East Van Shoe Repair

Moved to Vancouver recently and realized that wow, leather soles aren’t great here. Got Rebecca to add a toppy to my soles; they look great, as if they came with the boot. She walked me through her process, and after a month her work has more than held up — after many, many puddles. Took about a week.
She also seems to legitimately care about the neighbourhood and her role in it, and helps out folks who need it.

Yay — great quality repair on my Frye boots. When I picked up my boots I asked for some advice on another pair of boots and she did a quick glue job for me on the house. She is super friendly & helpful. So glad I finally have a cobbler I can trust! I joined Unilocal just cause I had to give her a review (I found her on Unilocal)!

She shaved down the heel and soles asymmetrically. One heel is bigger than the other with a different shape, and the shaving done on the sole near the waist of the boots were not blended at all. She left sharp angles all over and asymmetric heels. She also shaved until the dye was completely gone and then she went over the sole with some sort of black paste wax. It looks cheap and gaudy — imagine have matte horse leather uppers with shiny patent leather soles… I had to get it off with sandpaper and then replace it with proper dye. I don’t know why she did such a sloppy job on my shoes when she seems to do much better for other people. I politely made it clear that I only wanted a Topy to be applied, but she decided to reshape the sole and heels. 2 stars because the Topy is still sticking.
update:
My new cobbler told me that he had trouble blending the new Topy because the edge of the sole is now too close to the uppers, making it too easy to sand the upper leather by accident. It also looks weird having the sole so tight against the uppers. Sure nobody looks at your shoes anyway, but when you bring in a pair of $ 700 boots, you don’t expect that a cobbler will as sloppy and lazy as she was. She damaged the structural integrity and the aesthetics of the shoes; she literally cut corners by not blending the waist, leaving sharp edges all around; asymmetric heels… I even had to redye the soles by myself…
Also, I read some past reviews about sloppy jobs done by ~“high school students” at Quick Cobbler. She used to work there around that time… I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the cause of the complaints.

Service is amazing and honest, price is fair (lower than most places in areas near by like gastown etc.) and shoes are always done one time. Glad I found this place for my shoes — I’ve brought everything from high end boots to cheap heels for repair. All have been a success. Thanks Rebecca!

I’m a procrastinator and my favourite pair of boots sat on the rack for well over a year with a busted heel. I only got to wear them a handful of times before the heel started to disintegrate. I finally took them to East Van Shoe Repair and right off the bat Rebecca said this was the death of boots. Heartbreak! She said she can’t warranty her work, which is understandable, and she sold me a tube of shoe glue. Told me to glue it and clamp it and hopefully I get some more wear out of them, though probably not as comfortable because the heel feels hollow. Even though she couldn’t repair my boots, I appreciated the honesty and the service. I’d rather she tell me she can’t fix them than have her fix them and pay any amount of money for them to fall apart again tomorrow. I’ll go back — and I won’t procrastinate so much next time.

I had such high hopes for this business. I read the great reviews and wanted to support a young business couple in East Van.
The issue was not the repair job, but the poor customer service I experienced. If you are wanting your shoes back in a timely manner, I would caution going with this business.
I dropped my boots off to get repaired on October 28, 2014 and was told they would be ready by Wednesday Nov 5, 2014. I received a phone message on Wednesday the 5^th of November stating that my boots would not be ready that day, as there was an equipment problem. I was told, by Rebecca (the owner) in the message, that they would likely be ready by Thursday, but «definitely by the weekend.» I did not hear from them over the weekend and called (during business hours) to inquire about the status of my shoes. I called repeatedly the next week and left similar messages, explaining that I was leaving the country for a few weeks on Nov 14 and needed my boots by that time. Unfortunately, I never heard from the company and had to leave without my boots.
When I returned from my trip I went to collect my boots. Thankfully, Rebecca was working and I was able to discuss the issue with her directly. I explained that I was disappointed and wanted some sort of apology and deduction from my bill. Rebecca was defensive and did not offer to return any of the money I’d paid to have my boots repaired. I was told that that was a very busy time that «was bad for the business,» as though this was some sort of apology. When I expressed my disappointment that no one called when things calmed down, or even took 2 minutes during their busy time to get back to me with what was clearly an urgent issue for me, I was told that «communication is not [her] strong point.» She repeatedly told me that the phone was not a useful way to get in touch with her. This confused me, as she is a business and has her phone listed as the main way to contact her.
Eventually, she offered a very begrudging «apology» and stated, seemingly as an afterthought, that she had added extra products to my repair (some sort of thickened sole) that she felt I needed (although we had not discussed this) and explained that this was about $ 35 and I was getting it «for free,» which I would have even if I’d had a good customer experience. Ultimately, I did not feel respected or valued as a customer and felt that Rebecca was making excuses for her bad customer service. I was very disappointed with how I was treated.
I do not recommend this business because of the very poor customer service I received and the lack of respect with which I was treated.

I tend to be pretty hard on my shoes. Actually, let’s be honest– I downright abuse them. With that in mind, I decided that instead of buying new boots this fall, I would take 2 of my most beloved, pieces of crap boots to be rebuilt.
After reading all the rave reviews, I chose to head down to East Hastings and see what East Van Shoe Repair could do for me. Rebecca was friendly and funny and was honest about the amount of work that needed to be done, in case I wanted to cop out, say goodbye and bury my boots once and for all.
Although it cost me a bit more than I would have hoped (like I said, I really kicked the sh*t out of these poor clompers), she charged me a fair price and did great work.
Hopefully they will last me a bit longer this time around!

What a gem ! In the middle of a hectic busy run down street in downtown Vancouver, this little shop is a treasure for the items that we need mended .
Rebecca is very honest, kind, and skilled at what she does. She gave me some tips on what to do with a boot’s zipper she couldn’t fix within my budget (the shop doesn’t do zipper work on boots — but check with her — my boot zippers weren’t fixable there). She was frank, warm, and patient.
I came back to get a purse mended, the carrying strap was on its way out– cracked and ready to break at any moment I put something weighty in my bag.
When I came back for it, it was perfect! I didn’t have to throw away a bag that I used to wear EVERYWHERE with me.
This is one of the nicest cobbler shops I’ve been too– (and nicest in customer service). Thank you for the repair.

Rebecca is a wonderful person to talk to! She’s very pleasant, forthright and understanding. She takes the time to discuss her approach, her values, and be transparent in conducting business. An important addition to this is that she considerately evaluates the entire shoe and communicates clearly and succinctly what needs to be done, which may in fact be more than you were aware of going in. However this is important because she can see the subtleties that are easily overlooked by the layman based on her practical knowledge of materials and how things wear out over time. Preventative measures can save money in the long run, so don’t do the bare minimum if you love your shoes and don’t like buying a replacement every single year! This place is for people who like to buy something once and take care of it for as long as possible, especially if you only have one pair of shoes for each season.
Some other things to consider are: the location. It may seem intimidating but even for a girl such as myself who is wary of such places, just be respectful of the people in the area and mind yourself. It’s not so bad. It’s well worth the visit. (The best route being either on a bus which unloads right near the entrance, or walking down Pender into Chinatown and turning onto Quebec.) Another is that she is conscientious of the toxicity of some products that cobblers often use! Such as glues for bonding; many glues that are cheap and easily accessible here in Vancouver contain dangerous chemicals, so because the government has yet to ban those chemicals, Rebecca buys her from Europe which are safer and won’t off-​gas in your home, however they are more expensive. One thing to keep in mind in terms of bonding shoe materials is that many shoes which are mass-​produced are made with something that very closely RESEMBLES rubber or leather and often are just different types of plastic — this can be difficult to identify and each of them bond best with different glues. If you find the glue starts to separate then this is probably what has happened so just go back and see her. Unfortunately many shoe companies are not transparent in their production and you can easily be over-​charged for an inferior product. This also happens when you look for stitching on the sole and find it, when in fact it’s only aesthetic and not functional.
Be also mindful that the rain, the ample amount of walking/​biking most people do, and the excessive salting in the winter all wear on your shoes heavily.
I must say mine and my boyfriend’s experiences here have been refreshing and different from others we’ve had at various cobblers in the city. Much of what I’ve said here I learned from talking to Rebecca in the store and I highly recommend going here — the shop is still young so let’s help support it by spreading the word! There are too few like it.

Just picked up a pair of beloved boots that needed repairing to fix a rip in the toe. The boots look fantastic, feel great and the repair stood up to the recent rain storms. Previously I have taken these boots to other repair places before I found East Van Shoe repair and every one said they weren’t able to fix them. I am extremely happy with the workmanship and will be taking all my shoes and boots back there.

I was hesitant but this place had great reviews so I took the bus to get there. It took me about 10 minutes walking back and forth before I actually found the shop. It only had a small sign board on the side walk of East Hastings. The place looks hip though.
They restitched my leather shoes very well. But, what gives this place 5 stars is their extra service. The lady not only stitched my shoes but cleaned and re-​polished them for no extra charge. I only ended up paying something like $ 7. Fantastic job and will definitely come back for any future shoes repairs

Stellar work and a fast turnaround from a super nice lady ~ thank you so much! I would come back again in a heartbeat.

This shoe repair shop is my new go-​to after moving to east van. They fixed up two of my favorite shoes quickly and beautifully. The owners were very helpful and explain exactly what needed to be done for repairs. The owner even saved me from the resoling of my boots, which I had been previously told would need to be done. I’ve had my shoes back for a week now, and the quality of the repairs is superb. Price was also fair, and be forewarned, they take payment before you leave your goods.

This is one of the best kept secrets in Vancouver, but it shouldn’t be!
My shoes are very dear to me and Rebecca’s work is EXCELLENT and reasonably priced, probably due to the location but it was a very smart move on her part. Most cobblers in Vancouver are way over-​priced.
Don’t trust your shoes to anyone else!

I can’t say enough about Rebecca’s service and craftsWOMANship! My favourite pair of leather boots were embarrassingly worse for wear, in desperate need of new heels, and I was on a tight timeline. I saw East Van Shoe Repair written up in the Vancouver Sun and hightailed it over. Her commitment to craft and customers was evident from the article, but in person I got to see for myself. Her simple, streamlined, perfectly East-​Van-​branded shop (with workplace behind a divider) is steps from Chinatown. She took five seconds with my ravaged boots and told me it would be no problem. Where others quoted me over 100 bones and at least a week to repair, Rebecca did a top-​notch rebuild of the heels (can’t even tell!) and half-​sole replacements along with an all-​over love treatment for 80, all in a DAY. They look as good as new and feel awesome. Couldn’t recommend anyone more highly than this gal.
Class.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the nicest shoe repair-​person that I’ve ever met. Not only did she do a fantastic job fixing up my old «Something like Leather» boots, they feel a lot sturdier than when I first bought them, and looked much better than the last guy that did them.
If you need your shoes fixed and you’re in the hood, stop in. Totally worth it, and it didn’t take her more than a couple days.