Chris did a great job cleaning up scuffs on the toe of my cycling shoes that are black. Cleaned up them so that they looked new. Cash and I believe $10 for the pair. I keep my shoes in general (not just bike shoes) a long time...I'm inclined to bring in shoes when they are looking like they need a refresh better than I can do at home. That way they can at least good until they reach end of life. read more

Lots of experience and fast service. I got a good price on the alteration of my birkenstock bostons. The strap wasnt tight enough so I brought them in to have them adjusted. Worked great read more

I just got back from picking up my boots and 2 purses I had repaired, and I am really unhappy.  One purse, the easiest fix, looks fine.  The other purse was to have 2 grommets replaced, which they were, with a grommet that has metal flippers you use to attach - showing.  And since this is on a purse, I fully expect them to get caught on something and pull off.  They also do not match the other metal on the purse, which I kind of expected, but the biggest issue is there is fabric showing in the center of the grommet, and there shouldn't be.  It looks bad. (photo attached) My shoes I didn't expect miracles on, they are 20 year old boots, but when I got them back from getting new heels and soles put in, the work looks bad, too.  (photos attached) Part of the material isn't even attached and looks like it's peeling, the heels themselves look like chunks were taken out of them after they were put on, and one of my shoe laces seemed REALLY short.  When I took it out, they had tied a knot because I guess it broke when they took it out.....why not replace them?  Shoelaces are what....$4?  So now I'm going to have to find a replacement set.  They weren't torn or in bad shape when I brought them in, so I'm not sure what happened. All in all, for $50, I'll go elsewhere next time. read more

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He was able to make a pair of knee high boots that were too large on the calf smaller to fit my skinny calves. I was so impressed, that I went back the following week with a belt that needed extra holes, 2 crossbody bags that needed more holes to lengthen the strap, a sneaker that needed rest itching . I've been very pleased with everything that he's done. read more

The older gentleman there is a hard worker and always gets my shoes, purses and belts right. Perfect! Thank you for the prompt service and detailed work! read more

Thank you for repairing my boots, Chris!! You made them look good as new!! Excellent prices & turnaround time. If you need shoe repair, this is the best place in Chicago!!! read more

The storefront is pretty unassuming, but the quality of work is excellent. I've taken three pairs in for repair and they've all come back looking newer than when I first bought them. The store is cash only which was a bit of a bummer, but the prices make up for it. I got two ankle boots that were tearing apart fixed for $40. Highly recommend if you're looking for good quality work on a budget. (If you're not a fan of cigarette smoke, be warned--it does smell pretty heavily of smoke.) read more

Very good repair (resole Birkenstock snamdals). Lackadaiscal service when picking up. 1st time: Asssitant could not find the shoes. 2nd time: 15 minutes before posted clsoing time, shop was already closed. 3rd time: Boss had to search for 10 minutes until finally finding my shoes. read more

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE.... brought 2 pairs of vintage men's shoes for a "touch up"... brush the white nubucks and color block the black & white spectators..... THEY CAME BACK YELLOW in the parts that were to be white... and he rubbed the leather so hard ti came off... maybe this place is good for a basic polish of a modern leather... but DO NOT TAKE YOUR VINTAGE PIECES HERE! they are ruined!!!!! read more

This is the best shoe repair place around. Christos is a master of all repairs. He is genuinely careful and will take time to make sure your repair is what you want. I have brought many a pair of shoes here, leather belts and jackets. He is the BEST! Trust your shoes here. read more

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the shop owner, though I asked him at least three times what his name was. But that didn't matter. Upon coming into the shop, you get the sense that you are in a garage. Shoes everywhere; leather goods stuffed in every nook and cranny; some strange music playing on a small boom-box--you almost expect to see some mangy nondescript dog laying on the floor looking at you with tired bored eyes. But there was no dog. Just the owner with a thick accent and his one employee who probably lived in the neighborhood. When I brought my shoes in for repair --and let me tell you, they were in bad shape: as though I was playing tennis in them--I was not too impressed with what I was seeing on coming into the shop at first. This guy really knew his stuff. The shoes were not made cheap and I wanted them to be repaired with the best material on hand. He showed me what he had to offer. He informed me the Vibram soles would last longer but wouldn't look as good. He then showed me the leather soles which I immediately said I wanted. I was a bit skeptical as I asked him if he could keep the upper sole and general looks of the shoe intact. He assured me that he could. It was a bit pricey, but I was willing to give it a shot. When I came in to pick up the shoes, I really was not prepared for what I was about to see. The shoes looked absolutely brand new. Not only did the soles look fantastic (as though I'd just got them out of the store) but the heels were cut just as I'd asked; he knew what my needs were and met them. Amazingly great job. I have another pair of shoes that I'll be sending over. For a complete repair of the sole and heel I paid 75.00. If you want to have sole protectors (those tabs that fit at the front of the shoe and heel) that's another 10.00. For seventy five dollars it was worth it--I'll have those shoes for another couple of years before they start to wear out. read more

I was hopeful after reading some reviews and stopping in to show the owner my hiking boots that had the part of the sole that wraps up around side of boot separating from the side. I had tried to glue it back myself, but was only partially successful. He explained that he had a special, very expensive glue that would fix it, and he would have to pull apart the areas I had tried to fix and clean them out. I needed to use them that weekend, so took the boots with me to bring them in the following week. When I returned, he didn't remember me, so I showed him how it was separating. He squirted some glue in one spot, put a rubber band around it and handed them back. Done. Not really. I showed him all the other spots that were separating. He said to leave them overnight. When I returned the next day, he handed me the boots. There were several separated spots. I don't know if he repaired any of it. I didn't really want to leave them there to try again, so I said "no charge?". He said ok, and I left. I'll take them elsewhere, or try gluing them again myself. And, buy a new pair as backup. read more

This store saves me again. I have a pair of vintage shoes and a purse given to me as a gift. The detail is beautiful on the purse but it was starting to fall apart plus the heels on the shoes were worn down. I brought them in to Christos and did he work wonders! The detail of the beading was put into place and my shoes looked brand new. I wore them to a wedding and brought along my purse and could not get enough compliments. read more

Great service, reasonably priced and quick turnaround. I found National Shoe Service on Google after having a bad experience with The Cobbler Shoe Repair on Morse Ave in Rogers Park. National Shoe Service is closer to where I live and they repaired my shoes in a short amount of time at a reasonable price(they corrected the ineptness in quality work I received at the Cobbler). The money spent at the Cobbler was wasted, as they did not attempt to refund me let alone correct the problem. Christos was great to work with and I will definitely refer business to him. read more

I got a zipper replaced in a pair of boots here and the work was ok, but a little sloppy. The zipper was sewn in a bit crooked so the left boot is now tighter than the right. Also, there was a black piece of leather that ran along the inside of the zipper so your leg didn't rub against it. He replaced this with a brown piece of leather even though the boots are black. It doesn't really matter since you don't see it, but I probably won't go back here to have anything else done. He might be fine for other things. read more

I truly do not like to give out a bad review, however, I need to as I am really disappointed in the work done on my shoes. I brought in two pairs of shoes that I needed to bring on vacation with me. I knew I would be doing much walking and wanted shoes that would support this. My shoes were repaired in two days which was nice. But, they fell a part in less than one day. So there I was on vacation with no walking shoes. And for this I am writing a bad review. The only reason I even give one star is that the owner is friendly. read more

Gave him business for five years. Don't expect good customer service. When I pointed out fact that he somehow lost two of the removable straps from the boots he repaired (he fixed the heels only), he blamed me by coming up with several stories. Absolutely awful. I have yet to see if he will remedy situation. read more

Whenever I have any problems with my shoes, I take them to Chris. I used to throw shoes out and spend too much money buying new shoes. Chris has fixed heals, polished my shoes, widened my shoes and so on. This is a great place to go to if you want great work done on your shoes! read more

My leather boots which originally went up to my knees started sagging halfway down my legs after two years, leaving my legs cold. I went shopping for new ones. They were $150-$200. I decided getting them fixed might be cheaper. I went to National Shoe Service and the guy fixed my boots. He took them in, making them skinnier for only $50! To me, that's a deal. Way cheaper than new boots. And he shined the entire boots as well, making them feel like new. I would absolutely come back any time in the future. read more

The shoemaker repaired my sandals beautifully. The workmanship was good -cannot tell mended shoe from the other and reasonably priced as well. read more