I brought my 2 pair of loafers in. I was told I had to pay upfront $50. I asked how long it would be and the women at the desk said one week. I called in one week and she said " Did you get a text?" I said no . She said well when you get a text that's when they are done. I said you promised a week and she insisted she did not!! She insisted she said 10 days or more.Continued to argue on the phone until I said fine I'm not arguing with you about it. I won't be back I should've read the reviews. I questioned the work and she said if you hadn't worn down the heel he wouldn't have had to build it up again. read more

DO NOT BRING YOUR SHOES HERE. I should have listened to the prior reviews.. I don't know why I trusted this place. I brought my favorite Sperry's here to see if they could clean and refresh the leather and glue down one area on the side where the fabric had started to fray. When I received them back, the whole sole was glued around the shoe with globs of glue. They do not look refreshed at all, the leather in the front got damaged from I'm guessing how the shoe was clamped or a tool that was used. Also the stitching was frayed and damaged. I'm crushed that my favorite shoes were damaged like this and at a store that's supposed to fix shoes!! I went in to request a refund (which I did receive), but when I expressed my concerns for the damage done to my shoes, I was told that they did their best but that the shoes are older shoes. I don't know who's bringing new shoes to a repair and restore shop, but this is unacceptable service for either new or old. If they didn't think they could do the work, they should've never accepted it. Did I mention they require you to pay up front before any service is provided? Strongly do NOT recommend read more

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Great work. Spotty Customer Service. I have taken my Bostonian's here a few times for a cleaning and heel / sole replacement. Today I picked up a pair that was out for a cleaning and received the worst customer service by Don, one of their long term employees. I gave him an opportunity to correct his conduct by letting him know that he was not being customer friendly. Don shrugged and then wanted to know if I was dropping off another shoe. I said NO and that although I liked the quality of Sofia's service I also expected to be treated with basic respect. Again Don shrugged and gave me the impression that he could care less. Sadly they have lost not only my business but I will NEVER recommend them again. One bright note: Dave Kelly, who is on the Sofia business card (near the register) has served me most times I have dropped off my shoes. Dave has always been professional and consistent. He may be the owner. For 2017: I am being very clear about voting with my wallet. I will no longer support a business that does not provide consistent customer service. read more

Sofia Shoe Repair Service - Shoe Repair Near Me - Rochester, New York

Incompetent. Told me they would match the lace of original Timberland and did not; looks like it belongs on a work boot. Supposed to re-string the shoe but had to cut the stitching to do it. I could do better myself... and intend to. I don't know how they manage to stay in business. read more

Sofia Shoe Repair Service - Shoe Repair Near Me - Rochester, New York

My fiance bought me a pair of very expensive rare jordans for Christmas. They had a small stain on the yellow one which is on the right. Well considering its now February 11th and I literally just picked my shoes up from "sofias shoe services" today and they've been there since December 16th at the least. Very little communication to say the least. It was supposed to be a surprise, but obviously she had to inform me of the whole situation. She called after about 3 weeks, and then the guy said another week. (Had to match a color or something of the nature ) so another week and a half goes by, STILL NOTHING. We stopped in, met with the rude lady in the front and she went and grabbed said shoe. (Incomplete said they were waiting on the color to come in). Alright so today we called because hey we get it things happen.. guy says to my fiance," oh they've been finished." Feb.11 so again WE HEARD NOTHING, UP until this point. I go pick the shoes up and I take a once over. My heart sinks because the one shoe they were supposed to fix looked like shit. The purple had been rubbed off both sides underneath the yellow. The yellow was the initial color where the little spot was, that needed to be cleaned originally. I looked at the rude lady and pointed it out directly. She knew I wasn't happy, and said it would be weds before they could fix it.. I REPLIED WITH NO I CAN DO IT MYSELF.. THE SHOES LOOK TERRIBLE AT THEIR HAND! Alright so I get home in better lighting, I see purple paint on the yellow, and on the blue where ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE! BUT NOT ON THE SPOT WHERE THEY MANHANDLED THE SHOE BY SCRUBBING SO HARD THE PAINT HAD WORN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE WHITE!!!!!! SO THEY KNEW THAT THE SHOE WAS TOAST BEFORE THEY EVEN HANDED IT TO ME! THE PICTURES SHOW EVERYTHING THATS NEEDED TO SEE.. read more

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Avoid this place! The manager is totally rude, but even more shocking is their total incompetence in scheduling pickup. I just made my third trip to the store to pick up my order, and I was turned away because they continue to miss their own deadlines. It's been well over a week since their original promise date and still not ready (and several weeks since drop off). And the manager doesn't seem to care. No customer service. No integrity. Please avoid at all costs. Disappointing. read more

I've been going to Ex-Marine Johnnie's AKA Sofia Shoe Repair for YEARS. One of the best. Hard to find on Yelp, though. Great place to bring your tired, repairable leather. Took my wife's distressed leather boots there and they made them look fantastic... only trouble was I told 'em to make 'em look good. After my wife got over her anger she liked the way they looked! read more

Sofia Shoe Repair Service - Johnnie's, AKA Sofia Shoe Repair, Sofia Shoe Service, Ex-Marine Johnnies. - Shoe Repair Near Me - Rochester, New York

The worst shoe repair place in Rochester...beware. They have you pay upfront. I brought 2 pair of Sandals they charged me $90.00. I could have bought a new pair if they would have been honest and said they would not be able to repair them. Instead they attempted and they look terrible. They do not care that you are not satisfied. The miserable lady at the counter just shrugs her shoulders and waves you out the door. Maybe they think they lost 1 customer....however I am out to dinner every night of the week. Every person I come in contact with will hear this story. Need to remember Rochester is a small town.. And I bet you could care less. This is the very first time I have ever written a review...had to do it never been treated so poorly from a small business owner not willing to do something to retain a customer. Amazing read more

Stay away from Sophia Shoe Repair. I had a suitcase zipper repaired and the zipper came apart during the next trip, right where Sophia repaired it. They want payment upfront and the woman behind the counter acted like it was a complete inconvenience that I even walked in the door. Head out to Cobbler's Corner in Henrietta. Much better repair shop. read more

My Girlfriend took her beloved Sperrys here. She had owned them for 10+ years and they are very important to her. They're in very good condition for their age but they needed a cleaning and a small spot patched up. The shoes came back a wreck, globs of glue around the entire shoe, the leather was slighting cleaned....but so aggressively that the lacing was fraying and the toe was scuffed. The sole of the shoe wasn't even touched, it was the same color and had same dirt still on them from when they were dropped off. They came back worse than when dropped off. My girlfriend was absolutely crushed, she was originally told they had experience repairing/cleaning Sperrys. But then when she went in for a refund they played it off that the reason the shoes came back that way was because of their age. In my mind, no one is taking brand new shoes to be reconditioned/repaired...they're all going to be of age. She did get a refund, but the whole experience and lack of care for the damage to her favorite shoes was just awful. Especially when they have you pay before they provide any service. I'd stay away if you care about your shoes. read more

Alright, I'm giving this a tentative 3-stars but I am actually really happy with the service. Allow me to digress into some background information: I moved here from Phoenix a couple years ago, where I had the most A++ phenomenal shoe repair place in all the land. I'm obsessed with shoes and have a large collection of gorgeous designer duds. I'm extremely anxious about entrusting my shoes to anyone. In fact, I've been shipping my shoes back to PHX to get repaired after I tried another place on Monroe that DECIMATED, butchered, and hack jobbed my Givenchy boots. That's when I started sending things back to my old shop. Then I found myself in a pinch. A huge pinch. I was leaving for a trip the next day and discovered a pair of my boots desperately needed heel caps. I had read the reviews of Sofia and was suuuuper wary about trying them, but I figured who can screw up heel caps? Now onto the review: The front desk person is surly, and the place looks like every shoe repair shop I've ever entered from Italy to NYC, so that cluttered, leathery, messy aspect doesn't phase me. I only care about good repairs - and I got that! They got my shoes done in one day, called me to let me know I also needed toe caps (which I did I just didn't want to push my luck getting them done in time), did a great job and were reasonably priced! I'm definitely bringing another pair of shoes to them and would recommend giving them a try. UPDATE: Just no. Brought in a pair of Lanvin sandals that needed straps repaired and they did an ATROCIOUS job. Plus, when I arrived to pick up the shoes they were thrown in a giant box with a zillion other pairs of sandals (actually buried under other shoes) and were handed back to me scuffed and dirty. The shoes were in worse condition than when I brought them in. Plus they charged me $55! I am furious that I paid and didn't just refuse. But I really wanted my shoes back so I could mail them back to Phoenix to my real repair shop. Is there ANYPLACE in Rochester that does designer shoe repair?! read more

As a young whippersnapper, I don't take care of my leather goods nearly as well as I should. I buy nice products and then let them fall into disrepair and need to replace them far too soon. Due to my negligence, my black safety shoes for work and my black leather curling shoes had gotten that ugly green wear on them and I needed some help to bring them back from the brink. Luckily a review popped up for this place and I brought my shoes in to see if he could work some old school magic on them. The interior and the man making the repairs is old school to a T. Pleasant enough but he gets down to business quickly and took my information and told me when to come back. When I went to pick up my shoes, I saw two pairs that looked better than when they were new. Recolored, polished and sewn as needed, Johnnie did a great job and gave my shoes a new life. Very happy for the prices charged and I would definitely go back if I needed more repairs done. read more

I brought 2 pairs of boots to Sofia Shoe Repair to have winter soles put on them. When I picked them up, both pairs were damaged beyond repair! The heals were broken, the leather was irreparably scuffed, there were burn marks inside and outside the shoes, and the work on the soles was sloppy, with glue all over them. I was proudly told, "we used these shoes to train a new person!" Unbelievable. Someone who doesn't know how to repair shoes was not properly supervised and ruined 2 pairs of booties...and I was charged $120! I strongly recommend Al's Monroe Shoe Services, just down the road on Monroe Avenue. Extremely talented and reasonably priced. read more

Work repeatedly done wrong, they always blame the person not there. They have no problem putting new heals on shoes, but haven't done more complex jobs correctly. I brought one pair in to get full soles. I got half soles instead; I was told the person who took the order was out. I left a second pair to have a covering put over the sole, as well as new heals. The shoes had the heals, but none of the rest of the work was done. Again, I was told that it was the fault of the person who took the order. read more

I finally brought in a pair of brown leather boots that needed a good cleaning, shining and waterproofing (~$15). I heard good things about Sofia's from a friend so I had good expectations. The whole process was pretty simple: you bring in your shoes, note the things you'd like done, and it took about a week. When I picked them up I failed to look at them closely in the shop. Had I done that, I would have realized that they only looked like they were shined. There are still some scuffs I expected to be buffed out. Also, overall the place is quite dirty. There's dust everywhere and things are disorderly. Aesthetically, it doesn't give off a good vibe in terms of professionalism. Regardless of the service they provide, I expect a business to be well-kept and organized. The lady who I interacted with at drop-off and pick-up (assuming it's Sofia?) was not so friendly. Sure, not every business owner will chat you up at the counter, but she didn't even crack a smile or murmur a greeting. It was a little gruff. Based on my experience, I'm not sure I'll go back. read more

Sofia Shoe Repair Service - New hours - Shoe Repair Near Me - Rochester, New York

These guys are great my mom waited way too long to have her hip replaced & now needs a 2cm lift on her left shoes. This guy always does a good job I probable have 2 or three shoe a year done 4 her & it's always been a good experience. I was there last Friday & some lunatic guy was complaining that one of the sleeves he had shortened on his leather jacket was like 1/4 inch off. He had a fight with the owner & threatened to ruin him on social media. No human is completely symmetrical his arm was probably 1/4 inch off. He said another guy who would not do the work brought this to his attention. If he valued this guys opinion so much why did he get him to do the work. Also I once tried taking mom shoes to a guy in Henrietta & he said he couldn't put a lift on mom's favorite style of Sandler but Sofia has always done it no problems. read more

Very rude on the phone. I had a simple question and he hurried me off the phone and then hung up without saying goodbye.

Great, honest work. Sure the decor could use some help, but this guy is clearly a craftsman in the truest sense.

Second and third visit with troublesome "project" shoes confirms. This is the place to to fix your old but beloved dogs.

This was by far my worst customer service experience ever. The zipper on my winter coat broke, and I took it in for replacement on a Tuesday. I was told that I could pick it up next Tuesday after 4pm. I called the following Tuesday afternoon, around 3pm, and asked if it was repaired yet. The person I spoke with said it would be ready after 5pm. I was busy that evening, so I went in on Wednesday afternoon to pick up my coat. I was told by a very rude and surly woman that the coat wasn't "back from the tailors" yet and that it wouldn't be back before 5pm. Not only was I unaware that the coat was being "sent to a tailor" and not repaired in the store, but I was told the previous evening that the coat would be ready that day, and it was now a day later, and the coat wasn't even in the store, much less ready for me to pick up. I was quite upset, and told her that I was promised the coat on Tuesday, and that it was now Wednesday evening and the coat wasn't here. She said, "the person who told you it would be ready on Tuesday doesn't know what he was saying and shouldn't have said that." What? No apology was ever given. I returned on Thursday (now two days after the coat was promised back to me). The same woman was there, and she had on stained black gloves from repairing/polishing shoes. She went in the back to get my coat, and handed it to me. It wasn't in a bag and she was handling it with the dirty gloves. The cost for the zipper replacement? $50! I asked for a discount given that the coat was 2 days late, and she again stated that the person who originally took my coat for repair shouldn't have told me it was due back on Tuesday. I told her that a simple phone call to me to let me know that the coat wasn't back yet would have been appreciated. She took off $5. Gee, thanks. Not one single time did she issue an apology, which would have gone a long way in making a highly unsatisfied customer feel better. Terrible customer service here. Rude employees, and extremely overpriced. I would stay far away from this place. read more

Our ever-increasing appetite as consumers for cheap goods (and that of businesses for profits) has left us with products that may fail us at a moment's notice, despite only light to moderate use. A shoe whose sole had lost a fondness for its upper was one such example, likely the result of shoddy workmanship by heavily abused* workers on the other side of the world. But here in the rust belt of Rochester, NY remains a beacon of hope. Sofia Shoe Repair graciously glued the shoe of this (weary?) traveler without charging a dime. What was briefly the most awkward flip-flop is now once again the work/Oxford shoe that it was sold as. Thank you, Sofia Shoe Repair. *at least by the standards of American labor laws. read more

For anybody looking to attach the red rubber soles to your brand new Christian Louboutin shoes, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take them to Sofia's. My shoes are ruined. Never worn, brand new and they are ruined. It looks like they stuck both heels in a vice grip which scratched, tore and marked the material on the heels. The remaining leather on top of the shoes was also scratched in multiple places like it was pressed down into a hard workbench and dragged against the hard surface. The red rubber soles that were attached look like they were cut with a butcher knife and glued on in the dark. They are uneven, and there is glue stuck in other areas of my shoes that have absolutely nothing to do with the sole areas. If you look online at the professional jobs done in both Toronto and NYC, you will notice a red seamless attachment that protects the soles without compromising the look of the shoes. My shoes now look like they dragged black marker around the sides to hide the incredibly poor workmanship that destroyed my brand new Louboutins. read more

The blond haired lady behind the counter didn't even try look at my sandals and just said nope to my friend instead of facing with me and speak to me. She didn't explain why it can not be done. She ignored me and was facing my friend at whole time. Her expression and vibes tells me that She discriminates the disabled people. I feel that it can be done. I think this shop is lazy and felt that my sandals are "too much work". They already lost two customers right there! We are looking for another shoe repair shop! Bye bye Sofia Shoe Repair shop! read more

I'm a fan of getting good shoes and having them repaired as needed to maintain them. Sofia is one of the only places I know of that can do leather repair so we've been coming to them for years. The place smells like all sorts of leather, leather cleaners, conditioners, etc. and it's generally dusty, dirty & chaotic in there - particularly during boot season. However, they rescued a favorite pair of boots after 2+ weeks of trekking around Europe in them and made the same pair look nearly as good as new AGAIN when I spilled something on them that bleached the leather. They have also re-soled tons of my husband's shoes and put new heels on mine as well. They will also do stretching to make the break-in period of new leather shoes/boots more comfortable. An airline just broke one of my husband's leather straps on a small bag so we'll be visiting them again soon to fix that. Sofia's customer service can be kind of gruff, but they usually get the job done. Presumably this is a craft that not a ton of people know so I accept their faults and keep coming back. During the busiest season there can sometimes be quite a wait for your shoes, as it seems like they have a small team, so I encourage you to go earlier in the season if possible. read more

After one week of light wear, my newly-repaired shoes started coming apart. After $60 and two more trips to the shop, I was told that this "has nothing to do with out work" and that it would cost more to finish the job. This place has terrible customer service and does shoddy work. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Paid $6 to get boots fixed, decent job fixing. Then, I paid $22.45 to get a backpack strap fixed in late August. When I called to ask if it was done the response was, "Just come in later, it should be done." Went to pick it up stood at the front desk for about 5 minutes while the man in the back just sat there doing whatever he was doing. He finally came out but told me he didn't have my backpack. After about 5 more minutes of looking he found it, in the back room, it was returned to me dirty and dusty. I paid just wanting to leave because the man was so rude. Fast forward to Mid October as I'm walking to class my backpack strap just falls right out. After looking at the stitching I realize he barely even fixed the strap.They just cut a hole in the side stuck the strap in and tried to do a few stitches to shut it. I could have done that if I knew that's what a "repair shop" was going to do. It's more broken now than when I brought it in.I'm in college so returning it is not an option/probably won't happen because I've called on 3 different occasions and I've been hung up on or the manager has "been out/on lunch". I will never go back to this place place. Rude employees, shoddy workmanship, horrible store maintenance and lack of concern for the customers satisfaction. I feel ripped off and annoyed, and now I have to buy a new backpack. read more

Did an okay job on my shoes for a fair price but had to bring them back twice though. Don't expect any caliber of customer service. The woman working there has to be one of the least friendly people I have ever encountered. read more

Dropped off a pair of boots here a few weeks ago the woman at the desk seemed very uninterested in her job and what i was asking for in regards to my boot repair. I tentatively left the boots in her care and she handed me a ticket. (They do not collect your contact information to alert you when work is done) I showed up a week later and the boots were tampered with bu still not repaired although they were still requesting payment. I tried them on and showed her they still weren't fixed, she looked annoyed and told me she could have "the guy" look at them again if i wanted but it would cost me more to do the work a second time around?! I should have taken them then and there and cut my losses but i don't know of any other shoe repair places in the area and i LOVE these boots. I showed up a week later and they had clearly been tampered with further but still not repaired entirely. The man at the desk requested double payment regardless of the state of the boots and when i told him i thought that was unfair he told me to forget about it and take the boots. Overall a huge lack of communication, professionalism and poor workmanship has led me to this negative review, something i don't take lightly especially in regards to small local business. read more

Quality work but they are dishonest about the prices. I brought in a pair of leather boots needing new soles and a pair of my wife's shoes which needed new heels. I was quoted around $45 total - in fact, they wrote the individual prices on the pickup receipts, which totaled around $45. When I came to pick them up they charged me $73 and mumbled something about how the soles were really expensive. That's fine, but why not tell me that up front? Or call me when you knew it would cost $30 more than you quoted? The work is fine but I will never go here again - I feel as if I was ripped off. read more

The people who work at this place are rude and very unhelpful. Been back 4 times to replace a zipper and they still haven't done that. Say they keep fixing it, but I didn't ask for it to be "fixed". On top of that, they either can't find the boot when I go to pick it up or it hasn't been started. I wanted a new zipper and now they are telling me that I will have to pay another $60! Not happening. Going elsewhere and will never go back!! Stay away from this business. read more

They broke my shoes when all they had to do was replace the tips at the heel. Then they stapled my Shoes in a brown paper bag and let me pay for the tips to be replaced when they could no longer be worn. Luckily I opened before I walked out and was able to confront him on how he could not tell me that they broke them and actually pay for the service! He said he hit the heel hard to put on the tip on because he thought the heel was metal?.. Ok so I'm out a pair of heels that were in your possession, and you haven't offered one dollar to replace them. And yes, thanks for giving me back my $12 that I paid for you to repair the shoe. Just horrible place and ppl. read more

I rarely write reviews, however given my experience I felt the need to in this case. I took four pairs of shoes in for repairs. I was required to pay for my shoes in advance and was given a pick up date of one week later. When I arrived the following week I was told my shoes were not done they were just started that morning. I was asked to return before their closing time of 6pm. I returned at 5:30 to find that the store was closed. Other customers were also there attempting to pick up their shoes having been told to return as well. I attempted to call and leave a message, however there was not voicemail or answering machine. I returned the next day to pick up my shoes and I mentioned that I returned the previous day as requested. I was told I must have shown up after 6pm. I informed them that I arrived at 5:30 and was told that their clock must have been wrong. I checked my shoes before leaving the quality of the work was terrible. Two pair were not repaired well, however they are probably wearable. The other two pair were very poorly done. I have had similar repairs done elsewhere in the past with much better results. However, when I showed the employee the poorly repaired heels I was informed that the shoe had been damages and it would not look "smooth." I indicated that if the shoes could not be fixed (or if there were limitations), that should have been indicated when I dropped off the shoes and paid for the repair that I was told was possible. It was the worst shoe repair job I've seen, include home repairs. I will have to take the shoes somewhere else to get them fixed if I want to wear them again. I was very disappointed, especially having pre-paid. What was even more disappointing is that the employee did not appear to be concerned with my dissatisfaction with the repairs or that they closed early after informing customers to return. I will not utilize their services again nor would I ever recommend them to anyone else! read more