Star Shoe & Watch Repair

When you want fast, affordable repairs on shoes or watches, Alex is the man to see. Very kind guy who has been working in the same building for over 25 years. He does quick watch battery replacements for $ 15 and does quick shoe work for around the same or less.

NEVER TAKE YOUR SHOES HERE! I never write Unilocal reviews, but I’m so pissed at this place that I want to keep others from making my mistake. I took my favorite boots here for 3 stitches to close up a hole. I’m very careful about who I let repair my shoes but this was such a simple fix I didn’t think anything of it. The owner used a machine!!! A MACHINE!!! Are you kidding! It was a very small job that only require some simple hand work. And he didn’t bother lining up the leather, completely messing up the line of the boot. He put in 10 stitches that went right over the original good stitching. I had to take it to another place to take out the horrible machine butchered job and it cost me $ 30+! A stitch job this simple doesn’t cost more than $ 10. If you care about your shoes, never take them here.

Replaced my watch band in front of me, poked extra holes for free, and the band and service together only cost me $ 25. This was a quick and economical venture, so I definitely approve.

$ 15 to replace watch battery. The guy was really nice and friendly, also fixed my watch because it wouldn’t start after he replaced the battery for no extra charge. They only take cash, though, so be aware of that.

Told them not put polish on front of shoes till I saw the color as it was blatant he wasn’t understanding what was needed walked away with the shoe and did it anyways and the color was 3 shades darker than the actual shoe color now i have to bring the shoes elsewhere to fix the job they did. The people refused to admit they did exactly opposite what was asked.

An open letter to the shoe cobbler who works at Star Shoe & Watch Repair on Bleecker St. I dropped of my shoes to have them repaired, instead you dropped them into the garbage disposal for approximately 30 – 45 seconds and called it a day. When I returned to pick up my shoes, I asked why they were so damaged, why the heels looked torn up, you simply stated, «It was not me, the shoe machine did it.» After much back and forth you admitted that the «repairs» you did were atrocious and you tried to console me by saying, «it doesn’t matter anyway no really looks at your shoes.» It’s clear that you hate your job and people in general, may I suggest you quit and try living off the grid, live off the land. I can see you out there foraging, mistaking animal droppings for blueberries as the ‘shoe machine’ also did it to your brain.

Best shoe repair in lower Manhattan! Really solid and thoughtful job, clean and well-​priced. Super nice people, tried and true for years! A+

Had my shoes fixed in an hour! Great, quick service! Will be back the next time I need a shoe repaired!

Friendly guy. Very quick service. Replaced a watch battery and fixed a chronograph issue in under 10 min for $ 18

These guys are great! Lost half the leather cover of a heel in a subway grate — they patched well and gave me new heel tips for $ 10. Then took a 10-​year old pair of Harley Davidson’s and had them resoled and refreshed — they look brand new for $ 75. Highly recommend.

Brought in a pair of boots. They changed the soles and polished & shined them to perfection! Definitely recommend this place. It is a little hard to find this place as it is underground. Walk to the corner of Broadway on Bleecker and you will see the subway-​like entrance.

On the pricey side, but they did a fantastic job on the (many) pairs of boots I brought in, including polishing them and fixing a broken strap and other minor things that I had forgot to even mention. Definitely worth the visit if you need a sole or heel repaired! Oh and they’re super quick — I brought in 6 pairs of shoes needing a lot of work around the holidays, and they had them done for me by 5PM the next day. Will be returning.

I came here based on Unilocal reviews. When it rains it pours… I had two watches with dead batteries and another I had dropped that completely fell apart. I felt like I had just replaced the batteries on the first two so I was frustrated having to do it again. The man explained to me I probably had cheap quality batteries put in that don’t last as long. All in all he fixed my watch and replaced 3 batteries for $ 45. I thought this was a little steep, but if they last a while I suppose it’s worth it. When they stop ticking I’ll update my review. Also he had them done very quickly and that was greatly appreciated.

Good people and customer service.
I came in to have some links taken out of a watch band and the guy did it quickly and it was only $ 10.
They’re kind of old school in a good way. I would definitely come here to get shoes repaired or to have my watch battery and band replaced.

If you have a nice and/​or vintage watch, DO NOT go here! I went in to have a mechanism fixed and the man behind the counter used an arts and craft scalpel to pry open the back. I explained that the outside was gold and thus very delicate but he clearly did not take that into account. I picked it up and there are now three small but deep scratches on the side/​back plate. Someone was clearly hacking at the back in attempts to open the watch. Very sad as this watch has sentimental value and now is in bad condition. When I pointed out the damages to the lady behind the counter she simply rubbed the scratches and shrugged…
Moreover, when I picked it up they just pulled it out from a dirty ziplock bag full of other watches… zero presentation points — they did not even bother to shine or clean it.
Be sure to make a 15m trip uptown to any watch repair store near 47^th st. Your watch will thank you… sadly I made an irreversible mistake of going here.
2 stars for their service but only because the watch does in fact work now.
Most of all I am ashamed of how much I paid them. ugh.

Brought in a very unusual and difficult to repair watch this past summer; they were able to fix it within an hour while I shopped nearby. Several months later the watch is still looking and working great. Great price structure and very friendly, quality service. Thanks!

Great little repair shop – one of those old New York gems that are getting harder to find. Located in a tiny basement space, this shop handles all manner of shoes, watches, and bags. I needed a strap fixed on a leather bag, and he did it while I waited and charged me all of 8 bucks!
He also explained ahead of time exactly how he would do the repair and told me what shops I could go to if I wanted a different style of repair. While I waited, several people came and went, all happy with the work he did.
Take everything you’ve got over there for an upgrade – he’s recently moved to this out-​of-​the-​way location and hopes everyone will find him!

Just had batteries replaced for 2 watches — they were fast, nice and reasonably priced. I will definitely be going back to have a few pairs of shoes repaired.

While I’m sad for the workers that their store got moved from street level into the basement below Two Boots on Bleeker and Bway, I’m glad the business is still around. Don’t be put off by going downstairs if you need shoes stretched, repaired, shined or a watch fixed. These guys are quick, have fair prices and do good quality work. The owner just re-​sized a watch band for me (took some links out) in about 2 minutes and charged $ 8 for the work. I’ve brought multiple pairs of boots here that have lived through NYC winters and come out looking new.
Can we please save businesses like Star that provide much needed services instead of replacing them with another Duane Reade/​Froyo Shop/​Bank???

Really good and inexpensive general shoe shop. I also found a replacement band keep keeper for my Tag here. The older guy behind the counter has a lot of unexpected items and he’s extremely nice and proficient. Shines are standard price but better than the norm. All kinds of different laces, I didn’t realize how rare that is until I needed a specific pair. Definitely my go to in the neighborhood.