Does anyone know how to get a hold of the owner from here? It's been a long time but he fell out of contact with me and either still has or lost my boot and I already paid. Did anyone else lose their shoes here since it closed down?? Thanks. Very annoyed. read more

Yeah this place is pretty terrible. They lost the item I brought in. All it needed was a fix of the zipper. I came back in and he had lost the bag. The guy made some excuse about being in storage. I came back like a week later and he made another excuse about not going to storage that often. He never called. Doubt he ever tried. Probably sold off the bag. I was pissed. My girlfriend was even more upset. Don't come here. Spread the word. read more

Quick, friendly, and conveniently located across from my apartment. It appears to be a pretty small operation - when you walk in, it's one man and hundreds of shoes. I wouldn't say the prices are phenomenal, and I wouldn't expect the magic of cobbling elves, but they do a reasonable job and the service is easy. I had the thong of a sandal repaired here ($20) after it had already broken once or twice before, so I don't really fault Star Shoe for the fact that it came undone again a couple weeks later. I would go back with basic shoe needs, but not when I need a miracle. read more

I really wish I had read the reviews before bringing my shoes in. Same thing happened to me as Geoff P down below. Brought in a (really expensive shoe) to get the zipper replaced. The guy told me it would be a week and he'd call. 3 weeks later I went in and he said that actually he needed to order the zipper because it's 18k gold and to give him another month. Came back a month later and he had lost the shoe. Also gave me some excuse about it being in storage and said he'd call back. After hounding him for months, he said he was going to place a claim with insurance. I asked him to call me back the following week with the insurance information and I never heard back from him. The shop was closed for holiday vacation, then for winter break, and now due to a family emergency. It's been five months at this point and I'm pretty sure he sold the gold. Please don't come here. I lost $2000 boots because of this guy and he had the nerve to tell me I was being unreasonable when I threatened to call the BBB. 5 months later, I think it's time.... read more

Cold weather means dusting off the boots that Star Shoe Repair screwed up during the summer months. And surprise, the zipper doesn't even work. And some in-seam glue job quickly came undone and the boots are officially unwearable. Seems like a fitting close to a laughably bad experience here. Avoid making my mistake, go elsewhere. read more

I took my boots in for repair and the guy told me to come back in a week. I did, and he wasn't open. I came back a few days later and he told me he needed a few minutes to "finish up." I waited fifteen minutes or so while he polished my boots in the back room, which was fine, except that it left me with wet, messy, smelly boots to carry around all day - and I'd given him more than the time he asked for. The boots themselves, though, were well repaired (resoled and shined) and looked almost like new. read more

When choosing where to get my shoes repaired, I usually go to Kelly's Cobbler...but on this particular day they were out to lunch and I wanted a pair of shoes done for my birthday - so I decided to try Star. Not only did the man charge me TRIPLE what Kellys would have - but the sole of the shoe ( I originally wanted him to attach a sole to my heels) literally peeled right off! When attaching the sole to my heel the man literally shaved off the side of my ($500) heels....Lets just say I was a little upset. To top it off . .he wouldn't give me more than $6 BACK!! Never go to Start Shoe repair with any shoe that you half way care about. read more

Short version: nice guy, decent service, but disproportionately expensive. Long version: Went into the store hoping that I could buy a bottle of Nikwax (~$6) to re-waterproof a pair of leather boots. The guy running the place said that he unfortunately didn't sell anything like that off the shelf, but offered to use a aerosol waterproofing spray he had in the back. He was a very nice guy, and happy to do the service, so I popped off the boots and he took them to the back and sprayed them. I was didn't ask about price (I should have), but assumed that it would be in the range of $4-5 since all he was doing was using some portion of a cheap can of spray, and when I've had a cobbler do the same service back home in Seattle, it's been no more than five bucks. He handed them back, and told me it was $13.50 for the spray, which I was quite surprised at, but I guess my bad for not having asked about the price first. Overall, the guy was nice and I like supporting local craftsmanship, but i thought that 13.50 for a quick aerosol spray was so disproportionality expensive that I wish I had just ordered a bottle of Nikwax online so I could do the same job many times over for less. read more

There used to be an old, super-friendly guy who worked here. I had good experiences with him. Now he's been replaced with a younger, grouchy guy. I had a hiking boot whose leather upper was coming unstitched. The young guy tried to glue the leather together, which of course didn't work. And when I asked for new insoles, he gave me these really flimsy, green ones that were too small for my boots. Terrible, I'm never coming back. read more

As a previous reviewer noted, there was an elderly gentleman who previously owned this business who was nothing short of a miracle worker. He did great work, was reasonably priced, and actually pleasant to deal with. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago and his replacement is nothing short of terrible. I asked for a pair of shoes to be reheeled and have the leather backs stitched together again (as the previous owner had 7 years ago - what can I say, I love these shoes). The current owner glued a piece of leather in the back, which 3 months later is already falling apart. He only partially re-heeled the shoe, which is already worn down after 3 months. Oh, and he charged nearly 3 times what the previous owner had. On top of that, it took me 3 tries to actually get the shoes as they often werent ready when he said they would be. I know New Haven generally has spotty service, but I won't return as a customer. read more

This place had a pair of my sneakers for over 3 1/2 weeks everything I called said a few more days when I initially drop the shoe off he told me it would be ready end of the week 3 1/2 weeks later I got my shoes back they were painted and the total was supposed to be fixed it was a paint job it looked like it was done by a 3 year-old at day care I would never bring anything here ever again get fixed and I recommend that you go somewhere else read more

Avoid this place. Seriously. Go to Kelly's Cobbler on Temple St! Our experience with Star: My boyfriend dropped off a pair of shoes to have the heel replaced. He paid $40 upfront, which was the first mistake. When he returned after a week, the shoes were not ready. A few days later the shop was closed during "business hours." Meanwhile, I went to Kelly's Cobbler to have my boots repaired and asked the owner about Star Shoe Repair. He called the shop his "best advertisement," because so many people came to him after disappointing experiences with Star. I went to Star a week later when the shop was finally open, and the owner spent nearly 15 minutes "finishing" and "polishing" them while I waited. I politely expressed that we were disappointed the shoes were so late, and he claimed he had a "family emergency" and offered no apology. read more

I took several pairs of shoes and a pair of boots to this guy over the course of a couple of years. He always did excellent work. Especially in the case of my my favorite pair of boots, he did some major repairs to the soles and gave them probably another couple of years of life. And they look great. He charges a fair price for his work. The downside: the guy takes forever. He'll tell you the job will take a week, but actually it will take three weeks. You can't get the guy to do anything that you need in a week or less. read more

If I could, I would give zero stars. Do not go here! The owner did the same thing to me that he does to his other customers- took my shoes, told me to come back in a week, then closed up shop for close to two weeks due to various excuses. There was a different note on the door every time I came to check (i.e. Someone was stopping by the store to change the note), and yet my phone calls went unanswered, as I worried about whether I would ever get my expensive shoes back. When I finally caught him open again, he had me wait to actually fix the shoes on the spot. Trust me, take your shoes somewhere that won't hold them hostage for weeks, without any updates. read more

I signed up just to talk about how terrible this place is and how you should never EVER bring your shoes there. Aside from taking two weeks to replace a zipper on a boot (and it would have been longer had I not put my foot - the one missing a boot - down and INSISTED my shoe be ready by a specific date and time), it fell apart the first time I put it on my leg. Upon further inspection, I realized what happened. It looks like he used Elmer's glue to glue the zipper in. I s**t you not. And if that's not bad enough, he didn't even use A LOT of it. He also melted the leather on the bottom of the zipper, and did something to the inside so now the zipper cuts into the instep of my right foot. All this torture for $30. What a ripoff. I'd bring it back to complain, except he would take another three weeks to "fix" it. Which would probably entail just adding more glue. I could have spent $15 on a zipper and used my glue gun if I wanted to destroy my boot. NOTE: The owner seemed like a nice enough guy, but this is not how you run a business. I suggest he gets himself to a cobbling seminar, or however they learn how to actually work their trade. read more

Star Shoe Repair is the worst shoe repair in the country. It took four trips to the store to finally reteive my three pairs. You like black polish on brown shoes - you'll get it there. The heals fell off the first time I wore them. The workmanship looked like the person was blind and did it by feel Star Shoe should go out of business and do us all favor. read more

I brought a new leather bag to him yesterday, because it had a slightly odd smell. I had put the bag in some baking soda, so I asked him to clean the bag and put a spray on it, to deodorize and protect it. He said this was no problem, and would do it in a day. He then made me pay $25 up front for the cleaning and spray treatment. I picked up the bag, and he claimed that he had "cleaned it, sprayed it, and sealed it", but he actually didn't do anything. All of the baking soda residue was still on it, and it smelled exactly the same. There were also some spots that would have changed color had he sprayed the bag. They were exactly the same: they were not sealed, nor sprayed. Basically, he just left the bag in the back for a day and charged me $25 for nothing. Do not go here. Under any circumstances. Unless you want the degenerate who runs the shop to steal your money. read more

My Husband was the elderly man that used to own the Star Shoe Repair. He was a miracle worker &could fix anything. He was a master craftsman & loved to go to work everyday. He took pride in his work& for many years was considered the best shop in town & the towns around here. He loved his customers & they loved him. Many cried when he died. He would be broken hearted to see what how's happened to the store. Joyce P. read more

Sad to say that serious illness has now permanently closed Star Shoe Repair on College Street. Sign to that effect is posted on the door, and everything has been moved out. Number to call for inquiries is on the sign read more

Overcharged for poor quality work. Repairs fell apart in only a few days.

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! Go to Kelly's. This guy has had my shoe for three weeks for a job he told me would take a few days. I have been there THREE times to get it back and it's always either an employee who doesn't know what's going on or the owner telling me it will be done the next day. Im pretty sure they lost my shoe. read more

Terrible service. Do not let them touch your valuable leather items ! They will screw it !

Wouldn't advise it - had my favorite leather bag destroyed there by tons of rock solid glue, and from what I hear I am not the first one. There are much better options around the corner. read more

DO NOT GO HERE. As others state, there was once an old guy here. That was the uncle or grand-uncle of the guy now there. The guy now here has NO - ZIP - ZERO experience in the shoe trade. He has very little manual skill, skill with his hands. He just inherited the business. I wish I had known this prior to going in. I had a pair of leather shoes with rubber soul where the heel started to become unglued. I could have done the repair myself but felt great about giving this obviously old shop some business. Prices seemed reasonable at around $25. I dropped my shoes off, was told they'd be ready the next week and returned a bit over a week just to be sure. As others have stated, they weren't ready. So I hung out while he messed about behind a mirrored wall. I offered a few times to come back later since I lived just across the street (and I wanted to make sure he wasn't rushed and did good work). He wouldn't have that and insisted he was almost done. He then sprayed my shoes with a silicone shiny spray and presented them as done. The first thing I noticed was finger prints of dried glue smeared on the leather upper. Really stuck out against the shiny silicone spray. The second thing I noticed was the shoes no longer sat flat on the counter, but rolled over to the side. Picking up the worst one, I saw that he had driven brass nails through the rubber heel. The heel however wasn't solid, but rather had air pockets which his brass nails had compressed. Nailing that hollow heel was completely inappropriate. The way he did it was just totally ham-handed. With a closer look, I saw that the heels themselves weren't even glued in alignment to the soul. I pointed this out and he said hey no problem and took them back to grind them down. This was a soft rubber which can't be ground. Moreover, it was hollow, so there wasn't an allowance to be ground. What an idiot. Following the grinding the heel was roughly torn up and moderately less pronounced. Again, I'm just shaking my head. This guy literally took a simple job - place glue on heel, ALIGN to soul, let sit until dry - and simply ruined a pair of shoes. I was disgusted he even presented them to me as "repaired". I looked around and saw all the abandoned shoes and other items he was "selling" in the window. I then caught the drift. I would be back "later" to pick these up. Yeah right. What a waste of both people's time and a decent pair of shoes. I encourage others to help the guy out of business. read more

The owner/operator there will attempt to fix anything--even a pair of boots I thought were beyond repair! He did a really nice, clean job, and they were ready when I needed them. I've been back several times now for various repairs on other items. He has always been friendly, professional, and dependable. read more

This was the worst experience ever! I brought a boot in to have the zipper replaced before Thanksgiving, and he told me it would be done in 1.5 weeks. Came back a couple weeks later and he said he had to order a special zipper. Came back a couple week after that and he told me he had just forgotten to fix it. After I went in to the shop multiple times, he finally fixed the boot at the end of January. I brought the boot home, and the second I zipped it up, the zipper separated from the boot because he had just glued it together. I had to bring it back again and it took him another week and a half to fix it. He ended up putting a clunkier zipper on, and now my boots don't match. I would NEVER recommend this place. read more

DO NOT GO TO STAR SHOE REPAIR. I took my shoes there to have the heels fixed. It took him over a week to have them ready, when i went to pick them up i noticed that the upper layers of my shoes were scraped off and there was chunks of it that were poorly glued back on, there was black stains on the shoes (my shoes are light brown) and there was glue that had dripped down the heels and dried off. I didn't care so much about the heels, i asked him to fix the damage he had caused to the upper part of shoes, it took him over another week to have them ready. when i went backt to pick them, the shoes looked worst then before, he had just put dye over the chunks that he had glued back together and now the dye is drying and peeling off so the skin of my shoe is exposed. All i wanted was to have the heels fixed and i paid for the service that was so poorly done, but on top that i got shoes that were completely damaged and unwearable. I don't know how he managed to scrape the upper layers of my shoes off and couldn't even take the time to fix it. if you want your shoes to be retured to you damaged, dirty and with chunks of glue all over it then Star Shoe is the place to go...i am never going back to this place! read more

I recently got a pair of mint condition Gucci loafers from about 1985, never worn before. The Current version of the shoe goes for about $680. Problem was, they are a bit too large. I went to this guy to get removable sole inserts put into the shoe. I drop off the shoes, and I come back later to pick them up. I return home and examine my shoes to find that the original lining on the sole had been ripped (Yes, ripped and in a very sloppy manor at that) off of the shoe and glued to little foam inserts that couldn't have been worth more than a cent for 6 of them. In addition cotton balls had been glued on the tongue and heel of the shoe, ruining the leather beneath. After all this, THE SHOE STILL DIDNT FIT. I'll give this guy one thing, he sure is an expert. It takes skill to make a shoe fit so that it's so tight one can barely get ones foot into it, but at the same time, ones heel slips out of the damn thing with each step. That certainly is an incredible feat. And to top it all off, he charged me $22! To say that I am pissed off would be an understatement. read more