Federico’s Drive In Shoe Service

I moved to Santa Barbara four years ago. I knew that Federico’s was great, but I had no idea how great they truly were until I moved. I am going to plan my trip in Monterey to include this great shoe repair!

An quick and excellent repair at a very reasonable price!

I took in some shoes to fix the soles and a nice leather bag to change out the zipper… I was very happy with all their worksmanship … will be back again

I took a square leather purse of mine into Federico’s to see if they could restitch two of the corners (the thread was coming loose)…sounds like an easy fix, right? Accept that the purse is a bright florescent watermelon color (three shoe repair shops that I went to in Salinas first only had tangerine as the closest colored thread). Not only could federico’s match the thread exactly (!!), they use white thread and then mix dyes to match the color, they only charged me $ 12.50 to do so! $ 12.50 to match the thread on a high-​quality leather purse (albeit in an unusual color) that is otherwise in great condition is totally worth it in my book! And they have a drive-​through, which is very convenient when your baby is asleep in her car seat and you don’t want to wake her up to go inside. LOVE!

DONT BRING YOUR NICE SHOES HERE!!! I brought my Christian Louboutin heels here and they completely ruined the beautiful red sole and covered the signature. My beautiful shoes are completely ruined and they killed the value of the shoes!!! And when I told the owner about the problem he started screaming at me saying that «we’re not getting things done the way that customers think we should do them. We do things the way we think things need to be done!» Horrible Horrible Experience!

I took my beautiful new horse bridle to Federico’s to just «see» if they could help me with a break. Not only did they mend it, they did so in under 10 minutes with no appointment and I can’t even tell it was ever broken!
Their customer service was kind and thoughtful and the talented man who mended it cannot be thanked enough! $ 7.00 was all they charged me… unreal.
My family used to use them all the time for our shoes, never in my dreams did I think they’d beable to help me with a bridle!
Thank you so very much Federico’s!!! You’re one in a million!
Kathleen~

Federico’s takes care of my stuff! Thanks to these people, my accessories and shoes age MUCH more gracefully than they otherwise would. I’ve had them polish/​re-​furbish expensive leather purses, and repair handles or buckles on non-​leather bags. This past season, I’ve taken three pair of boots (two riding style, one a mid-​calf dressy boot) that are high-​quality, Montréal-​made boots, and each pair has come back looking beautiful. I’ve trusted Federico’s to take care of my quality accessories for years, and they have not let me down.

Federico’s messes up time and time again. I always give them another chance because my family has been using them for 15+ years, but this is the last time I or anyone in my family will EVER use Federico’s. The quality gets worse and worse each year that passes.
I dropped off my leather boots asking them to be re-​soled because I was wearing a hole through the bottom of each foot. After I picked them up and arrived home, I looked at the boots. They had added a quarter inch to the heel (which was completey fine before), and DIDNT EVEN FIX THE SOLE/​GAPING HOLE at the ball of the foot on each boot! $ 20 for an added quarter inch on something that I didn’t even need. And I still have the holes on each boot! HOW DID THE PERSON WORKING ON THESE BOOTS IGNORE THE TWO GIANT HOLES?!? Did I need to sit next to them and babysit them to make sure it was done correctly? How did the manager/​cashier not check to make sure these were done correctly? Shame on me for trusting them to do it right and for not checking in the store.
Save your money and go somewhere else. The quality is steadily going downhill.

The best! Dropped off my Ugg’s for cleaning because I spilled candle wax with essential oil on them. They cleaned them and they look brand new — perfection! I have never been disappointed with anything I have had repaired here. They are experts.

This shoe repair shop is the finest of the fine. I have taken three pairs of shoes here and they have repaired/​fixed/​added buckles AND shined them (for no extra cost, might I add). The employees are helpful and straightforward, even though I came in without my tickets.
Prices are reasonable and service is fast and friendly.
Top notch.

As you guys can see in previous reviews, people are pretty harsh about this place. I went to the Red Wing place in Salinas, and they actually sent me here because they couldn’t do the work. No, they are not full of sunshine and rainbows in there, but I personally found all of the staff straightforward and not a problem to work with. I see how some people may get rubbed wrong by the personalities of a couple workers, but these people need to grow some thicker skin and a sense of humor. I was laughing and had no problem with the customer service, even though I had to go back and forth for a bit about what I wanted to re-​sole my boots with since he had a different idea than me. In the end, my boots look fantastic, feel fantastic, and had real, quality work put into them.
People need to quit crying, and if they want a good place to go to that you KNOW you’ll get quality work, this is the place!

I had some highly technical embroidery work to be done and was referred to Frederico’s by a competitor of theirs. After reading some of the previous Unilocal!reviews, I was skeptical of the service I would receive. I found them to offer great customer service! I was greeted with a smile, helped immediately, my order was fulfilled promptly, when it was promised and the quality of the work was excellent. Ill be going back to Frederico’s for my future jobs.

Based on customer service alone, I rate this shop only a 1 star… they have a real lack of communication and as I read the other reviews, it is not getting any better. They may do good shoe repairs and embroidery work, but that is not all that is important. How about a phone call when the job is ready, like they told me they would call? How about letting the customer know what to expect or not expect? Very frustrated when I had to re-​package my items, in the same manner they were when I dropped them off, which is what I expected. Had this not been their policy, again communication would be nice. They had just shoved my items in a box and handed them back to me. Now, how professional is that?
The «I’m sorry you were not happy with the job» statement just doesn’t get it.

Wow! Can’t believe how Federico’s made my Gucci python sandals look brand new. I had worn these shoes to death and had what is considered the best shoe repair shop in Manhattan refresh them a few years ago. That NY shop didn’t come close to doing what Federico’s did.
I’m so happy with my sandals that look good enough for them to be sold at Bergdorf Goodman again.
And they took the liberty of extending the sole on the toe just slightly so I won’t scuff them up again. Now that’s service and knowledge that doesn’t come with every shop.
I may bring all my shoes down from San Francisco just to have them repaired at Federico’s.
Everyone was so nice and it’s quite fancy compared to most shoe repair shops that look like little holes in the wall full of dye. I’m a fan!

I’v been a going there for years. Great job on boot repairs. Also have had leather work done there. Patches put on things. There fast, friendly and not over priced!!!

THE WORST!
Took in bridal shoes to be dyed and was told by the scowling man that they could not do it because I did not have a swatch to test on. WHAT??? I then asked if they could sell me the dye and I could do it myself to which the reply was no.
I will never go back they are totally indifferent to your business. Don’t waste your time.

I am a fan of Federico’s. I dropped off a pair of Uggs today that were splitting along the top seam. I was greeted with a smile and an assurance they can fix them. They need to be «hand sewn». They’ll be ready tomorrow by 2: PM. What else can I ask for. Oh, it’s gonna cost $ 15. I think that’s a good deal cause new Uggs would be a heck of a lot more.
Not my first visit here. All previous ones have been like this one. My favorite shoe repair place in the Monterey area.

Federicos does a great job in reviving horse riding boots that other shoe repair shops would just drop in the trash. I had a pair that had been sitting in the barn for years come back looking like ‘almost’ new. Though their prices are a bit high, they do specialized work.

After reading the other reviews, I was a little worried…
but I was so surprised and extremely HAPPY.
I came in a few minutes before closing on a Friday, I had called in advance and she remembered my shoes. There was some dry sense of humor banter with the cobbler and the lady at the front. They could see I was in distress to get these shoes fixed right then. He fixed my favorite pair of Kenneth Cole red heels in time for my daughter to wear to winter ball the next day. Every where else I had gone wanted to fix them in a way I knew would ruin the look of the shoes. And all for only $ 5.50!!!
I will definitely return again and again.

Mediocre customer service; I always feel like I’m walking on eggshells in this place. If you know what you want, you come in and get it, and then leave. These people are no-​nonsense.
I have seen them be short with other people, and they’ve been a little cold with me too.
I will say that they know their stuff and they stock decent products. If you need Lincoln shoe polish in Marine Cordovan (hey, that’s a difficult color to get) they’ve got it. If you need suede protection spray, they’ve got it. If you want service with a smile and a sing-​song, «Have a nice day,» you’re out of luck.