Howard’s Shoe and Luggage Repair

I must say that Howard’s Shoe and Luggage Repair did an excellent job on two items I brought into the store. I had a leather purse that someone waisted beer on and they were able to make my purse look brand new. I also brought in some leather boots that they did an excellent job on as well. Friendly service and great customer service. 5 stars all the way :-)

Howard is a genius. He’s fixed several pieces, not just shoes, that I was told were not fixable. 2 from Louis Vuitton, who rudely told me impossible to fix, wouldn’t even try. One was a backpack, another a suitcase. He literally rebuilt a pair of Prada patent ballet slipper/​shoes that I adored. He’s not only fabulously talented, he’s honest and really cares about his work. His staff is great as well. Howard’s shoe and luggage repair is a real find!

Best shoe and luggage repair in the western suburbs.
I’ve tried a couple of other places but the quality of the work was nowhere near as good as Howard’s.

I dropped off a pair of three year old Sperry’s that were fairly dirty, not filthy, but they had several spots on them. Five days later, for a cost of $ 9, they looked like new. Incredbile!!!
Sure beats buying a new pair for $ 95. Great people, very knowledgable and friendly.

Howard’s was the only shoe repair shop that saved my beloved (and very expensive) Isle Jakobsen rain boots when my local repair guy said ‘no…I can’t fix this’. Even after I pleaded with him…‘really??, can’t you try, it’s just a broken zipper’? I got another very firm NO. So I sadly left and called some people I knew for recommendations. My sister had been to Howard’s a few times and said although they can be pricey they have done a fantastic job with her repairs. (& she has enough shoes to open a shoe store).
Not only was Donna super friendly when I arrived, desperately hoping there was a repair ‘god’ in the back somewhere. She immediately said, «Sure, we can replace the zipper if we have to, but we’ll try a few other things first.» Then quoted me a price which I had to pay for in advance but I was happy to. I was then told my repair would not be ready for at least 2 weeks. I wasn’t happy about the wait but I sucked it up knowing I would be reunited with my rain boot again :) I’m not surprised on the wait because they must be very busy, popular & reputable. I for one am a fan because they did a FABULOUS JOB! I would have given them 5 stars, but the zipper repair was $ 25, and I did think that was a little steep. Overall, they deserve 4.5 stars.
Girls were really helpful, professional, and super friendly! They were complimenting my boots and joking how it was a good thing I didn’t bring in the pair. This place also sells top brand boots, booties and moccasins. If you think your favorite shoe, sandal, bag or boot cannot be saved… try this place first. It’s a top notch repair shop. Thank you Howard’s!!!

This place is a HUGE rip-​off and the service provided is no where near commensurate with the costs. It was $ 9 for a dress shoe shine and my shoes came back worse than when I brought them in! (It looked more like a cleaning and the imperfections came out more obvious. There was no shine and I don’t think any polish was used.) I get my shoes shined downtown regularly for half the cost and the quality of service is way better. Thought I’d try the suburbs for a better deal and I was sorely wrong going into this place. Also, paid $ 30 for some minor boot stitching and cleaning which seemed pretty steep as well but came out satisfactory. The other problem with this place is that they take your money up-​front before service, which I’ve never experienced before. I guess they know their services are sub-​par and want to take the customer’s money before he/​she can evaluate the service. This can’t be good for repeat customers and I definitely will NEVER go here again. I just hope whatever they did to my dress shoes can be corrected.

Bought several pairs of moccasins here, for a small place their selection is decent. They have a shoe repair business here as well. All kinds of products for leather like mink oil, saddle soap, etc. Nice little independant shop.

Well thought I would give this place a shot because how many shoe repair places are there nowadays!!!
Which brings me to my next beef… the price to repair your shoes its probably the price you paid for the shoes.
It’s been over 7 days and I was excited to get the call that they were ready! Only to find out all the repairs had not been completed. I looked at the shoes and a whole $ 30 repair was missing… there’s another 7 days.
Look, if you can’t handle that much business, try hiring more people. You will not only better the economy but better your business.
They have a private lot but BEWARE — it’s in one way, out the other off busy Roosevelt.
Also, I don’t mind what people play on their radios but at a place of business… it should be PC for EVERYONE not just your pleasure. Christian radio has its own place but never in a place of business that serves customers with all different backgrounds and religions.
I will update once I actually get my shoes back with full repair…

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Howard’s!!! People are wonderful, repairs are wonderful and they have by far the best variety of GOOD LOOKING BIRKENSTOCKS (who would have thought it) Available!!! I have been going there for years and travel past other shoe repairs to get there. I am not sure how pricing is compared to other places but everything else makes it worthwhile to frequent this place!!!

You will never get my business as you put me on hold twice for over 5 minutes in one day and never came back to take my call… Your loss. I have over a 100 shoes and boots that I wear and that need repair…

Overpriced is the understatement. The lady they works at the front has the personality and hospitality of an ant. I never felt welcome when I went there on two separate occasions. I don’t mind paying a little more if people are nice and kind to you, but unfortunately this place lacks both. The work done on my shoes is for sure nothing to write home about. I’m disappointed in my choice to do business here and will definitely not be back.

I brought in a pair of black leather boots to be re-​heeled. I received a call a week later from the store, the employee telling me that the boots could not be reheeled, and I would be refunded my money. When I picked up my boots, the heels had been cut off — both boots — making them unwearable. I was never advised that the only way they would know whether or not the heels could be replaced would be to cut them both off. I am incredibly disappointed. The boots were wearable before I brought them in. Now they are garbage. I would think if Howard is that experienced, he would have known whether or not the heels were replaceable by looking at them. Very disappointed.

I have been going to Howards’s for a little over a year. Service is always friendly and helpful (who ever is working the counter can almost always answer my questions, and if not, will ask Howard and get back to me). The price of the repairs I have had done (replacing heel tips, resoling, adding rubber sole to shoes with no grip/​thin soles, restoring/​repairing leather on a nice work bag, stretching boots, patching boots, and many other little repairs) was all pretty commensurate with other shoe repair shops I have previously used, and the quality of work is excellent! If you are getting a few repairs to the same item, or bring multiple items in at once, Howard’s will often give you a reduced group price or throw in something free-​of-​charge (I wanted to get rubber soles put on 3 pairs of shoes and water proof them; Howard threw the waterproofing in with the cost of the soles).
Another thing I love about Howard’s: integrity over profit. Say you ask to have a leather item waterproofed; they will show you products they carry that would allow you to do it yourself for a lower price, in addition to quoting you the cost of them doing the service. I have also heard Howard tell a customer who was concerned about a squeak in his shoes the odds of being able to resolve the problem. He made it very clear he would never sell a product or service if he was not sure the problem could be resolved, without first explaining how likely it would be that the problem would (or would not) be solved. By the time you pay for your service, you will know exactly what cost all your options are and how likely they will be able to resolve the problem with your shoes (or bags, etc.). They are completely transparent when it comes to costs.
When you come here, you do not need to worry about being up-​selling. They will never suggest unnecessary services or products, or try to tack on a bunch of services besides the one that brought you to the store. This really makes for a stress free experience and I never leave having spent more than I planned on.
To sum it up, I have brought lots of shoes, boots, and bags here (I think it makes so much more sense to pay a little bit to keep nieces things in good shape, instead of constantly replacing them as they wear), and have yet to have a single bad experience (which is more than I can say for other places I have used). Coming here is really a win-​win: you get quality services for a reasonable price, and get to feel smug about supporting a great local business.

The Allen Edmonds store in Oakbrook recommended Howard’s to me. I have had two AEs re-​soled & re-​heeled there, and a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile boots re-​soled too. Howard also helped clean up some salt stains on a pair of Allen Edmonds.
Overall, I was impressed with the work. Sometimes they do get a bit backed up with orders, but I don’t mind waiting for the job to be done right. I would recommend you call to check if your shoes are ready, as sometimes I didn’t get calls until the shoes had been done for a few days. Not a big deal though.

Howard’s is fantastic. Every Fall I bring in my boots and winter shoes and Howard (I am assuming that the cobbler’s name is Howard, based on the name of the store. It might be something else entirely, but I will refer to him as Howard in this review.) returns them to me looking brand new. For almost nothing!
It took me years to learn that it is way worth it to buy high quality expensive shoes and treat them well rather than several pairs of cheap ones each season. Good shoes will last forever if you have someone like Howard in your life. He has repaired zippers, heels, and scraped up leather for me. I still cave and purchase a few pairs of cheap trendy shoes each season, and Howard has helped me get more wear out of some of them, too.
My only wish is that his business was easier to access from the West.

Howard is a magician. My boots were well passed needing a repair with holes in the sole and into the actual shoe. Dropped them off to Howard and went back to pick them up and as I was standing in line a pair of boots that were the same model as mine were on the counter. When I gave her the ticket the boots on the counter were mine. Not only was the repair awesome, but they somehow polished/​shined/​treated my boots back to what they looked like when they were brand new. I literally didn’t recognize my ‘old’ boots that now looked brand spanking new.

Just got back from picking up the first repair I’ve had done at Howard’s — as well as the first time I’ve ever resoled a pair of shoes, rather than simply replace.
The experience was a smooth as can be. I went in last Friday, they evaluated what was needed on the spot, gave me the price, and away we went.
I was originally promised them for today, but they actually called on Tuesday to say they were ready. The blizzard spoiled that early pickup though.
And now that I’ve got them back, they look just as good as new, and I’m looking forward to getting some more years out of this pair of shoes. I’ll definitely keep Howard’s in mind for any other repairs I might need.

Howard’s is a little gem. It’s an unpretentious place that you barely notice. They do an excellent repair business — shoes, boots, luggage, backpacks, etc., etc. I can sometimes hear Howard explaining a repair… dude knows about shoes! I had no idea shoes were so complicated!!!
They have a nice selection of Birks, Minnetonka, etc. They also have some less expensive lines. I got some really snazzy German slippers that I would defend with my life. Yeah.
The service is fantastic! Repair prices are quite reasonable. If you have a fave pair of shoes that has seen better days, think out having Howard fix them up for you!

I don’t consider myself a very sentimental person, but I have an unusual attachment to a pair of shoes. You’re probably envisioning Louboutins or Manolos, stilettos or amazing boots; think again, they’re Birkenstocks. Yes, Birkenstocks.
What makes these shoes so special? They’ve accompanied me to 7 different countries; on many new adventures; through high school, college, and law school; they’ve been on my feet when my heart was broken and when I got a huge career break; and countless other ups and downs in life too. If that isn’t enough, they’ve always provided more comfort and relief more than a pair of fuzzy slippers ever could. No matter how many pairs of shoes I own, these shoes frequently find their way to the front of my closet.
A 20-​year-​old pair of shoes requires some occasional upkeep; I’ve had my shoes rebuilt 3 times since I got them, which means the only original parts are the leather and buckles. Howard’s is the only place I trust to repair my shoes. I don’t even know how I learned about them, but the first time I attempted to repair my shoes (elsewhere), they were just about ruined. After Howard brought those back from the brink of death, I became a believer.
I knew it was time to get them rebuilt again when the footbed separated from the cork, the footbed cracked all the way across and was chipping away, and the soles were completely worn down in spots. Basically they were a train wreck! My shoes were repaired in a week; when I picked them up my babies looked (almost) brand new. Howard is the man! I’m sure there’s a place closer to my house that will get the job done, but I trust Howard to do it right and that’s what counts.
If I ever decide to replace my shoes (unlikely) or purchase another pair (more likely), this will be one of my first stops. Howard sells a few other brands of shoes and has a great selection of Minnetonka shoes, sandals and moccasins too.
NOTE: Howard’s begun to request payment for repairs in advance.
TIP: Slow down if you’re driving between Kingery and Summit, this place is easy to miss.

My feet are not shaped like a piece of pizza so I abstain from sexy pointy shoes with hooker heels.
Instead, I treat my feet to luxurious comfort: wide shoes with super supportive soles.
Lured in with promises of a good selection of Birkenstocks and Minnetonka moccasins, I decided to see if Howard’s could help me. Indeed, they have probably the biggest selection of above mentioned shoes I’ve ever seen live in person. (Not in cyberspace, that is.)
And Howard is a super nice guy who changed the shoelaces on the smelly shoes I was wearing while I waited.
The shop is a cute little wood cabin similar to stores I saw in the Alps. I’d like to make a recommendation that they add a fireplace and sell coffee cause the combo with shoes would give me great pleasure.
Howard also promises to fix all things leather or with zippers including but not limited to:
luggage, cowboy hats and boots, tents, orthopedics, questionable items (seriously, the brochure says that).
And I just noticed the brochure also says they sell salt stain remover, so I’m definitely going back for that, and some fuzzy mocs.
Cue Paolo Nutini
Enjoy.