Guy was super nice! Took in two pairs of Demonias that had been beaten pretty badly and he brought them back to life at a wonderful price. He even offered to shine them for free! Definitely will come back for any future shoe repairs. read more

service was Horrible!!! Shoe was there over 1 month. I went back two times all the way from Newberry and it took them over 30 minutes each time to even locate the shoe. place is a total mess with shoes scattered everywhere. Don't go here! read more

I had a pair of handmade suede boots resoled that had been made for me 40 years ago by an excellent shoemaker. I also asked that they be stretched because my feet had gotten larger over time with age and weight. The proprietor did an excellent job. He took his time to make sure that the boots had been stretched as much as possible before he put on the new soles. He used excellent materials for the soles, even though he knew that they would be worn rarely. He was very concerned about his craftsmanship and my satisfaction. He quoted me a price before he started and that was the price he charged only when he was finished. He is done other work on other shoes for me since then and for my wife. His work is always top notch. Everyone I have recommended him to has been extremely satisfied and told me so. read more

I've used their shop several times. Always a happy customer when I leave. Quick service. Quality work.

Had a good experience getting some soles reglued here. I was in no rush, but even their worst turnaround time was only a week or two. I was pretty impressed considering how busy they were. The service was efficient. The price was very fair. The job was done well, and they even cleaned the shoes a bit for me. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

I use Alligator Shoe Repair regularly for all things shoe related. He does a particularly good job with polishing my husband's dress shoes. Always polite and my shoes are always ready as promised. read more

Wonderful work , so experienced and professional. You restored my favorite Michael Kors leather flats to "like new" and I will wear them for many years. read more

Giving 2 stars instead of one because the guy that works there is very nice. This business is unorganized. Went there to pick up the shoes and they were not ready. Said they would be ready in one more week. But I couldn't wait the week. Asked for them back and he couldn't find them, although they were still sitting up front. Ended getting my money back. But what I really wanted was the shoes fixed. read more

NEW OWNER ! I know this store had problems in the past, but the new owner is an exceptional shoe repair artist. He restored my totally abused shoes that were ready for the garbage to beautiful like new condition. This restoration was done in twenty minutes while I waited. He is super courteous, accommodating, and reasonable. While I was waiting people brought in shoes that had been poorly repaired in other shops for him to fix. He also told me that his former business he made shoes from scratch. read more

Alligator Shoe Repair - Shoe Repair Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

See all

Got a vintage pair of boots fixed up here- was ready on time, and quite affordable. They've also restitched and conditioned the leather on a few purses I've had. Quality work. read more

Left a pair of shoes to be resoled in November. It is now mid-March and I still don't have my shoes and they can't find them. To be fair, I either lost or never got a ticket when I dropped the shoes off. Nevertheless, I have met nothing but excuses. Every time I called they said they would look but they could never find them. They refused to replace the shoes or even refund what I paid to have them resoled. Very frustrating. I would never take any work there again. read more

This place is under new management as of 5 years ago. I had a very bad experience with the last owners and my new experience has totally changed my opinion. I took these in for new heel taps and he cleaned and polished them, removing a lot of scuff marks from the heel and making them look brand new. He used very high quality polish. It was a great value, very fast, and I'm really happy. Highly recommend! read more

Alligator Shoe Repair - They look brand new! - Shoe Repair Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Great job! I think that he's the only shoe repair in Gainesville. Try this out!

The nicest owner. Gets the job done right and in a timely manner. Great overall experience!

Extraordinary craftsmanship!! Could not be happier or more impressed with the quality of work. I strongly caution anyone reading prior reviews, please be aware that Jorge owns the business now--and any negative reviews are likely attribuatable to the prior owner. I cannot imagine Jorge being anything but pleasant and professional, and only providing the highest quality. Alligator Shoe Repair is HIGHLY and STRONGLY recommended. read more

Alligator Shoe Repair - Shoe Repair Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

See all

I've used this business at least 5 times over the last several years. Uses included fixing my wife's heels, new soles on two pair of cowboy boots, new soles on my Harley Davidson boots and new liners on my wife's boots. They are not the fastest but they ALWAYS communicate accurate completion times and they charge very reasonable rates. Coming from a background in shoes (parents owned two retail shoe stores and I worked in shoe sales for around 8ish years), this shop's work is excellent. I always received my shoes/boots back with the work promised, in great condition and a nice, new, polished finish. I guess I am somewhat perplexed by these other reviews that don't appreciate what this shop offers but this is truly an old world skill that this business offers and definitely has mastered. Five stars from me...and I'm getting ready to bring another pair of boots to them...if you have shoe repair needs, give this place a try first. read more

Owner was a nice guy. Gave me very fast service at a good price and even complimented my shoes. I am new to town and have found that Gainesville businesses generally do not grasp the concept of customer service but this guy apparently gets it. I will use them again in the future. read more

I needed the soles replaced on my favorite pair of boots. When I picked them up they looked better than when I first bought them. They even shined them for me! Excellent, quality work! So happy this shop is in Gainesville. You can tell the owner is very hardworking and cares about the quality of his craftsmanship! I will be recommending Alligator Shoe Repair to anyone that needs work done on their shoes. read more

I made a special trip to drop off two pairs of shoes for sole repair work on soles that Alligator had put on. I was hoping to have a word with the operator to discus the failure of the soles and what it would take to repair (i.e. how much more it might cost me and how long it would take them). I arrived at 3pm on a Tuesday only to find out that they were not working that day with a handwritten note on the door "Sorry, hope to be back tomorrow". We need another decent shoe repair solution in NW Gainesville. read more

Wanted to charge me $25 to swap out a handle connector that I would supply on a piece of luggage. It was a matter of cutting the connector and squeezing the new connector closed. Ace Hardware (University/Newberry) did it for free in less than 60 seconds. read more

Repaired my shoes in a day! So quick and easy and not too expensive. Definitely would come here again

Always friendly and they do a great job. There might be a line and you might have to wait, but as with everything that is good, it is with it. They also don't nickel and dime you. read more

They did a good job on my husbands sandals that were coming apart from the sole. Will add to this if they fall apart.

I brought my birkenstocks in to get repaired. The cork was coming apart, the sole on the heel was very worn down, and the straps were coming apart from the sides. I remember specifically asking that my soles would be black when they got fixed because that is the color they were when I brought them in. I arrived back on the day when they told me he would be done. They weren't ready yet. So I came back on the day he said they would be ready. When he brought me my birkenstocks I immediately noticed the soles were dark drown...not the color they were originally and what I had asked for, but it was okay. I also noticed that the cork had been poorly repaired. Some places had been filled in while others had not. I noticed that the sides of the strap on one of my shoes had not been fixed at all. I brought this up to him and he took it in the back, put some glue on the straps and stuck them to the side. He then told me not wear them for an hour so the glue could dry. I walked out of the store feeling like I had paid a lot of money for someone to put glue on my shoes. I would have appreciated it if he told me another few days until they were ready and had done a much better job. I would not recommend this place. read more

I would give 0 stars if I could. I should've been thrown off by the argument going on between the owner's wife and a customer when I first walked in.. but I really needed my shoes resoled before a backpacking trip. I remember hearing the owner saying "if these shoes were so expensive you shouldn't have brought them here!" about the customers designer flats regarding damage that occurred to them while in the shop. My mistake was thinking the customer was just being difficult... To make a long story short, I went to pick up my boots and was dismayed. I gave them a pair of hiking boots... and they put dress soles on them. I will say that I did not specifically state I wanted hiking soles - but I figured as a shoe repair place that it would be assumed. Especially since I told her I needed them soon because I was taking them on a backpacking trip and would be hiking in them for a month. As if that wasn't bad enough - when I looked at them, the heels were off by over 1/2" difference in height!! I put the shoes side by side and one was visibly taller. Across the heel, it was also slightly uneven, making the boot stand slightly sideways when flat. Unfortunately, I saw all this as I was still in the shop, but had already paid. After complaining, the owner's wife (I am not making this up- she literally said this verbatim) "Well.. it's not a good job, but it's not a bad job, either." She was extremely rude. If you are seriously willing to stand behind your work with this comment... I cannot believe you are still in business. She gave me a $10 refund, as if that would fix anything. I ended up taking them to Orlando and paying $60 to have someone do them in 2 days before my flight. Worse experience I've had by a business in Gainesville. GO ELSEWHERE, it is worth the drive. They function still because they know there is no competition for them in town. I wish I would've fought the transaction with my credit card company but it's too late for that now. The least I can do is spare someone from a waste of money and having to deal with the extremely rude woman that is the owner. read more

The owner managed to make a bad experience worse. So one of the partials that she put on my shoes fell off within a month of having the repair done. I took it into her and she re-glued it on. But a few months later, it just falls off again. The other partial was also falling off. I bring the shoes in again, and the owner tells me that the repair was not done properly. She then tells me it would cost me $22 to get the repair done right. WTF???? Are you serious. You tell me that you did not do it right the first time, but I need to pay to have you fix your own work? I was floored. She wouldn't even give me credit from my first purchase. I disputed this with her, and she just handed me $12, and told me to leave her store. I am an advocate for repairing shoes. But since this is the only place to do it in Gainesville, I would suggest not even bothering. This place is pathetic. read more

Very prompt service -- new heels and heel taps in about half hour. Friendly, helpful. They are very busy. Happy we have this business locally. read more

You really have to look at the negative reviews of this (or any other) establishment through the prism of the sheer and utter narcissism of the writers; because in all the cases pertaining to this small shop, they revolve around some person thinking they got mistreated in their petty pity party. I went in there looking for some cedar shoe trees for some new shoes. The lady was completely polite, had what I wanted and charged me less than anywhere else I had checked. She also offered to special order a 2nd pair for me. Shoe repair is a dying art, maybe because of all the crap the artisan must take from the like of the spoiled men and women that live in Gainesville. read more

Took a pair of booties for sole repair, which in this case, meant re-glued and leather refinishing. Got the boots back with wads of sticky glue sticking from out from all sides of the shoe and the sole already peeling off (the leather refinishing looked great, though). Took the boots back in to express my dissatisfaction with their work. The woman did not apologize or say anything except hand me a tag and told me to pick them up a few days later. Picked up the re-glued shoes a few days later--less glue was sticking out from the sides, but they still looked terrible and were already peeling. Bad work and bad service. I can no longer wear the shoes--they look appalling. read more

Avoid if you want quality work! I brought in 2 belts to have additional holes added. The first was purchased in Italy and had oblong holes. The woman advised it would not be a problem to add 2 holes to this belt.Without measuring or centering she butchered the belt leaving rough cut, odd shaped, off center holes. The belt buckle can not line up properly through the holes that she put in this belt. It is ruined. I did not let her touch the other belt. Knowing that I was upset she advised me of the charge. It may be reasonably priced, and seems to be the only shop in town, but I will NEVER enter this store again. read more

I brought two items in for repair - a belt and a backpack. The belt came half undone again almost immediately. The backpack lasted about a week before the strap fell off again. I'm not particularly hard on my belongings and I was really irritated that a place that sets itself out as a luggage and accessories repair shop did the job no better than I could have done at home. I'm not inclined to take anything back there due to the poor quality of the repairs, despite their decent prices and convenient location. read more

I brought in my suitcase to see if he could repair the zipper. After not hearing anything for 2 weeks I went in and he said he's having trouble finding the zipper, he has one on order and it should arrive within a few days. Two weeks later I call again and he says the zipper didn't work and I need to come pick it up. I'm not upset that he couldn't fix the suitcase, I'm upset that he's had it in his possession for a month now and has never once contacted me to update me on the status of the repairs, or to tell me he can't fix it and I should come back and get it. I hope I get my money back when I pick it up... read more

Would not go back. First time. Took 4 pairs of high heels. 3 for replacement of heel taps and one for shoe shine. The shoe shine was only polished with no shine. The other 3 they did not polish at all, and one of the heel taps was not secured. When I questioned it, the secured the heel tap but they said shoe shine was extra. read more

I've probably had 12 pairs of shoes repaired here over the last 10 years. Mostly heel repairs on boots and high heels. Work quality wise, they've always done a great job and they've been done on time. Sure, maybe some customers think the owners could have a better attitude once in a while (though I haven't experienced this, personally). I'd rather have someone do a quality repair and maybe not be so warm than someone nice doing a crap job. I will continue to take my shoes here forever. read more

The previous comments made me nervous to check this place out, but they are the only shoe repair store in town, and I needed some boots fixed. They did a great job, and they even worked with my schedule and were able to get the boots done very quickly! I would def recommend and would go back. The prices were also very fair! read more

Sadly this is the only shoe repair shop in town. I've taken two pairs of shoes in for simple repairs...gluing on a strap or dyeing over worn toe. I was told "NO, can't do that" both time. Rude and not helpful. read more

Just picked up a couple pair of shoes that I needed 're-heeled'. Sheryl had the shoes ready when promised.....for the amount quoted...and they look great! Very happy with the service and quality provided. I'll definitely return if I need shoes repaired in the future and won't hesitate to recommend this store to others! Don't let the other reviews stop you from using this locally owned business. read more

My wife and I have lived in Gainesville for 22 years and tried every shoe repair shop in existence during that time, including 4 trips to Alligator Shoe Repair. The woman who runs the counter is consistently unpleasant, the work mediocre, and the price absurdly high (twice as much as I have paid in other cities). After separate trips, my wife and I recently reached the same conclusion -- never again. I would rather buy new shoes than continue to pay too much for poor work and surly customer service. read more

Never Again! My wife took her $29 sandals in for repair. The woman who waited on us told her that she would need to replace the full sole and the heels for a price of $30 which for $29 sandals I thought was a bit high. We agreed and left the shoes for repair. When I go to pick them up the sandals have a half sole and the cost has risen to $42.95. We just moved to Gainesville but we have had a lot of shoe repair done at our previous home and it was done very well and much less expensive. I asked the lady why the increase and she tells me that the price she quoted didn't include the heels. When i asked why there was a half sole instead of a full sole she told me to leave and not come back. She also told me there was not another shoe repair in Gainesville. What a jerk! She's a liar and looking to get over on anyone she can for more money. I would rather drive somewhere else to get my shoes repaired than deal with a liar. read more