NYC’s Best Shoe Repair

We asked the experts at places like Barneys, Louboutin, and Leffot where they send customers to rehab their most precious pairs of shoes. The results are in…

The Leather Spa
Call almost any of high-end shoe stores in Manhattan and ask where to get your prized footwear fixed, and there’s a good chance they’ll send you to this sleek storefront adjacent to the Peninsula and just a few doors down 55th Street from Michael’s. French-born owners Carlos and David Mesquita have more than 30 years of experience in the business, and as the designated establishment for repair and customization for luxury brands such as Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Gucci, and Fendi, the Leather Spa lives up to its name. “You just don’t find the quality of work we do anywhere else in New York,” says manager Josephine Serreira.
10 West 55th Street, 212.262.4823

Jim’s Shoe Repair
Stores like the Barneys New York recommend Jim’s Shoe Repair, on the Upper East Side. A 75-year-old Manhattan institution, Jim’s is known not just for rehabilitating leather but for taking on challenging design issues, no matter how creative the craftsmen have to get. If the strap on a pair of women’s shoes rubs uncomfortably, its angle can be readjusted. If your tasseled loafers are missing a tassel, Jim’s will make a new one to match. Bring your belts and purses here too.
50 East 59th Street, 212.355.8259

Hector’s Shoe Repair
Hector’s looks exactly as you’d expect an old-school shoe repair shop to look, with a simple awning and a neon sign in the window in the shape of a boot. On Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, just around the corner from Leffot, Hector’s will take on anything from the most delicate Pradas to beat-up work boots. The staff here is known for speediness, with many jobs done on the spot or overnight—something to kick up your heels about.
11 Greenwich Avenue, 212.727.1237

B. Nelson Shoes
Customers from as far as Singapore and Dubai mail their shoes to this 100-year-old business. That’s because B. Nelson is the only shoe repair company that uses wooden lasts instead of metal jacks in its process. Wooden lasts come in half-size increments in both length and width, whereas metal jacks come in two sizes. B. Nelson specializes in factory method resoling, in which shoes are fitted with the proper last, soles are removed, and cork footbeds are stripped and replaced; even welts and heel bases are replaced when necessary. All of which means your shoes will be as good as factory new when they’re finished.
140 East 55 Street, 212.750.0818

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