long story short: rude service, bad craftsmanship, but cheap prices with quick return (the only reason for the 2 stars instead of 1). but i'd rather pay more to not be treated like shit next time. the long story: i went here because of the excellent rating and was happy to learn that it would only cost $8 to fix the heals on my shoes. i left the shoes in what i thought were a master's hands. the next day i returned to pick up my shoes to find out that the heels were attached badly, crooked, and uneven - a basic lack of care. i asked "harry" if he could even out the heels for me (there was a huge gap on one shoe between his newly attached plastic heel and the original wooden heel). i wasn't a jerk about it, if you may be wondering, i asked nicely, just honestly thinking that maybe all it needed was an extra hit with a hammer. but instead of helping me, he turned to the next customer. so i waited patiently until he was done. then, when he turned and saw me still waiting he said, and i quote, "what do you want? why are you still here?" i didn't know what to say, so i just repeated my complaint. he snatched the shoe out of my hand and almost yelling said "what do you want from me? i do good work. it's fine." i tried again, but was met with the same rudeness. i saw that there was no getting through to him, gave him the money, and left vowing to never come back. the heel never went back to normal and is still attached at an angle, making my favorite shoes difficult to wear. enjoy the cheap work if you go here and don't expect much more than that! read more

I never call the owner of this shop Harry. Instead, because he is Vietnamese and I am Vietnamese, and because he is older, I always say "uncle." I don't negotiate with because his prices are already way cheap, but when I bring 10 or more shoes, he gives me a discount. He knows his shoes. He's fixed the heels, the tips of my shoes, fixes the straps of my shoes when the leather is stretched. Bring it to him and he'll fix it. And, he'll do it fast too! You can get your shoes back within days. I think Harry lives upstairs and works downstairs. I support him because he does good work and because he is my peeps! Come here and get your shoes fixed! read more

Came here to have some heels replaced on my Chelsea boots. Once I came in for the same reason, and he told me that after I'd wore through the rubber bottom and started wearing down the wood it was a lot harder to repair. So with my second pair of boots once it was almost to the wood I brought them in and he just replaced the bottom rubber and cleaned them no problem. $37 though. read more

Maybe they do good work on shoes, or people like going to a small dingy shop that's been around for a while...but the owner is rude, over charges, and if you want to ask questions before committing your business he'll turn around and go back to work on other things as if you're not there. Perhaps it's just that he doesn't understand English very well, but he'll be happy to repeat the same line over and over without answering your question, just raising his voice each time as if you're not the one who understands him. read more

$10 prepaid and a 4 hr wait for a shoe polish. That seems a bit much to me. To top it all off he used the fake liquid polish and didn't even bother to remove the laces. read more

i don't know if harry just didn't like me or if his prices have gone up since the last reviews.... after two years of wearing my favorite boots almost every day, the zipper pull finally snapped off. to replace the pull (not the entire zipper) on just one boot, it cost $15. i was going to have them polished as well, but that would've been an additional $15. read more

Harry is a miracle worker: he's added straps, replaced countless worn heels, re-glued wedges... saving me a ton of money in replacement costs. And it seems that any repair you need: $10. He's quick, too (couple days, max.) and parking is easy in the Andronico's lot next door. Doesn't get any better in low-hassle, high-return service! read more

The gentleman is so wonderful! His work is amazing! I had the heel caps replaced on my high heels and he even did a little extra work and secured some torn leather on the heel leg. He's the most affordable in the area (I went to 4 different shops to price compare). I will definitely be coming back!! Highly recommend!! read more

Harry did a mediocre job on standard sole repairs. Two pairs. Unsatisfied with both. I complained in person and he told me to buy a new pair of shoes. read more

My boyfriend and I have both recently gotten shoes repaired here. Henry is great, not only does he take time explaining how he's going to repair your shoes, he also does a great job with them. I bright in a pair for frye Carson flats that I expected to be unsalvageable (wore through the leather sole) and yet Henry was able to make the shoes look like new - in under a week! The boyfriend's work shoes needed a new heel - once again, a great job was done. Henry really knows what he's doing. read more

Hey Harry... Remember me? I'm the guy you were rude to this morning. I had a simple question about cleaning my shoes. You were rude, disrespectful, impatient, and condescending. I'm astounded by the other reviews here that say you're so great. Did I just catch you on a bad day? I think not... I hope my review deters others from going here. I went here because it was convenient for where I lived. Convenience does not top quality. And this was not quality. Bottom Line: Just go somewhere else. Take care Harry. read more

I didn't like this place from the start but I kept going back 2 more times because I had been hoping it would eventually live up to its reviews. This place is on the way to work, really convenient for me to pop in and out. But I gave up -- rude service and bad craftsmanship! First time I went there to get suede soles for my brand new dancing shoes. He said, "I don't have suede." The second time I went to adjust a tough edge against my ankle at the back one shoe. He accepted it and told me he was going to open the stitches and cut the edge a little lower. But when I got it back, the color of the stitches didn't match the leather. I didn't make a fuss and was glad that the edge was lower and softer. However, when I first time tried the shoe on, the clipper that was close to where the tough edge was fell off. After a closer look, I found out that after he cut open some stitches to reduce the tough edge, he didn't stitch back all the way. So the portion that helped to secure the clipper was left undone. So I went back for the third time to show him the clipper problem. I explained patiently twice what happened. He asked me rudely, "What do you want me to do now." For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say, "You are the shoe repairman. Cannot you see what the problem is?" but I kept cool. Then he asked again, "What do you want?" I said, "I want the clipper be secured again so I can wear the shoes." He charged me for a price that seemed high. I wasn't expected it to be free since I never got good customer service with him anyway. But the clipper came off due to his poor repair last time. I was expecting something more reasonable. He then said, "You wore it, you paid. It's not free." And that's it -- rude service and poor craftsmanship. People who gave good reviews purely lucky I guess. read more

I went here on the reviews from YELP, but was sorely disappointed by the quality of the repairs to my clogs. The stitching was crooked and irregular, the leather patch wasn't cut well and uneven, and he wasn't all that friendly. I had avoided another cobbler because he was grumpy, but did great work. I think I'd prefer grumpy and good quality. In addition, it was expensive for the the repairs. I'd say try another place before using this place, especially if they are important shoes! Glad these were my work shoes that get beat up anyway! read more

Work with Harry all the time at my store for repairs. He's a cool guy and does the job as requested. Never had any issues. Except for the random lunch times. Lol but no biggie. read more

Both my boots and my heels came back home looking beautiful!! My boots are leather and needed some stitching work while my heels were worn down and needed repair. I will be coming back to this small ol' shop again for all my shoe keeping needs. read more

I got my shoes dyed and stretched here. The service was great! Prompt and courteous. The dye job was excellent, but I was concerned that the shoes might still be too tight. The man who helped me told me I could come back if they were too tight and he would stretch them for no charge. I took him up on his offer a few days later and he was good to his word and did the follow-up for free. The shoes both fit great and look great now! Thank you for the great service I will definitely keep coming back. read more

Went in there today to pick up my boots. Harry did an excellent job for a very fair price. Also he was really friendly:) read more

WORST SERVICE ON THE PLANET! I've been luxury retail for years and know what it's like to work with difficult customers.. I always keep that in mind when I'M the customer and treat others in the industry with patience and respect..so it takes alot to set me off. I brought my favorite boots to Harry's to get a resole. I wasn't sure how they would turn out because I wanted the same type of gum sole that they came with. Harry showed me a sheet of material and said he could "make" a sole out of it. It was MUCH harder than the soft gum sole that was currently on the boot. He said it would soften up and be better that the one it came with. I trusted him and said okay! It was $60.. which I was surprised at because everyone else on Yelp talks about how cheaply his prices are... that's not cheap for a resole... when I picked them up a few days later, he had RUINED my boots. To make the sole, he glued two pieces of that stuff together and stitched it to the bottom of the boot.. it looked bad. I picked them up and tried to bend them....no way. I said "Harry these are so hard! Are you sure they're going to break in?" He just shrugged and said "you just have to wear them alot." I showed them to some friends that were came over and they laughed at how obsured they looked. I tried putting them on and to stitch the stiff sole onto the boot he had to stretch the leather... so I couldn't even get my foot in it!! I brought them back today expecting him to handle the situation as I would have... Understanding that the customer paid for a service and if they aren't happy with the result, it's my responsibility to make it right by fixing the shoe with another type of sole, or at very least giving them their money back.. which still doesn't fix the problem. Instead, he became extremely defensive and said "THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!" We went back and forth a bit and he said he would put a different sole on them but it would be ANOTHER $60! At this point I didn't want him to work on them anymore and asked for my money back. He said no and that he doesn't give refunds... I had reached the end of my tolerance and became the customer that I hate so much. I told him I wasn't leaving until he gave me my money back. We kept exchanging words and started to get heated until he said he was closing his shop and I had to leave. I said no.. so he shuts off all the lights and tries to LOCK ME IN THE SHOP! I told him that it would be considered False Imprisonment if he locked me inside and he'd be arrested.. At this he swung open the door and ripped open the register.. He threw $30 on the counter shouting get out!! In the end I still can't wear my boots and paid $30 for some crazy man to blow his top. DON'T SUPPORT THIS GUY. There are plenty of other hard working honest people that need and APRECIATE your business. read more

This wasn't a shoe repair. I needed velcro added to knee pads. He did the job well, made a few good judgment calls on how to do it, and got it done quickly. Wasn't inexpensive, but well worth it (I haven't been able to find another pair of knee pads like this, so it's worth fixing them - plus it keeps them out of the landfill). Anyway, the shop's a little funky looking, but he's nice, we had a good chat about living in Berkeley, and he got the job done well. I would definitely go back. read more

I have brought my boots to be repaired here twice, both times the charges were a little ridiculous for a little glue ($15 a boot) and the repair job both times only lasted 6 months. Plus, the guy is just a grumpy old man, has terrible customer service, and doesn't guarantee his work. I'm heading to Richmond next time. read more

i desperately needed new heel caps on my 4 inch lou's but could not make it out to see my regular shoe guy. so, i decided to risk it and try harry's. he was able to have them done within 6 hours, which i really appreciated. it's been two months and the heels are still intact. good work, decent prices, and quick turnaround. you can't ask for much more. i will definitely keep this one around as a backup. if you're in need of shoe maintenance and such, do stop by and see harry! read more

Harry's Shoe Repair definitely doesn't get 4 stars for customer service it gets 4 stars for because he gets the job done. Small place and kind of hard to find if you blink but he totally repaired my very cute but very damaged patent leather work shoes. I need the both heels repaired and the leather on the heels repaired. He told me he could only fix the heels but the not the ripped leather and that was it. Well he totally fixed the heels and only for $8! To my surprise he also "concealed" the ripped leather and they are good as new. Only one experience at Harry's Shoe Repair but it was good, inexpensive and if I need anymore repairs I will go see him first. read more

Picked up my English riding boots today--Harry put in a back zipper so it wouldn't take a Titan to get them off. They look like they were made with that zipper. He also added stretchable gussets on the inside at the top and the workmanship is perfection. This guy knows his craft. He also refurbished the leather, which he says is high quality, and the boots look almost new after 20 years at the stables. The inner calves were very shabby from saddle friction and now there's no evidence of wear. Very reasonable prices. read more

Harry saved the day for us! A strap on our daughter's brace broke and we needed it fixed in a few hours turnaround. He was happy to help and did a wonderful job with the strap ensuring it will stay together. Thanks so much Harry! read more

I took four pairs of work shoes in last week and was amazed at the quality workmanship. The price was reasonable and the service was great.

Harry was helpful in supplying me with shoe sole material that I needed for commercial product development. He had a limited supply of material, but was willing to help at a good price. read more

I bought a $1.50 plastic buckle at REI and brought it with my fanny pack to Mr. Harry and he replaced the plastic buckle for $10 while I waited. He also makes duplicate keys for $2. He's just a couple of doors west of Sacramento Street on the south side of University Avenue. A previous reviewer commented on Mr. Harry's poor social skills. On the contrary I find him to be a polite shopkeeper who is kind and helpful. I always approach people very respectfully and I called him "sir" and handed him the money with both hands. Try him out for repairs. I enjoy supporting a skilled repair person in my local neighborhood. read more

I love this place, too. I had Harry fix a wobbly heel on a pair of boots, and they are as soon as new-- $10! So much better than investing in a new $150 pair of boots! I have a pair of heels there now, $8, so we'll see how he does on those. read more

Harry did a great job sewing on patches to my leather jacket. His prices were very good also.

"uncle" harry knows shoes, will honestly tell you whether your dog has killed your shoes or whether resuscitation makes sense (2 pairs went straight into the trash at the shop!), did a really lovely job on a pair of heels for me and most importantly fixed my beloved keen's with some leather patches at the heel where they'd disintegrated from me forcing my feet into them without loosening the binding. i wouldn't say that he's super inexpensive - i think his prices are fair. but also: people, have a little compassion for someone who speaks english as a second language and who's from a different culture than you are. i thought he was a lovely gentleman and i've got no complaints. more shoes going his way! read more