The level of rudeness and entitlement at this store was so high it was actually impressive. I went in and the person in front of me was asking for a shoe repair. The man working was very negative to her and basically said he couldn't do it by the time she needed and then backpedaled his way into saying he would. If I'm her I would have just gone somewhere else. For me, I just wanted a pair of laces. The man insisted that I take off my existing one to measure. He looks like he's been doing this a while. While I respect the level of precision, it shouldn't have been too hard of a request. I bet he's seen it before as they are common shoes. When I went to pay, he wouldn't accept a card. I get it that the transaction is a small amount. His attitude of shaking his head and pushing the card back at me is what was disappointing. What should have been a one minute lace selection and purchase turned into no purchase and a poor experience. The place down the street looked at my shoes, gave me the laces sized appropriately and took my credit card. Easy. Go there. It's in South Station. read more

Absolutely the worst customer service I have ever received. I walked in to see if they might be able to repair a pair of shoes I have, and while I was there remembered that I had a watch that needs a new battery. I looked around at the other services they offer, like keys and umbrellas, then asked, "Do you happen to repair watches here?" The person behind the counter looked at me and said, "Does this look like a jewelry store to you?" Perhaps it should seam obvious that a shoe repair doesn't repair watches, but the store around the corner (which I would recommend, but they recently moved) repaired shoes AND watches, as well as keys, umbrellas, etc. A moment later, the guy behind the counter asked, "Does that even seem like a reasonable question?" After that, I didn't even bother asking about my shoes, I just left. If I could give this place a 0 rating I would. read more

Walked into Odessa's in desperate need of a zipper fix for my 2 month old miu miu sandals, the minute I walk in: Man: How may I help you? Me: I have a sandal with a broken zipper Man: What does that have to do with me? (hysterically laughing) Me: Well I figured you would fix it for me (nervous laugh) As soon as I show him my shoe, he repeatedly goes "Oh shoot, Oh shoot, SHOOT." He walks over to another older man, shows him the shoe and starts speaking in another language.' I'm like what's wrong? He's like, "This is a very expensive shoe huh?" I'm like, "Sure." Then he replies, "Well this is a very difficult shoe to fix, the zipper needs to be replaced, and in order for me to do that I have to take apart the whole shoe including the soles, your lookin at about $100.00" As soon as he said this my expression turned blank. I thanked him and walked out. I went over to Jimmy's in Central square, and he charged me $22.00. Thanks Odessa, but no thanks. read more

What was I thinking?! I dropped off my battered boots at Odessa @ High Street on Tues, November 8rd; the first man said he wasn't sure they could be repaired, and call back when the owner is here @ 2 hours. So I called back, and the owner hemmed and hawed and finally agreed to fix my shoes to the cool tune of $80. Sorta nuts, I know, but I love these shoes and getting them fixed was cheaper than buying another pair. The shoes would be ready, they said, on the following Friday the 18th. I called before I headed over there on the 18th, only to learn that no, the shoes were not done, but definitely by next Tuesday. I get very busy and call again on December 1st. Guess what -- my shoes are STILL NOT READY. "My guy is sick, I'm here all alone, I work here seven days a week..." Did I mention I paid in advance for my repair work? what a sucker. He HOPES that they will be ready on the 6th. So if I'm lucky it will have taken a month to fix my shoes; honestly, though, I'm expecting that I'll call on the 6th only to have him cry on my shoulder some more about why it's taken a ridiculous amount of time to do the work. If they'd been honest about the backlog, that would've been different. And I would've gone someplace else. read more

Will never come here again. Brought shoes here twice just to have the rubber stopper on the heels replaced and both times I was yelled at by the Owner. Not only that, he also tried to do additional services to my shoes that did not need to be done! I had just bought a pair of heels 1 month before and needed one stopper replaced and he tried to get me to replace the entire sole.....not amused. If you are in desperate need of a repair, than I would recommend going for a quick fix. Otherwise, do not bother going. Not worth the aggravation of getting yelled at for being a client in need of a service. Especially as a repeat customer. read more

One of the older guys told me re-soling my shoes would be $40. When the shoes were finally ready (a few days late) he refused to take less than $80 and wouldn't even throw in some laces for free at my request. He said a lot of work went into them, but what's the point of getting an estimate or agreeing to a price beforehand if they're going to double it? If so much work was necessary, I should've been informed of the price increase before they forced it on me. Price and business practices aside, the machine that they use to "sand down" the sole to match the shape of the shoe damaged the finish around the part that connects to the sole. And of course the sole came off after a month. Money aside, the shoes would've been better off if I'd done nothing at all. They're still wearable, but it's disappointing that shoes I'd taken such good care of for five plus years were basically ruined at a place where they were supposed to be restored. Unprofessional in every sense of the word. read more

Do NOT go here. The man there is clearly senile and cannot remember anything that takes place only one hour ago. I brought shoes in on Monday to be fixed and he said they'd be ready Friday. I went in on Friday at 3 pm and they were still not ready. He said give him an hour and they'd be ready. He also took my slip and proceeded to rip it up and throw it away. I returned at 5 pm where he then accused me of lying about what had happened earlier in the day since I didn't have my slip. The man simply couldn't remember that he had taken my slip and ripped it up. I still had my actual receipt for the payment but that wasn't good enough for him. He told me to "please just rip the slip up that I was hiding from him." Such TERRIBLE customer service all around. He was late, completely rude, and the repair job was extremely subpar. Cannot stress enough to NOT GO HERE!!!! read more

Pro: the shoes came back looking fairly good - nice job removing salt from my frye boots.... Cons: 1) very expensive! 2) the two owners don't communicate well and extend different pricing. - I went to pick up my shoes (2 pairs, 1 pair of boots, one pair of heels). The heels were to have had the peg on the bottom of the leg replace. When I arrived, it was not. The owner that was in tried to tell me I hadn't paid for them to do that and wanted an additional $10 dollars (I had already paid $45 for just that pair). They ended up replacing them without the additional $10 but some consistency would be appreciated. A similar job (replacing soles and cleaning the leather is typically 30 at the place I go outside the city and offers no confusion. This happened to be near my office so I thought I'd give it a go. Lesson learned. read more

I took in a pair of black leather Coach boots that I loved and desperately didn't want to have to replace. They had just made it through a very long, snowy Boston winter and my feet were always wet by the end of a wear, so I decided it was time to have the soles replaced. Pros: I came away from the experience with very durable soles, with lots of traction. The boots were also nicely shined. Cons: the repair cost me nearly half the cost of the original boot!! I was desperate by then and had never had shoes repaired before, so I went with it.They also kept my boots for 3 months! They admitted that they were taking advantage of the fact that it was late spring and I wasn't wearing them anymore, so they were making other shoe repairs a priority over mine. 3 months seems excessive, though. After checking every 3 weeks, they finally said they'd call me when they were done. I never received a call, so I checked after a month of silence - yep, they were done. Finally, they put little half moons on the bottom toe tip, but mine fell off after an hour of wear - hope they weren't important... So, overall - they're expensive and not very customer service oriented, but I would say they do a quality job. They're conveniently located to the financial district, so that makes them slightly more appealing, as well. read more

I work with this vendor often as I work at a business that has employees inquiring for shoe repairs weekly. A few things I've learned over the past months: +Don't bother asking for quotes over the phone. +Always bring both shoes in even in only one needs repairs. +Go over in the late afternoon to speak with the owner himself that way you don't get in the middle of price/repair issues between the two guys working there. +Always call prior to heading over to make sure the shoes are done, and don't expect a call from them when they are, in fact, done. +The work is great. Like I said I've come here countless times over the past few months and I've never had a complaint from anyone whose had their shoes fixed. (cleaned/conditioned, new taps, new heels, replaced soles, repairs sandals/straps, repairs suede tears, etc) read more

This shoe repairman gets 3 stars because actually, he does a good job. He is honest with you about if it's worth paying ( even $5) to fix some crappy plastic shoes. However, if you are relying on the older gentleman who works there to get your shoes, good luck! I went back 2 days after the "ready" date and he couldn't find my shoes! He looked for 20 min and I tried to go in the back to help- I had to come back a week later when the younger guy was working. Good repair job but unreliable. read more

Odessa is a great shoe repair place, especially since it's across the street from my work. The prices aren't amazingly cheap -- it is downtown after all -- but they're pretty darn fair. And they do really good work -- they've saved a couple pairs of my boots I thought were done for, after getting the heels caught in Boston cobblestones one too many times. I highly recommend Odessa for any shoe repair! read more

Okay ...just tried it again because there are no cobbler's around the area that charge a reasonable price...BTW the one in 75 Federal is a rip off..anyways- the older man who is nice and quick was there and he fixed my boots on the spot! It took about ten minutes and he was great. I asked him what days he worked so I did not have to go in when the rude man is working and he said he only works in the mornings until about 2pm. So if you want to get your shoes fixed for a reasonable price - go there in the morning! He actually told me that no one likes the rude guy and he needs to talked to him AGAIN- apparently everyone has complained about the man which makes me feel a bit better but I don't know why they won't get rid of him- he must be a family member or something. p.s. the older man's name is Mario. read more

I work a minute walk from this place. I have gone in twice with requests that they have been unable to fulfill. One time I wanted a pair of sneaker soles fixed ($100 limited edition Vans) and the other time I wanted a key cut (oddly shapped key), both times the owners looked like me like I was an idiot for asking for these services. For the sneaker, the owner told me NOONE GETS SNEAKERS REPAIRED. To which, I replied, I just want the hole in the sole fixed so water doesn't leak in. Finally, the owner said I can do it but it's going to cost $80 dollars. I said no thanks that is too expensive. Then the owner looked at me as if I was wasting his time and with hostility. I said I am not coming back here, to which he replied OK and continued to scowl at me. This is terrible business that will only cater to people who are in fancy suits in the financial district. What the fail to realize is that the majority of the business world is casual now and money is money. Terrible business. read more

I went to Odessa shoe repair on a Monday with a few pairs of boots, I am very hard on my feet and shoes for that matter. I received them back the very next day! One was a pair of low brown leather boots I've had for over 5 years. When I got them back, they had a clean, brown leather finish - I couldn't believe it! Also, they completely fixed the bottom heel to look practically new. The other paid of boots I brought in had major water damage and were suede, so i wasn't sure if they would be fixable. When I got them back, they had a beautiful finish and almost the original color. Very impressed and will definitely go back with more shoes! read more

This was the rudest person I've ever come in contact with. Please please please don't ever waste your money here. The guy is SO rude. And the shoes looked the same after waiting 3 weeks. Don't bother. read more

This is a great place for high end shoes. I own Tom Ford and Gucci and others have ruined the delicate shading and unique colors. Odessa had the skills and experience to handle high end shoes. Trust me on this. read more

Brought in two pairs of sneakers and they nailed it! Made them like new and protected them for the future. Even got them back early

I don't understand why people don't like this guy. First of all his quality is top notch and when you have $700+ shoes like I do that is absolutely all I care about. Second, if you stop being a baby he is really a nice guy. Does he scold you for doing major damage to shoes, yes, yes he does, but he doesn't like seeing good products destroyed by incompetence. He has scolded me many times, stop being so sensitive he is trying to help you. Also, do not ignore his recommendations. I can't stress enough this is a guy who is trying to look out for you. When he tells you to put rubber soles over your leather soles and add heel and toe taps do it. I did and it saved me hundreds of dollars because they protect your shoes from wear and tear. This guy should be everyone's best friend. He saves you hundreds and for me thousands of dollars a year by doing a little routine maintenance once every couple months and giving me feedback on what I need to be doing. This matters when you're wearing expensive shoes, and even if you aren't then you probably can't afford to not be doing routine maintenance. And as it pertains to him taking a long time. Yeah, sometimes if you give him a disaster of a project that is intensive he will take his time with it but only because he wants to do it right. This is truly a craftsman and will not let you walk out of his store wearing something that is not up to his highest of standards. So go here, get advice, don't be scared by a little constructive feedback and you will be forever grateful that you found someone who deeply cares about the quality of his work and what you wear on your feet. read more

When I went to pick up my shoes today, I learned two things. 1) Be sure to check Yelp first; and 2) do not go to Odessa Shoe Repair again. Short story, after agreeing to a very expensive shoe repair last week, with a promise that the shoes would be ready today, I walked in to find that they were not ready and "might be ready by the end of the day." I know this happens, but they did have my phone number. No one thought to call and let me know. What are they going to use my number for? To call me on my birthday to sing Happy Birthday? It's good to know that there are better alternatives in the same general downtown area (thank you, fellow Yelp-ers). read more

2+ weeks late after promised pick up date. not the end of the world honestly but what was unacceptable was how I had to call him 5 times and each time he said tomorrow, and then tomorrow came, and they weren't ready. never apologetic about extended wait time which was very odd. when I picked them up, I asked for 5 bucks off because of the wait time / having to call so much /inconvenience and his lack of following through with end of agreement. he refused to give it to me and said he "knows I won't be back anyways." terribly run business and work was "meh" at best. guy was rude, unapologetic, and should have given me the measly 5 bucks off as a gesture. read more

Rude and overpriced. Took $20 per pair heels for a simple cleaning. When I said nicely that was too much he asked me to leave right away and that I was wasting his time. Might do a good job but who knows read more

Came in for a quick shoe shine, prices were reasonable, and had an enjoyable conversation with the gentlemen behind the counter. Contrary to the reviews previously posted, I had a good experience and I'll be coming back again. read more

I have been to Odessa Shoe Repair on two different occasions now and had a pleasant experience both times! My first visit I needed the heel on a favorite pair of my shoes fixed. I had these shoes forever and considered just throwing them out, but I loved them so much I decided it was worth the investment to fix. The service was excellent and my shoes can back perfect with a new and improved heel. The second visit I needed a new pair of Tory Burch flats stretched out because they were a tad tight. These shoes are not cheap and I trusted this business to stretch them to the perfect fit. When I got them back they fit great and I could finally take advantage of wearing the pricey flats I purchased without any pain. Overall I think this business is reliable and reasonably priced. They took care of me both times with ease and I plan to continue to use this business for repairs for years to come! read more

Yeah, so he's not a fluffy smiley nice guy. Just bring your broken shoes and he'll do a great job. He knows his stuff.

Horrible. He's had my boots for 2 weeks. Said they'd be done today, now say maybe Wed if I'm lucky. Paid $120 for new zippers. Wish I had read these reviews BEFORE I went there. Never again and will tell everyone I know not to go there. read more

I don't normally feel compelled to write a negative review but I think this place is a rip-off. (Note this is the one on High Street since there are several Odessa's in the city.) I think they charge you by how much they think your shoes are worth rather than the cost of the actual job. I stopped by to drop off three pairs of boots to have the worn heels replaced. He quoted me over $30 for one pair, which I thought was a bit pricey. He said that your boots cost over $100-200, so this cost is nothing. Then he quoted me over $50 for the second pair. Before I even got the quote for the 3rd pair, I left the place with my boots and when down to Santa Cross on Tremont Street. John at Santa Cross, who's got great reviews, only charged me $24 per pair and I even got a pair free because I had accumulated 9 pairs over time. And John is as good as they come when it comes to craftsmanship and honesty. So instead of paying what was going to be $130+, I only paid $48 at Santa Cross. I will never go back to Odessa to be ripped off. Yes, it's convenient for those who work in the financial district (and they do have fast turnaround) but I'd rather walk 10 minutes down the street and get a fair price. read more

I brought in a pair of old boots to try and salvage them, the leather was worn and one of the heels had come off. When I asked if he could fix them he said yes, and that they would be done in a week. I came back a week later and no work had been done. He told me to come in after the weekend, 4 days later than agreed upon. When I came back the second time the boots were on a shelf, still not finished. I stood there silently with other customers in line behind me as he finally finished the boots. When he presented them as "complete" I showed him that both heels (including the one he recently reattached) were loose and had visible space from the rest of the shoe, he told me that wasn't a problem and it would take $100 to fix, after I already spent $85 on the repairs. He told me the brand was the problem. If he couldn't fix them completely in the allotted time he should have told me on the spot, and not wasted nearly a hundred dollars and a week and a half of my time. read more

I hate that I even had to give them 1 star. First off, the guy is a jerk. Fact. He yells at you if your shoes are in bad condition. Call me crazy, but wouldn't he be out of business if shoes didn't reach a point where they needed to be fixed? I've put up with his meanness for too long. The service is crummy, the prices are astronomical - I work downtown and the only thing this place has going for it is convenience, but that officially is not worth the strife of dealing with this clown. After an entire week with a pair of shoes that needed little more than new heel stops, I went in to pick them up on the day they told me the shoes would be ready. At 11 in the morning, they were not ready; fine. It's early, you said Friday, I'll give you more time. Come back at 3 he says. Go back at 4pm, and the shoes still are not ready. Now, he was working on them when I walked in at 11 (saw them on the machine); he knew I would be back at 3; the shoes were supposed to be ready today. Maybe, just maybe, he should have tried to finish them? Especially considering the repairs were extremely basic? Do yourself a favor, go somewhere else, go anywhere else. BUY NEW SHOES before taking a pair here. read more