Alex Shoe Store and Repair

I was looking for a cobbler in my neighborhood and was happy to stumble upon Alex’s store. He was super helpful when I needed help picking out shoe polish and brushes, and is really conveniently located right next to the subway. I’ll be going back if I have any other shoe issues!

Good quality for a very reasonable price! He knows his job and I’m very happy with the result. Thanks!

Alex does excellent and consistent work for a reasonable fee and he has quick turnover times too. Aside from being an expert craftsman — Alex sells some nice leather belts and usually has an interesting assortment of footwear. Alex’s Shoe Store & Repair is a valued gem in my changing neighborhood that is a refreshing
pre– gentrification experience.

Just stopped by to fix my shoes. The repairs were done in minutes for less than $ 15. My feet and my back feels so much better. Had no idea how important shoes are. Thank you Alex for saving me money and improving my health. I now call you my shoe doctor :)

I needed the heel on a pair of boots and the soles on a pair of Frye flats replaced. He charged me $ 65 up front to do both. This is a problem because when he did a terrible job, he already had my money.
The frye flats, he rips off the nice leather insole and replaced it with really cheap work shoe insoles, and got glue alllllllllll oooooovvvvver the inside of the shoe. Plus I noticed that he somehow ripped out the stitching on the outside of the outside of the shoe (in a completely different place from where he was doing repairs, so how that happened… idk). Now I’m going to have to take them someplace else to get them fixed and have it done right, plus repair the damage he made. $ 65 up front for a terrible job, I would never go back here again.

Shoe repair from hell.
Brought in 2 new pairs of heels for a small stretch and sole protection on one pair. They were brand new and came back badly damaged.
— Overstretched the right shoes far more than the left
— Tore the leather of the front of the shoe
— Dented the toe of one shoe
— Stained the nude leather
— Separated (i.e. TORE) the original platform from the toe of the shoe
— Ripped a chunk of leather from the heel of the shoe
— Sanded off parts of the leather on the sides of the platform by the new sole
After this he denied all damage and was a complete asshole. Now I have to pay someone legit (i.e. Arty’s in Chelsea) to fix this mess.
DO NOT trust your shoes with this man.

Needed shoe repair in my neighborhood and not just on 23^rd street in Manhattan where I used to go. I searched for a quite a while and I could not be happier with Alex! I brought my expensive leather boots there and some cheaper boots with a heel. The ones with the heel were $ 10 and the riding boots were $ 40 for heels and soles. The work was done superbly in less than 24 hours and I know that these prices are certainly not «expensive», They’re not cheap either but it’s so worth it to have to pair of boots again in an almost pristine condition for less than 50 bucks.
I found Alex friendly and hey, he doesn’t take credit cards but so what! I’d rather pay in cash for the shoe repar being affordable.

A while back, I brought my boots in because the tongue had torn off… don’t ask me how. They’re really old boots. He sewed the tongue back on and even shined my shoes. Not the best shoe repair I’ve ever had, but definitely not the worst either. His work is decent.
This week I go into his shop because I have a zipper on a pair of boots that has come off the track. i ask him if he could put the zipper back on the track? no. i ask him if he could replace the zipper? no. when I asked him why not, he said that his machine was broken. i tell him i could come back in a few days and he says I should take my shoes somewhere else.
replacing a zipper seems like a basic enough request for a shoe repair store, but apparently too much to ask for at this place.

Took my shoe and ripped it apart in front of my eyes to show me how «bad the glue is». Yeah homie, that’s why I came to you. Couldn’t stretch my shoes a whole half size, while every other cobbler told me that’s totally possible. Waste of my time.

Finding someone to do quality repairs on shoes in NYC is like finding a good doctor. Once you find one you like, you want to keep going. BUT with this guy, the premium keeps going up.
I recall going in there not long ago and paying $ 20 to get my heels replaced, now it is $ 35. Same work and same quality. I understand that prices go up, but when I am paying $ 80 to get two pairs of shoes repaired, then it is not saving me much money, when I can probably buy a brand new pair. I believe in preservation and loyalty, but will be bringing my shoes to someone else next time. Sorry, Alex.

i was only going to give him three stars but then i realized that if and when i need shoes repaired again, i’ll be going back to him. that’s worth 4 stars, right?
i got my favorite boots repaired here – they needed some serious sole work. i asked for just the heels to be replaced, but he (rightly) pointed out that i was on my way to scuffing a hole in the toes as well. he gave me my choice of rubber soles with traction (the boots had none to begin with, and this was a very welcome addition), but then told me the one i chose was actually not right for my boots and suggested another. ooook?
anyways, so, he requires something like a 20% deposit, which is fine, and then he starts giving me this whole spiel about how he really needs the money and i really need to come pick them up and pay him as soon as they’re done. i guess he’s been burned a lot, but it was pretty awkward.
the boots looked good when i got them back – maybe a little messy around where the sole was repaired and maybe the heel was a little higher than it had been before when i had asked that it stay the same – but they were fixed! and he polished em up nice! and they’re still holding up just fine.

after getting 3 pair of shoes repaired at alex, i’m not pissy but i’m also not singing praises. the guy did a ho-​hum repair job and charged a bit more than what i’m used to paying in brooklyn. luckily for mr alex, there are so few cobblers in williamsburg that he’ll probably stay in business regardless of his mediocrity.
my main beef was that he told me to pick up my shoes on a particular weekday after 5:30pm, i showed up at that time and found the store dark and locked up. checked back the next day after work, still dark and locked up. day #3 he finally managed to stay open until his posted closing time so i was able to pick up my stuff. like many shoe repair guys, he seems to open and close when he feels like it. fine, but then don’t post definite hours in your window! people make plans around that stuff ya know?!
bottom line: worth it maaaybe if you live next door. otherwise, just get it done in the city or support the hasidic guy underneath the jmz… he is for sure the best in the neighborhood.

Oh how I love this place. Not only do they open at 8:00 am (I’d been searching for a shoe repair shop in the ‘burg that opened at ALL. All of the other places I’ve dealt with on the Southside are inconsistent about their hours.) but they will fix your shoes in around an hour. I got the toe and heel taps replaced and it was $ 13. He also polished the shoes and reglued the leather that was coming up from the sole.
Interestingly, this place also sells a variety of essential oils and incense.