Yony is amazing! If I could give this place 10 stars I would! I went in for a shoe zipper repair and he not only replaced the zipper but re-glued the inside soles for free! He went above and beyond and all was reasonably priced. So talented and passionate for his work and completely shows! Would definitely recommend to anyone. read more

I was a first time customer and I brought him a pair of boots to be resoled. I typically go to West Portal but thought I'd try something new since he was near my house and had great reviews on Yelp. He quoted me $160 for all the work. He quoted $100 for the Italian leather soles, $65 to rebuild the heel, $15 for shine and polish but will do it all for $160. That seem rather high since its 2x more than I'm used to paying, but he went on and on about the quality of his italian leather and "quality service." He took down my phone number and said he would call when they were ready, he told me it would be done in 2 weeks. He told me he required a 50% deposit...again I thought was high since my usual cobbler in West Portal never takes a deposit. I dropped it off on a Friday morning. Two weeks passed and I was too busy to pick them up, and stopped by a week later (he had them for 3 weeks now) When I went in on a Saturday morning, I showed him my ticket number and he says my shoes are not ready. He was super annoyed - as if I came in before they were promised, then acted like he was doing me a favor by promising to have them done by next Saturday. I was ready to demand my deposit back and to take my boots back but then he showed me what he had done thus far...They were all stripped up and torn. I figured it would cost me even more to take them elsewhere so I let him finish them up. I went in the following week during normal business hours....saw a note on the door saying he was around the corner and to call him for service. So I did....waited 20 mins outside (he told me on the phone he'd be there in 5 min) when he finally did show up he said he just put the conditioner on before he left, so he still needs to polish them up.....another 15 -20 min minutes of me waiting. When they were FINALLY done, they looked alright. He did a bum paint job on the edges of the leather but other than that it looked ok. He gave me his "loyalty" punch card and said I would get a free polish with my next visit since I had to wait about 40 mins to pick them up. How about an extra 2 weeks where you said you'd have them but didn't? No thanks, I'm never coming back. I can go to Nordstroms and get my boots polished for under $5 before tip! A-1 Shoes s very unprofessional, inefficient, dishonest and has horrible customer service. High end prices for cheaply done work. Not recommended I will be going back to my usual spot. read more

Yanni is a genius. He's repaired my shoes a couple of times, but recently I came in with a torn up leather jacket. I was ready to throw this jacket away because I did not think that it was possible to repair it. Not only did he make it look as good as new, but he also gave me a nice discount. read more

So far I've only taken two pairs of shoes to A-1 but Yony is great! The price is a little more than I'd like to pay on shoes, but he makes them look better than new and you can tell the work is quality so I don't mind at all! I plan to bring all of my shoes, purses and broken zippers to him from now on!!! You can tell he really cares about his customers :) read more

Had my wheel on my luggage repaired here. The wheel only stayed on for one trip! By the second trip, the wheel had fallen off.

I was at the crossroads of Fix-It or Replace-It with my rolling briefcase, which fit my needs and was working fine until the retractable handle mechanism broke. After looking on Yelp for likely repair sites nearby, I chose A-1: well-reviewed and in my neighborhood. The proprietor checked out my briefcase, diagnosed the problem, made the repair--all while I waited (around 20 minutes total) and for $15, a reasonable price to keep me rolling. While he was working on my briefcase, a couple of other customers came and went, including one with whom he clearly had a long-term business/client relationship. This guy brought in several shoes for maintenance, and he and the owner wove the banter of familiarity in and out among the details of what needed (and didn't need) to be done. This is clearly a place that inspires loyalty. Admittedly my experience was brief, but it wasn't perfunctory. I'm sure I'll be back with shoes etc. as the need arises. read more

Johnny was very professional, had fair prices, and extremely fast! He was able to get my gym bag handle repaired in less than 24 hours; I was very impressed. I wasn't quite ready to place my favorite gym bag and now I don't have to! I'll be coming back when it comes time to replace the soles of my boots! Thanks again for your help. read more

He did a terrific job fixing some zippers for me- not really fast, not especially cheap, but excellent work- which is really what matters when repairing durables. read more

Great job!!! Yony fixed up some motorcycle saddle bags for me, better than new! He does great work, he needed extra time to finish my bags because they were unusual, and a harder than expected job, and he even offered to deliver them to my work at 10pm when he finished. Wow!!! Great results, he will get your stuff back in great shape, and a really nice guy to talk with as well. Highly recommended, not just shoes. read more

I had some very expensive shoes that needed repair. Air yeezy 2 is one of the rarest most sought after sneaker that Nike has Ever produced and worth well over 3,000 dollars. The front has a suede trimming that I had damaged and thought that my life was over. I came to Johnny with my concern and we talked about the several options I had to get these fixed. I eventually went with replacing the whole suede front with new material. He didn't promise me anything but said he could do the best he could do. Even the it was a timely process and didn't done as fast as I would like. I was AMAZED!! with the job. They looked brand new again. I highly recommend this place to anyone who has a little time.to..get the job done. Johnny is a excellent craftsman and I have more shoes I took to him that I'm waiting to pick up read more

Simple luggage zipper repair. Fixed properly and fast. Friendly, too.

I have been coming to Johnny for a few years now. I met him as a former employer had me drop off her new high heels to be stretched and extra arch support to be put in. I was AMAZED at his craftmanship to say the least. He is worth the 15 minute drive from my neighborhood for his sevices. Recently I took a pair of boots that needed new souls (to say the least). The heels were SHOT! When I came to pick them up I couldn't believe the outcome. He also restained them and I get so many compliments when I wear them. Now he is working on a belt for me. can't wait for the end result. I highly recommend this establishment. A little sometimes but FAIR ! read more

I found Johnny's store after searching for a local luggage repair workman on Yelp. His craftsmanship is clean and well executed and he was able to fix a bad rip in my carry on bag at a reasonable price and within 24 hours. read more

Summary: OUTSTANDING customer service and great workmanship in the face of some challenging circumstances outside of the cobbler's control that delayed repair. Pricey but he ended up taking $10 off in the end as a kind gesture. Would bring shoes here for repair again. Took my brown leather tall boots here for re-heeling and repair around the sole. I was quoted one week for the repair (I was flexible on my end for pickup date) and $70...definitely more than I expected to pay and have paid for these same boots to be repaired at other places before, but it looked like the new sole material would last a long time and provide great traction. I returned a week and a day later, and the cobbler said his circuit breaker for all of his machinery was broken and my boots weren't ready. He didn't seem to know where they were at the time too, which was really disconcerting since I thought I read reviews of him losing other peoples's shoes. I wasn't shy about expressing my weary disappointment...he'd already had a week to repair these boots and didn't contact me that they weren't going to be ready. I got the impression things got very FUBAR for the poor guy when his equipment circuitry went kaput. He promised they'd be ready by the next day (a Saturday), saying he'd do all the work by hand if necessary. I made sure he had my phone number and said I'll come when he calls to say they're ready the next day. That night, around 8:30 pm, I get a call from the cobbler saying, sadly, he doesn't think he'll have the boots ready by tomorrow as promised. He'd been working on getting the circuit repaired all day and was still in the shop. At this point, I just felt really bad for the guy. I'm at home, relaxing on a Friday night, and he's a small business owner working his tail off just to keep his business afloat. I'm sure he also has to make more phone calls just like this one, all because of an electrical issue outside of his control. He sounded very exasperated, sincere, and dedicated, and I told him to please not worry about my boots and just call me when they're ready. The following Thursday, he texts me to let me know they're ready. I appreciate his communication skills, and clearly the guy went through the wringer getting the electricity back up and running in his business. Who knew a hiccup in electricity could cause such repercussions? The soles and heels look great; the material is much more durable than anything I'd had before. He also cleaned the boots and knocked off $10 for the trouble. I'd go to A-1 again. read more

Great customer service. He does great, quality work and will work with your schedule. I get my work heels repaired here and they always come back looking wonderful and with a nice shoe shine. Unfortunately, he is not very reliable when it comes to on time performance. Add at least a week or 2 to any time frame he says. Also, More times than not he is not at the shop during his posted business hours. Call before you go to make sure he is there. read more

Oh my god worst experience ever. Never will I ever bring anything there again. I brought in my shoes, was told by Johnny that they would be ready in one week, came back in one week and they wern't ready, came back again- no shoes, this continued on for over 2 months. He was extremely expensive in the first place but I thought that maybe his quality would be worth it. No, it wasn't worth it. Then at the end of 2 months without my shoes he tried to charge me over and above what I was originally quoted at. Don't go there. Actually go there if you want to be overcharged and then wait 4 times as long for your shoes. absolutley terrible. read more

Call before you go. I just went there and arrived at 9:50. Waited for 40 minutes and he never opened. Small businesses have to take some responsibility for their decline. As much as I dislike the "big box" stores, 99% of the time they will open within 5 minutes of their advertised hours. read more

Yony did a great job repairing the handle on a damaged wheeled carry-on bag. His rates are very reasonable and he fixed the suitcase in just 2 days. Very friendly. I recommend Yony without reservation. read more

Not too much to say here. I was glad to find a place near my house that could repair the zipper on my suitcase and while it was a bit more expensive than I'd hoped, they did it well and in a timely fashion. read more

i was amazed how much attention to detail Yanni had put into the shoes . Sent 4 pairs of new shoes to put extra pads on the buttom . Extra pads even match the color of the shoes on the buttom looks just like original made .All i can say is ,he did an excellent job , price is very reasonable ,i would definitely go back for sure. read more

It took almost three weeks for us to get our shoes back because the guy is never there on a regular basis. I had been told by folks next door at the bar that he takes a lot of rest days. Whatever that means. I will take my repair to west portal, where the shoe repair open on a regular basis. read more

The owner is very sweet and honest. I was thinking as I left that the prices were a little expensive but then you figure his time and it doesn't seem out of the question. He'd get 5 stars if he were a touch cheaper but I definitely wouldn't go to anybody else at this point. I'm happy and loved the service I received. read more

I had many pairs of boots that had seen better days. I took them here in hopes I'd be able to get some more use out of them. They were quick and professional. My boots are like new and I am a happy customer. Great job. read more