Village Shoe Repair - New Orleans, Louisiana

Lizzy D.

I dropped off my beloved Birkenstocks two weeks ago because I had worn through the soles completely on the outside edge of the shoe and they needed to be replaced. While other shoe repair shops quoted me higher prices and longer wait times, this place was able to do them in the time frame I needed (before I move out of town) and at a price I felt comfortable with.

I just picked them up today. Not only is the leather on the shoe glossy and smooth (maybe oiled?), they replaced the soles with even better treads than the shoes had had originally! Still birkenstock brand, but much sturdier, and it looks like it will wear much more slowly than the foamy type bottoms my shoes had come with originally.

I'm so happy to have my shoes back, and in even better condition than when I first bought them!

Victor G.

Strongly recommend this place they provide an outstanding service! I have a boot that needs to be fixed for my wife. They did it immediately for me just asked me if I can wait 30 minutes. The cost for repair was super incredible, I took them boot first to the other shoes repair store across from them which quoted me double and didn't even have the courtesy to tell me that they were across the street when I google for another location get on my car just to do a U-turn.

Kelsey M.

UPDATE re the owner’s response. Did they refute the fact that they did a terrible job *twice*? No. Did they say the photos I posted were inaccurate? No. Did they apologize for the poor workmanship or the hassle of having to take the boots back after their “repair” literally fell apart the same day I picked the shoes up? No. What they DID do was name-call and whine that I wrote an accurate and thorough review to warn others about my experience: “This woman is ridiculous she writes a whole essay to talk bad about us.” Lastly, were it not for the character limit, I’d gladly write another essay detailing everything it took for them to finally, begrudgingly issue a refund.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Do not get any leather shoes repaired here. They did fine with gluing a heel back on and adding protective soles to a pair of older boots ($35 for 1 heel glue and 2 protective soles). But the pull tab on a different pair of boots had come unsewn, and the repairs for that were a disaster. After two attempts, I took the boots and am going to look for another repair shop to fix the atrocious job Village Shoe Repair did. Because of the mixed reviews here and the cost of the Lori Piana boots I needed repaired, I took lots of photos before dropping them off in case they got lost or damaged. This seemed like a simple fix, just open up the back of the boot where the thread came undone, reinsert the pull tab, and resew it in then sew the back up.
The first time I picked up the boots, I was rushing to get to a meeting and didn’t do a close inspection in the store. It looked like the repaired tab was a little longer than the other one, but I put them on and went to my meeting. As I was walking back to my office, I noticed I was getting a blister on my Achilles where the repair was done. So I took a look, and it was obvious that they tried to sew the pull tab together then just glued it to the top of the boot instead of actually putting it back into the shoe. Not surprisingly, the glue didn’t even last a day of walking before the pull tab had fallen out again, which was causing the blister.
The next morning—24 hours after I picked them up—I took the shoes back to Village to have them repair their “repair.” I explained in detail that they can’t just glue it back on, they’d have to open the back and sew it in place. They never apologized, they initially acted like they had no idea who I was and asked where I got the shoes fixed the first time (I thought the guy was joking—he’d literally cashed me out the day before for these exact boots).
I just picked them back up from the second repair. First, it took them nearly half an hour to actually find the boots. They have no system of organization. They put shoes in white plastic bags and throw the bags in piles all over the store. It took so long that they kept asking me to come back in an hour. I explained I couldn’t do that and would wait, and they seemed annoyed by having to dig through the mountains of shoes to find mine. Second, while they actually did sew the tab in this time, the sewing is sloppy and scratchy, they used white thread instead of brown, they sewed the tab in crooked and off center, and they made it shorter than the other tab. When I pointed out the thread color, they took the boot to the back, PAINTED THE THREAD brown, and brought it back to me. I pointed out the other poor workmanship issues, and the guy said I brought the tab torn so they had to sew it short and crooked. I showed him the pictures I took in my car before walking in to drop off the boots the first time—the photos clearly show the tab intact—and he said “Well why didn’t you call the manufacturer about your new boots breaking.” 🤔
Moral of the story, I’ll never come back to Village and am posting this to try to save others the hassle. But if you must use this shop, at least don’t get leather shoes repaired here. Document the condition of your shoes before leaving them to be repaired. And do a close inspection of the “repairs” in the store before paying or leaving.

Molly F.

I needed 1 of the 3 pairs of shoes by the time I was flying out of town and she promised. Not only did she deliver a beautiful job but all three pairs in a short amount of time. I am truly pleased and the price is very reasonable.

Sarah T.

Highly recommend! I've had three pairs of shoes fixed here (and counting). Latest was a pair of cowboy boots losing their soles - a different cobbler told me they were beyond repair but these guys had them resoled in a week. They look and feel brand new! This is the only place I go now. All my repairs have been finished with a week or two, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive it is! Love being able to keep my favorite shoes for more years to come.

MaryBeth G.

This is the best shoe repair in the city. It is a small, family run business, everyone works there including the mother, who works very hard despite the recent tragic loss of her son who worked there. They may not be the most organized but the work out weighs everything. My advise is to bring a colorful bag for your shoes. ❤️

Tyeshia S. M.

Always friendly and attentive to my shoe repair needs. They are always flexible with my time restraints and work accommodations.

Mr. W.

Worth every penny!! Patient and willing to work with your schedule. You Should have seen my shoes before I brought them to the shoe repair place. They look like someone did the cha cha slide and danced in the rain while DJin on a balcony. But they're wedding ready now.