Advance Shoe Repair

I’ve had my fair share of surly, borderline rude shoe repair shop experiences, where I feel like I’m being reprimanded just for bringing in a pair of ruddy shoes. The guy at this place is always welcoming and friendly. I brought in a nice leather purse whose strap had come unstitched (I don’t think this bag was intended to hold a laptop) and when I picked it up a few days later, I couldn’t even tell or remember which of the two straps had been broken — it was a seamless repair! I plan on bringing in about five pairs of shoes next.

Josepf must have made a deal with the devil to trade his souls for these skills… or spent many years learning his trade. He delivers the best quality and consistency I have ever experienced and I have been going to him with all my shoe repairs for the last 2 years, and since I’ve found him I’ve been able to extend the lives of my shoes at least 3x.
–He’s built countless boots /​bootie heels I’ve worn down literally to and past the plastic
–Clean /​make new winter weather /​salty boots and makes them look brand new
–New bottoms and heel caps for stilettos
–Stretched new leather shoes
Truly excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail. Sometimes my shoes look better after repairs than when I first bought them!
A real artisan, I wouldn’t know what to do without these guys!

I live near Curry Hill and decided to make the trek to 8^th Ave to Advance Shoe Repair after reading the great Unilocal reviews about this establishment.
Every time I’ve gone to a shoemaker around my apt for anything more than taps, something goes wrong. This time I had taken in my favorite Kenneth Cole leather boots, which have no heel and look so sexy while they feel like bedroom slippers, to get both soles replaced. But when the job was done, I couldn’t wear the boots I’d worn for years. They were so tight on me my feet immediately cramped.
When I brought the boots to Joseph, the proprietor, I thought the problem was that the previous shoemaker had built up the sole too much, but he showed me that the other shoemaker had done the stitching for the sole repairs too tightly. He told me he would stretch the shoes and it should solve the problem.
Unfortunately, the first time I went back to pick them up the left boot was still too tight. So Joseph asked me exactly where the pain was, marked it on the outside, and told me he’d work on it again.
On the second round, I almost had my old shoes back again! I say almost because they were formerly like bedroom slippers and now they are like good shoes, but I am still so happy to be able to wear my favorite boots again.
Oh and I think he threw in a free shine… they’ve never looked better… or is that just my boot love shining through?!

They’re a bit pricey, but Joseph was able to bring back my boots to life!!! I brought in a pair of suede and patent leather boots that had a hole in the sole, broken zippers, and a broken strap. I thought that I was going to have to throw them away, and I paid a pretty penny for them. I brought them in to Advance Shoe Repair, and Joseph was very friendly and professional and he ensured me that he would take care of my boots and to my pleasant surprise, they were as good as new when I came back to pick them up! I’ll definitely be returning.

This place is a little more expensive than others I’ve gone to, but I come back because they’re the only ones I trust to do a great job! They have good suggestions too for how to keep my shoes in the best shape. If I get a new pair of shoes that’s good quality, I bring them here before wearing for rubber soles and waterproofing and it makes my shoes last a lot longer, especially in New York.
They’re also the nicest guys in the business! I went once to pick up and the shoes weren’t done yet so they let me come back to the work space to find them and wait about 10 min while they finished up so I could take them with me on a trip.

This place is amazing. Joseph is honest, everything is very reasonably priced, and he is extremely skilled. This combo is very uncommon in my experience with this type of business in NYC. On top of all that, Joseph is an absolute pleasure.
I live in Cobble Hill Brooklyn, and happily go to Midtown West for all of my shoe & bag repairs-​from the smallest fix, to extremely detailed work on delicate leather.
This place is just the best.

Exceptional service! Not to mention friendly :-) It’s special to find a service shop in midtown with such a trustworthy feel. I had some vintage leather boots peeling soles. The cobbler (Joseph?) told me the glue must have expired. I picked them up the next day (they were finished by morning, just as promised). Apparently they were difficult to glue, but Joseph (?) told me that if anything were to them again I could bring them in at no charge! Highly recommended.

Really nice guy! He made sure my order got done the night I needed my shoes despite being really short staffed. Even added an extra piece to the heel of my repettos because he appreciated the fine craftsmanship and wanted to protect them. Very pleased!

I had been searching for a great cobbler for almost a year to have my brand new pair of Frye boots stretched. I was so apprehensive to bring my expensive leather boots to just any cobbler so I was very pleased to have finally found one so close to the office with very reasonable prices! The young gentleman at the counter was extremely helpful and took his time measuring my boots and explained the stretching process to me so that I felt at ease. Before I had my boots stretched, I made the mistake of trying to break them in myself by wearing them… bad idea… blisters on blisters! After picking up my boots from Advance Shoe Repair, I was relieved that they fit much better, leather softened, still looked fantastic and brand new! They were a little snug but no more blisters! Finally, I’m able to wear these boots comfortably, right in time for the cold weather season! I will definitely come back for any repairs, maintenance, or stretching. Thank you Advance Shoe Repair!!!

This is the first time I’ve ever written a Unilocal review I’ve worked in retail for a few years specifically in shoes so I know my stuff. This guy tried to haggle me into more charges when I brought my shoes here I ignored it and when I came to pick it up I didn’t have my ticket which was my bad. But really it wasn’t that hard to find and he was such an asshole about it. Not getting my money again

Very quick service and great turn around time. cleaned a leather purse for me and got a few stains out perfectly. The people here will be in honest if something can be repaired or not. They are also helpful with tips on how to clean your items and what you can buy in store in order to take home and do it yourself.20% off your final order when you check in, but this only applies to repairs. i checked in and couldnt use it because i was trying to buy some chemicals to clean a purse – couldnt use it then so keep that in mind.

Glad to give my very first Unilocal review to Advance Shoe Repair! I was doing some research looking for a decent shoe repair place and decided to make this trip from Long Island City after I read all five star reviews. I took two pair of boots that were severely damaged on the sole and handed them over to Joseph for magic touch. He is very nice and professional. He also explained to me how to maintain leather boots and bags better by polishing monthly and putting conditioner treatment on once or twice a year so that they last longer and look new all the time. Now my boots look brand new again! Thanks for saving them Joseph! Will definitely come back!

Just because everyone else is giving them 5 stars, doesn’t mean I can’t. They seriously do a good job. Is there a time when Joseph does not work? They guarantee all their work. They repair small problems for free when they come up. They have a loyalty system. They are friendly, fast, and responsive. Why bother going anywhere else? Did I mention that they were reasonably priced? Context: lots of men’s shoes that need to be kept in good order, so this place is essential.

Come here for fantastic quality of work and excellent service. While there are tens of other repair stores near my place, I always make my way through Manhattan to come here for all my shoes because I wouldn’t take them anywhere else.
My first time here, I came in to get only the heels of my shoes fixed, but the gentleman at the store kindly pointed out other damages that I had totally overlooked. For complete repair and cleaning of two pairs of high heels, I paid $ 56. Looking at my shoes now, the money was very well spent.

Fairly priced, quick, and extremely well done service. Would recommend, will go back for any shoe needs.
Brought in two pairs of shoes to be repaired last week. One needed regluing of the rubber on the bottom while the other required much more intensive work. Explained everything they were going to do upfront, did some diagnostics and gave me a price for every part of the service. Gave tips for care afterwards. They saved me hundreds of dollars as other cobblers said my favorite shoes were long gone. They look and feel new. Thanks!

The gentlemen in this shoemaker basically upholstered the shoes that I’m wearing as a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding! Wierdly, the leather on these gold formal shoes got chopped up with the only other time that I wore them. SMH. It seems like the leather that the shoemaker had shipped to them to fix the heels are better than the leather that the shoes were made with.
I will return!

Brought in my favorite Sam Edelman sandals as a last hope before throwing them away. These shoes have traveled the world and trekked all terrain. Unfortunately they were hanging by a string, literally. The elastic for the strap was completely unraveled and the metal buckle was so twisted that I had to maneuver the shoe on to keep from disrupting it. I searched for the same shoe EVERYWHERE and was even willing to pay up to $ 500 for a new, or salvageable pair (even they only cost $ 85). Needless to say they are my absolute favorite shoes. Well when I dropped them off for Joseph he told me not to worry. I believed him but I didn’t think he could make them brand new again. He completely replaced the sole, changed the elastic and somehow fixed the buckles (which I thought would be impossible). I am so happy.
I would not only recommend this shop to my friends and family but I will be bringing all my favorite shoes and boots to redo the soles on all of them. The amount of walking I do in the city has sanded down most of my shoes.

I had an awesome experience at this shore repair place.
A pair of my husband’s shoes was torn and ruined by this winter.
It was just awesome because customer service was good because he told me exactly what to expect once it’s fixed. My husband was very pleased with the repair. The time was also reasonable because it needed a lot of work. (7 days) They cleaned up the salt 4 times before putting on the sole.

First off let me apologize, this review is long over due. The summer of 2014 I irresponsibly trashed a pair of Maison Martin Margiela suede chelsea boots. They were riddled with various types of alcohol and stained for what I thought was beyond repair.
Knowing I had spent a shameful amount of money on the boots, I thought I might as well see if there was any hope of repair. I found this place by random and I had no idea it’d be the place to reverse my poor footwear decision at bars. They explained to me the process of removing the stain from the suede and how long it will take/​what kind of chemicals they’ll be using on the shoe. I felt at ease and comfortable leaving them in their hands, but definitely learned my lesson.
When the day came to pick up my Margiela’s I was in awe, the man did exactly what he said he would do. I could not have been any happier with the crafstmanship and care that went into the repair. This is a company that truly cares about their customers and their work. Much Respect, thanks again.
–Also he threw in a free bottle of suede protector spray bc he’s the man!

If you are looking for Master Craftsmanship in shoe repair in NYC then Advanced is worth the effort to get to.
Of course they do excellent work replacing heels and soles but if you need custom work done like taking in boot calves because they are too big very few repair shops can do this properly. Advanced can handle any job with expert skill.
Also a great selection of shoe care products coupled with excellent customer service. What more could you require?
Needless to say I’m very pleased with their work.