesday, but I was leaving Monday morning, so unfortunately he was not able to do it.
Just as I was outside, about to leave, he told me to come back in — he offered to fix it within the HOUR. So I dropped it off, and came back in an hour, and there my boot was, good as new!
Amazing work, with top notch service. I’ve only been here once, but I will definitely head here first if I need shoe repair done.

My beautiful and favourite Frye boots have been great to me for 3 years. Last year my rubber soles were replaced at a shop in Kensington Market for the first time because I had worn them down to the wood. But I found myself bringing them to Novelty after only 2 seasons because the soles from the other place had worn down. For the same price, my rubber soles were replaced, the wood was polished, and my boots were nicely buffed!!! The vibram soles seem so much more reliable now!!! Thanks so much for returning my boots in beautiful working order!

I can sometimes hear myself telling others… let me take you to my guys. They have fixed my families shoes, boots, even roller blades (broken strap).
Quick, helpful, can provide suggestions without steering you into buying something (or a service) you don’t need.
Robert and the gang (sounds like a band) are my Go-​To Shoe Guys.
Highly recommend above any chain the Path.

Highly recommend and will be back! Staff are so friendly and helpful. Plus they do an amazing job. I brought in boots that were in rough shape, broken zipper, scuff up toes and worn down heels — really looked beat up. Not only did I get my boots back looking brand new, but I got them a week earlier than I was told they would be ready! Definitely check them out for all your shoe/​sandals/​boot repairs, etc. They are miracle workers!

True Shoe rebuilder!
I had a pair of beautiful leather backless shoes. I also have a chocolate lab
with a shoe fetish. He destroyed one of the heels on one of the shoes — I was mad and devastated! I took the shoes to two shoe repair places at Yonge and St. Clair — they basically told me to throw the shoes out. My dad who is 86 said to me why don’t you take them to Novelty shoes? That’s where I take all my shoes to be «fixed». Well I did and god damn it they actually replaced both heels for under $ 50.00! I couldn’t believe first of all that it was achievable and second — you don’t even notice that they have been repaired!
Novelty shoes are the best!

I have a freakishly small feet, so sometimes it’s hard to find shoes. Found a beautiful shoes that is 1 size too big, bought it anyway and took it to this guys. Took about 5 minutes done in premises, these guys know what they’re doing. I even got a free surface cleaner for my shoes. Will definitely come back!

As soon as you walk into the store, you know it’s a professional service. It was my first time going in and I was greeted right away. They gave me a quote on the spot and replaced my heel caps within 5 minutes. Reasonably priced and great service! Will definitely go back.

I was recommended this place as an alternative for Kaner’s in the downtown core. Since it was close to my office, I decided to give it a shot. On my first visit, I visited the shop with a colleague to check out their service — asked the gentleman to show me an example of their shoe repairs — the guy professes to have trained the owner at Kaner’s.
To be fair, I have taken a few pairs of less expensive shoes there and the repairs have been ok. On my last visit, I took a pair of very expensive patent leather designer pumps and asked him to remove the heel and reattach it, as I felt that the heel was loose. I also asked that he do his best to repair the patent that was lifting off at the base of the heel and to replace the insole.
A week later, I picked up the shoes. Much to my dismay, I was charged almost $ 50.00 for the job — to which the shopkeeper indicated that he was not making money on my repair. The heels were dull since he decided to spraypaint the heels — I would have preferred that he called me first to ask me whether that was ok or not before changing the finish of the shoes. Additionally, there was dried glue all over the shoe — on the patent top part, near the heel base etc. When I complained about the glue, he scraped some of it off and told me that I was being too picky and that nobody was going to look that closely.
My thought is this:
1. If you are going to charge me $ 50.00 — I’m going to expect you to do a top quality job. Expect that I will inspect your repair with a magnifying glass.
2. If you’re not making money on the transaction, then you should reconsider your pricing instead of complaining to the customer.
3. If you are going to change the finish of the shoe, call and ask whether that is ok or not.
About a week after I picked up the shoes, I realized that the heel had been broken in half (not where it was loose, but in the middle of the heel). I did not go back to complain since I could not absolutely guarantee that Novelty was responsible for the break even though I had barely worn the heels since getting them back and never had an issue with them before that. Thankfully, after some persistent calling, I was able to obtain replacement heels from the factory in Italy and will be getting them replaced by Kaner’s.
After my experience with Novelty, I will not be taking any shoes here nor will I be recommending this shop to any of my colleagues/​friends.

I read some reviews here and thought it best to go here.
I have been putting off fixing some designer heels for some time. very high, knee high leather boots, small heel. Wore the tips of the heels out 2 years ago and never wore then since. (procrastination!)
Went today on my lunch hour. I was the only customer. In 5 minutes my heels were fixed, done and he even polished the toes just for the hell of it!
I feel like I have brand new boots! So happy :)
While I was there, about 5 people came in to pick things up, it got busy.
Very happy and will be back. Good prices!
Good customer service as well. Smiles all around :)

When I first started working downtown, I had to readjust to figure out the best/​most efficient places to get things hemmed/​fixed/​whatnot during regular business hours. Luckily, Novelty Shoe Rebuilders made finding a good shoe repair super easy! I’ve gone in to have a couple of heels repaired (after grinding down the heel something fierce) and they came back looking as good as new and have lasted longer than the original heel lasted.
The staff are all charming and funny and if you pay in cash, you can usually save 10%! The hours are challenging if you’re not close to the area, but they cater to the downtown crowd and the area pretty much clears out when they close, so it makes sense.
Also, I hear that a lot of theatre organizations use them to resole, dye and repair company shoes too. Who knows who might be in there the next time you drop off a pair?

What an awesome place to walk in and change your heels in 10min for $ 12. It’s right in the district too and opens early! Gotta love the quick service.

I had to get some heels replaced on my shoes, so I called around to see who had the best price in the most convenient area for me. This place is close to my work, and had the best prices I could find. It’s a small mom and pop shop, which I love to support. They have a wife variety of shoe products, so if there’s something specific you’re looking for (i.e. shoe dye, insoles, laces), they probably have it.
I have only gotten my heels replaced, but I have been happy each time I take my shoes there. They do a good job, and the heels last. Just from hearing customer conversations while in the store, it sounds like they do good work replacing soles and other types of repairs. I would definitely take my shoes here to get fixed if I had another problem.
One thing that I really don’t like is their hours. They’re only open until 5pm most nights, which makes it really difficult to get there after work. Fortunately they are located near my office, so I can pop over when I get a chance. However, I don’t work out of my office most of the time, so some days I don’t get there until late in the afternoon and don’t have time to go to the shoe store.
Also, the service is up and down. For the most part I’m pleased with the service. However, one time I dropped my shoes off to get the heels fixed and was told to come back in a few days. I came back on the day they told me and they still hadn’t fixed the heels. I had to wait there while they fixed my shoes on the spot.

Rebuilders is right!
I brought in my sad, torn up cowboy boots for a tune up. Let’s just say that each aspect of them was falling apart. I was actually looking for another shoe shop but I stopped in front of this one because it just LOOKS so legit. I judged the book by it’s cover. Also, I remembered seeing some complimentary reviews on Unilocal.
So I brought out my boots and the one man working there perused the damage done. He was clear about what he could and could not do, apparently lining/​inner sole issues are for others to deal with but I was fine with that considering the bulk of damage was on the outside. With a resounding, «I can fix this» I gave him a deposit of 20 dollars and was told to call in back in week.
I called a week to the day. They had them ready! I came in, the man called me «Sweetpea», I picked them up and they put them in nice bag for me. The whole detailing was 60 dollars in total, plus tax.
Upon arriving home, I got to examine the handiwork up close and was very impressed. There was a complete reconstruction of the heel, new sole on the bottom and it was all pieced back together. I wasn’t even expecting this but the leather was treated so it was buttery smooth and shiny! They looked like a completely new pair of boots, expect it was even better than that because they were MY boots– just better!