5 stars for The Pointe Shoppe with Ms. Josephine We had an in-person appointment with Ms. Josephine and it was fantastic. You can tell immediately how busy she is -- working woman, mom, wife -- yet she gives you 100% focus during your fitting. Josephine comes from a generation of Pointe' Shoe Fitters; she is Grace's daughter from Dancer's Choice in Orange County. Josephine runs her own successful shop in Santa Ana and became the first, well-known Pointe Shoe Fitter, turned social media success celebrity! It's a whole family of pointe shoe fitters. You've probably seen her weekly YouTube videos on pointe shoe news -- she really knows her niche. Location: The Pointe Shoppe is in downtown San Francisco, 2-3 blocks from San Francisco Ballet. Easy walk. Parking is surprisingly simple with meters, and it's not in a crowded area. Fitting: Appointments with Josephine are 15 minutes for $80. Pro tip: Start with their monthly membership. You get a discount and custom-fit shoes shipped to your home monthly based on your needs. Experience: Josephine is exactly like she is on YouTube -- focused on you, the dancer. But come prepared. Know your issues: "my left foot sickles and feels tighter than my right." Bring old shoes and toe pads. Let her know what your teachers want for "the look." She's incredible, but she's not a mind reader and she isn't the one dancing in the shoes daily. Overall, you're in excellent hands. Highly recommend for any serious dancers. read more

The Pointe Shop - Josephine fit my daughter, age 14 while at the San Francisco Ballet. - Dance Wear Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took my daughter for her first pointe shoe fitting in the San Francisco location with Elseana yesterday. We had a great experience! Elseana was very friendly and welcoming when we first arrived. She took her time to examine the fit of different pointe shoes on my daughter's foot to make sure it was comfortable. She also took her time to explain how to maintain the pointe shoe, how to use the extra inserts/covers needed to protect her toes, when it would be time to replace them, etc. They also sell the sewing kit and straps for the pointe shoe. They also sell stockings and regular ballet shoes. Thanks Elseana for a wonderful experience for my daughter's first Pointe shoe fitting! Tip: Set aside extra time to find parking because it's only street parking available. read more

The Pointe Shop - Dance Wear Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My daughter had her first pair of pointe shoes fitted here several months ago. It was all so amazing with all those new shoes and excitement. Don't get carried away. We just discovered yesterday at a different shop that she was poorly fitted, and that her shoes have told a story of wrongly fitted shoes and frustration about her own competency and strength on the shoe. The fitter at a different shop educated us, something the Pointe Shop did not do. The fitter at the other store spent 1.5 hours with us. I remember getting booted out pretty fast at the Pointe Shop because there was someone else coming into the shop. There was no detail, no instructions, no seriousness around the pointe experience. This is not entirely the shop's fault. I blame the studio AND the fitter. Dancers come and go. Kids quit. Little girls just want to look pretty in their pointe shoes, right? I get it. It's business. If you are not a former ballerina mom, then make sure, MAKE SURE, that the studio has educated you thoroughly about the commitment and care because the fitter at the Pointe Shop doesn't. I must have spent thousands of dollars on my daughter's dance education but it has now occurred to me after 12 years that not all dance schools or shops care about the kids. We parents are just dollar signs. So make sure you have a good teacher/studio, and if you don't, then advocate/demand that the fitter takes care and educates your dancer instead of just selling her some shoes. Walk out if she doesn't. I didn't know any better, and they knew it. I've fortunately changed studios and fitters after discovering all this. read more

My daughter and I visited this store last Sunday for fitting. We were very thrilled to visit this store for my daughter enjoys watching delicate and knowledgeable YouTube channel of Josephine! My daughter joined SFB this summer so drove from LA and were excited to visit this fitting session which we had it scheduled ahead via online from their website (we were still thrilled knowing ahead that Josephine wasn't going to be at the shop) A young lady opened the door with no expression on her face (why am I here on Sunday..kind of expression)and said name isn't on the list and had a big sigh that we were even standing at the door. She said she doesn't have to let us in but she has only 10 min until the next client. Of course she was so so not helpful. Never experience this kind of rudeness from fitting shop. (Why did I not ask her name!!) This lady was very unprofessional and rude all through 10 minutes. Shop didn't have inventory of what we were looking for and she didn't even try to offer us the different style like all the other proper fitting shop and kept creating the most unwelcoming aura which we could not bother her anymore. Another client arrived, this rude lady opened the door didn't say any greeting to her either and and said it will be a short to have her in and didn't let young client inside the shop and let this teen girl stayed outside on windy SF day even though there was an empty seat available inside the store. We didn't want to do anything with this business esp. with her anymore. (W/O doing anything, she charged me 40 dollars of fitting fee!) I really wonder what she has done except throwing the shoes from the ladder never getting down from it. We didn't even expect her to get down and try even ONE squeeze on the ankle area. Nothing!! I hold my breath down because I did not want to ruin my daughter's first day at SFB. My very reserved daughter said with very angry voice when we were walking to our car.." she is very passive aggressive, I will try not to be like her ever..." read more

We had a "truck" appointment and the owner fitted my daughter in under 5 minutes. I was so disappointed after reading various online reviews about the Pointe Shop. We live in Sacramento and love the local Capezio but can't find everything my daughter needs so frequent SF Gear in Hayes Valley and Contra Costa Dancewear. It's taken a few years and multiple fittings but my daughter is finally having some success with her pointe shoes. The Pointe Shop doesn't seem to enjoy the fitting process and it's so rushed that it will be done incorrectly. Avoid the Pointe Shop. read more

My eleven year old just started pointe in August and we have gone through two pairs of shoes already. We decided to take it up a notch and go to the city for her fitting. This was such a wonderful experience! We finally feel comfortable in the shoe and we did not feel rushed or pressured. New favorite place for my daughters ballet career! Worth the hour drive for sure!!! read more

At my first fitting (at a different shop) the person said it would be hard to find pointe shoes for me because my feet were so small. They took a long time to fit me and had a very small selection for my feet, and the shoes just never felt quite right but I chalked it up to being a first timer. Ms. Josephine at Pointe Shop was SUPER helpful and told me that my feet actually aren't that small - shes fitted much smaller! They had a huge selection in all sizes. She told me I actually have compressive feet. She had me do a few pliés in my old shoes, and immediately noticed an old injury that hadn't healed properly. She had me try on a few pairs and we found a pair that fit pretty fast. They feel great - like a glove, and I'm not sinking anymore! She also recommended a PT for my injury. Ms Josephine is really knowledgeable! Would totally recommend to all my other dancers! read more

I was thrilled that The Pointe Shop opened up an Oakland location; I'd been following their videos online and immediately told all my friends from ballet class and our studio that we needed to get fitted for shoes! Josephine was incredibly insightful and her ability to evaluate feet and fit is unparalleled (no turnout pun intended). She takes into account the shoe both your body and your training need, and that's so integral to my health and study of dance. I greatly appreciated the level of attention I received at The Pointe Shop and look forward to getting my next pair(s) from them. They're the Fairy Godmother of Pointe Shoe Fitting. I'd recommend everyone doing pointe work to get fitted here. read more

Came in for a pointe shoe fitting and Josephine was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in selecting a pair for my daughter. She made our first experience comfortable and my daughter left with a big smile on her face. read more

The Pointe Shop - Dance Wear Near Me - San Francisco, California

Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience. Josephine was quite knowledgeable, friendly and most of all very helpful. I finally have a pair of shoes that really fit my needs as a ballet dance. read more

Love this place! It has a boutique quality and they only focus on pointe shoes (I think I spied a few tights on hand for sale). Because of COVID they require scheduling an appointment which was easy online. The appointment was ~20 minutes. Great experience and my daughter left with a great fitting pair of pointe shoes. read more

The Pointe Shop is the ABSOLUTE BEST. Incredibly knowledgeable and detailed. Willing to take the time to explain everything - which is greatly appreciated. My daughter has had a few fittings now, and as she progresses, each pair of shoes have been perfect for her. No pain, blisters or other issues that many of her friends are experiencing (and she dances en pointe more than they do right now). I will (and have) referred The Pointe Shop to everyone I know! read more

A huge thank you to Josephine for making my daughter feel so special for her birthday trip to The Pointe Shop! We are thrilled that The Pointe Shop has opened a Northern California branch. Josephine was so patient and careful fitting my daughter's feet; she really makes you feel so comfortable and special. We learned a lot about what works for flexible feet... I highly recommend The Pointe Shop, and we plan to make the trek from Santa Cruz to Oakland from now on to take full advantage of the opportunity to get fitted by such experts! read more