Colonial Shoe Repair

Greg is excellent to work with! I had a pair of loafers that had worn clear through to the sock, and he has given them new life. They look and feel brand new, and I couldn’t be happier. I only wish I had a before picture to share to give the workmanship perspective! I can’t recommend this place enough, and will definitely be coming back with other pairs when the time comes!

Did not end up dropping my shoes off, so not much to share other than the horribly unpleasant man I encountered behind the desk upon walking into the store. Am new to Boston and have damaged my Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo heels since walking around areas like Beacon Hill. I expressed my nervousness and concerns about dropping these shoes off (did not say this but: concern is leaving them to be repaired somewhere other than New York’s the Leather Spa, whose service continues to be the absolute best) and was hoping for a consultative experience to discuss repair options. What I got instead was a dismissive, nonchalant, rude man who, in so many words, said he could do an OK job and would need two weeks. Mind you, my repairs were simply to glue the patent leather back down on two individual shoes in areas that had gotten stuck in cobble stone sidewalks, nothing that should have taken two weeks, and definitely not something I expected a professional to admit to doing anything other than ‘their best’ to fix. I do not anticipate the repair to look new, as the only location I expect that from is the Leather Spa, as mentioned above, but I was hoping to have found someone who takes pride in their work and would realize that dropping of thousands of dollars worth of shoes for repair requires some level of expertise and trust. Very disappointed that this is one of the only Boston repair locations with five stars if that is the kind of customer service to be expected.

So by now you’ve noticed the reviews for this place is pretty good. I’ll give Colonial that; they do good work in restoring your shoes/​boots.
I’ve been here twice and shrugged it off the first time because of the outcome of the work done. The second time it was just blatant. Over $ 90 in and I didn’t get the same customer service as everyone else here, I wonder why? :)
There is also one other thing you’ll notice when you scan the photos for everyone who has left a great review. I’ll let you ponder that.
Meanwhile, I’ll go to the other dozens of shoe repair shops in the area that serve everyone. Believe me, we deal with it everyday. We don’t ask for anything special. Its not difficult, We just ask for respect.

This place has done great work for me in the past. They’ve resoled a couple of pairs of shoes, repaired a giant rip in a leather jacket, and replaced the hardware on a pair of boots.
I really appreciate that the gentleman who works the counter here explains exactly what he is going to do. When I brought in my torn leather jacket, he was very upfront with me about it being an expensive repair and showed me exactly what would have to happen if I wanted to go through with the suggested fix.
I do think this place is a teensy bit pricey, but honestly the quality of the work is totally worth it. Highly recommended.
One note: they no longer accept credit cards, so make sure to bring cash.

Had a pair of louboutins fixed here and they did a great job! One of my heels cracked and the suede had ripped and they were able to fix it so I can’t even tell anything was damaged. They also suggested I have the red non slip soles added, which I did and they look great! I went with the darker red and I can’t even tell they are there. Great service and top quality work!

I have gotten 2 pairs boots cleaned up (waterproofed, sealed, cleaned, ect.), and taken many of my boyfriend’s shoes here as well. Greg always does an amazing job for a fair price. He will also tell you if your boots/​shoes are beyond repair, which is what happened with one of my favorite pairs. He is very experienced and knows what can be done /​what cannot be done. He always had my shoes ready by the day promised as well!

I am debating between four and five stars, and went with four… Consider this a 4.5 stars.
The work is good. I had a pair of boots I got used a pair of protective rubber soles. Came out very good but I thought it was a tiny bit too expensive. Maybe it’s the location, which I guess I pay for convenience.
But the guy there did explain that it was because the boots original leather soles were worn down a bit and he needed to build something on the tip. He definitely took his time to make sure you understand why he was going to do certain things for a certain amount, and gave me options and time to think over.
No complaints. I probably would give it five stars if it were less expensive. Maybe I just need to get used to owning finer things.

Greg is not only a great guy but a true professional. He is very honest and presents all available options he offers. I have had 2 pairs of loafers completely re-​souled and both pairs are now sen better than when I initially purchased them. I highly recommend Colonial Shoe Repair to colleagues and friends.

Greg Papazian — amusingly I know his uncle, Vartan, who owns Cambridgeside Cleaners in Cambridge — is a really good guy. Friendly, professional, does his work well. I had a pair of toddler shoes that needed repair, and he got it fixed — and it looked like new.
He has a bunch of shoe products at his store as well, e.g., shoe trees, polish, laces, etc.
I think he has a minimum charge on credit cards ($ 10?)
I’ve also consulted him for resoling a pair of dress shoes (I had worn a $ 80 Florsheim brown pair ~5 years, like every other day, and he thought that I got my money out of them).

Very helpful and quick! The owner was great and had me in and out on a quick patch within an hour!

Had my favorite pair of dress shoes re-​heeled and polished. The work was done very well and the price reasonable.
I would recommend this shop to anyone looking for shoe repair.

Greg is amazing. I brought a pair of Loubie’s in that needed to be stretched in the toe and have the protective red sole added (he has two shades of red in stock, both of which match very well). I went back to try them on and when they were still a little tight, he stretched them again to get them the correct size. He did a beautiful job on both the stretching and adding the red sole to the bottom — I will definitely be bringing more shoes to him in the future!

I’ve gone to Greg for many small repairs over the years and finally needed some major work on my favorite pair of leather chukka boots: the soles needed to be replaced and they had a good amount of damage from salt from our lovely Boston winters. He was able to work his magic and restore the boots for at least another few years and I couldn’t be more happy with the results! A talented cobbler and a pleasure to work with.

I had a very nice belt that needed to be shortened. I figured he just cut the end off and put some new holes, but in order to preserve the integrity of the belt he shortened it from the bucket side.
1) Honest; 2) Fair priced; 3) Quality work done on site

Great shoe shine and a nice proprietor. If you’re someone who like nice shoes then you know you need a good cobbler. This is that place.

I am so happy I found this shop! Greg really knows his stuff, and he obviously cares about helping people hang on to their footwear and keep it looking good. When I ask him about the advisability or feasibility of repairing a shoe he says, «Are they comfortable?» Good point – if they feel good and he can make them look good again, then it’s better than taking your chances on new ones. I’ve gotten lots of soles and heels replaced. Greg offers different kinds of materials for repairs, and explains the pros and cons. He quotes a price up front, so there are no surprises. He also cleans, polishes, and touches up shoes so they look as good as new.
I took in a favorite pair of T-​strap pumps to have the elastic in the buckles replaced. Not many repair shops do that. He did it beautifully. I’m so happy to be able to wear them again.

I had never gone to a cobbler before but my dress shoes clearly needed to be res-​soled and this shop seemed to have good reviews so I decided to try it out. I’m 100% satisfied with this place. First off Greg, the owner, is extremely polite and knowledgable on shoes. He explained in detail all the different options I had as far as repairing my shoes went (half sole, full sole, etc). As someone who knows nothing about shoe repair I really appreciated this. I ended up getting the full sole/​heel replacement with re-​corking, and a had the shoes fully cleaned. Greg used italian leather on the soles and replaced the heel with a Vibram one which is high quality (my $ 300 Chippewa boots have them). When I picked them up today they looked amazing. I would recommend this place for any guy who wants his dress shoes repaired or professionally cleaned. He threw new laces on for free too which was really cool.

I had a pair of Ted Baker dress shoes that I was ready to throw out. They had some deep scuffs and the winter salt had really taken a toll on them.
Colonial shoe, threw a new pair of leather soles on them, buffed out the scuffs, and repaired some of the leather damage. They weren’t 100% back to normal, but were made into a respectable, wearable pair of shoes again.

I had been looking for a shoe repair place in Boston for some time and went to Colonial based on the Unilocal reviews. I was NOT disappointed. Greg walked me through everything with the wingtips I needed repaired. He replaced the leather soles and new heels, and did a fantastic job. The shoes look gorgeous. He also advised me on how to keep the leather clean and what product to use to keep the shoes looking their best. Greg was fantastic and made me very confident in my purchase– it was well worth every penny.
I highly recommend Colonial! I’ll be taking all of my shoes and leather goods that need repairing.

The owner of this place, Greg, is very knowledgeable about shoes and has a lot of experience. He provides his honest opinion about the work that is necessary to fix a pair of shoes.
I came in two weeks ago to have the heels replaced on two pairs of shoes. Greg also recommended a sole repair for one pair, so I went along with it. Greg did a phenomenal job. It was not cheap, but worth it as you are paying for the highest quality replacements.
I’ve heard too many horror stories about damaged shoes coming out of a repair shop. It’s not worth it. Pay a little more for Greg, and you (and your feet) will leave happy.