Hinsdale Shoe Service

I was looking for a local place to get my hunting boots fixed since some stitching was coming off the side. I found Hinsdale Shoe Service since I wanted to support the local economy.
I was hesitant of my choice when I walked in since the shop was very old, smelled like smoke, looked like it hadn’t been updated since 1960, and the clerk had trouble with english. However, their service proved me wrong. Although they only took cash as payment, by the time I walked to the nearest ATM and back, they had repaired my shoe and didn’t even need to keep them! I was impressed and will definitely come back
If they could clean up their shop and make it more of an official store, they would get my A+ vote for sure.

***Now located at 50 S. Washington Street***
Here’s the deal about this place: if you’re thinking this place is fancy-​schmancy because of its location, you’re going to be upset. If you want quick, quality work, this is your place. The owner isn’t as gruff as I had anticipated, but he’s not going to be my best friend either.
The only reason that it didn’t get five stars is because it *reeked* of cigarettes. My belongings were only there for a matter of minutes, but I might worry if I left something there for a longer stretch that it might take on the stale cigarette smell.

After reading mixed Unilocal reviews, I visited Hinsdale Shoe Service on Washington Street in downtown Hinsdale. I was prepared to find a prime location, gruff owner, modest interior and quality work. For the most part, my expectations were met.
My new leather messenger bag’s strap was not long enough for my liking, so I brought a strap from another bag to replace it. The quoted price was a bit higher than expected, though not outrageous by any means. Upon picking up the bag, I felt the workmanship was acceptable and would hold up over time, though the replacement strap stitching was not as precise and elegant as on the bag itself.
I believe you’re paying a Hinsdale tariff by bringing your repairs here (not surprising given the rents these store owners must have to pay). On the plus side, the shop could not be more centrally located in the village, and the time required to complete the work seemed well within reason. In the future, I won’t automatically bring my shoe and luggage repairs here, but I’m glad to know that a decent option is close at hand.

First of all, please note that the rating (as of 11÷11÷13) has excluded two 5-​star reviews that reviewed this business more comprehensively than the two people who tanked the rating with 1-​star that had isolated incidents (one of whom admitted it was isolated) — way to go idiotic Unilocal filter!!!
On to my review… this is indeed an old school, old world craftsmanship store, with the absolute worst décor set against the backdrop of one of the nicest retail shopping districts in the western suburbs. The owner/​proprietor does seem to be a one man shop and only accepts cash in advance, but all of this leads to lower overhead (similar to CD One Price Cleaners). And have you ever been to another shoe repair/​shoe shine place? They’re not that much better. I’ve now brought two pairs of Italian leather loafers in for re-​soling and had excellent results. My wear-​them-​every-​day, comfortable as an old pair of gloves leather shoes have been brought back to life with this shop’s re-​soling work. On one pair, the owner took care to glue down some leather material that has curled up inside after years of use.
I can’t speak to this shop’s ability to handle more expert-​craftsmanship issues, but I’d highly recommend giving them a shot.

Sorry, I have to completely disagree with the other positive reviews here. Here is my experience:
The shop is very spartan in appearance with a line of old looking shoes against one wall and a dog crate in a corner. The place smelled heavily of smoke. But, I’m not there for the décor. I’m there to have my shoe repaired.
I’m «greeted» by a middle aged man, and when I explain what is wrong with my shoe, he makes a facial expression that gives me the impression that this job is a simple matter and not worth his time. Again, I’m thinking — hey, if I’m paying you and you fix the shoe, no problems here. My shoe is one of those «slides», and the insole has come unglued from the shoe such that I often step on the side of the insole, and the shoe does not fit as snugly (and comfortably) as it did. In any case, I pay him five bucks, and he tells me to come back tomorrow.
I come back the next day, and he retrieves my shoe. Unfortunately, instead of gluing all around the heel so that the entire heel is glued securely against the shoe, he only glues one side so that there is roughly a 4 mm gap between the insole and the shoe. I point this out, and he looks irritated. I say, «And, you don’t think that this side also needs to be glued all the way around?» He says no. Additionally, the part that has been glued also has hair and lint stuck in the glue. Clearly, he didn’t make it a nice clean edge before gluing the insole. Ok, since I’ve already paid, he probably doesn’t care that I’m not satisfied with the job he’s done. Also, I’m not so sure I want this irritable guy fixing my shoe any more.
So, rather than argue the point, I leave and decide to write this Unilocal review to warn others of my experience here. I can’t think of a single positive thing about my experience here.

I had to come on here to write a review for this place because it really is one of the best places to get your shoes, wallets, whatever you want fixed. This place has been a staple in this town for MANY years for a reason. The work done here is excellent. The previous reviewer probably did buy her boots too small and blamed this place for her calves not being able to fit into the boot to begin with. Sorry.
This place is fast, extremely affordable, and never leaves me disappointed. I’ve had heels and wallets fixed here and the work is exceptional. I recommend this place to anyone and send all my girlfriends to get their items fixed here if they don’t already go. «Great old school craftsmanship» is exactly right. To anyone who hasn’t been here yet, I would listen to the people who have gone here many times and not one reviewer who is blaming the establishment for her mistake.
Highly recommend this place! I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I live out in the city now, and I continue to bring my shoes to the other locations because the work and prices can’t be beat, simple as that.

Really disappointed with the service and business style at this place.
I came to the Hinsdale Shoe Repair shop due to the great reviews on Unilocal,but was really, very let down. I bought a pair of thigh-​high boots that needed some expansion in the calf area; I would’ve just returned the boots if the expansion couldn’t be easily done.
So, I bring them into this store, which is bleak and manned by one person. I explain to him what I want, and he never leaves from behind his counter. All of what follows could probably have been avoided had he taken some measurements and truly evaluated how this job could/couldn’t be done. Sans measurements, he assures me that he can expand the boot by stretching them. I remind him that the boots are made of synthetic materials… so they will not stretch easily. He brushes my comments aside and assures me, «I stretch them.»
I pay him $ 30, come back a week later, and OH SURPRISE, they are not stretched at all. He says he will try again, but that ends up being a waste of time as well. I’m not a cobbler but can I say, «I told you so?» I knew that they weren’t going to stretch. Eventually he concedes and says that he can put elastic in it, but it will cost me another $ 30. Excuse me? I talk him down to $ 20, and come back another week later (it’s been about 3 weeks at this point). I’m really excited to try on the boots, but lo and behold, they are still too small and I can no longer return them. At this point, the man crosses the line to being rude because he cannot deliver what I’ve been asking for from the beginning.
I repeat, I would’ve RETURNED the boots if they couldn’t be expanded. I turned to a supposedly professional cobbler to fix them for me, he assures me that he can, then I end up paying $ 50 for nothing. Isn’t the idea of a business supposed to be, I pay for a service rendered? This man was useless, and very coarse. He even said to me at one point, «What you want? It is not my fault you buy boots too small.» OBVIOUSLY, I know it’s not your fault, but I came to you to help me fix them, and you SAID you could. UGH. The man basically just took my money and ruined any chance of me returning the boots. Quite simply, this is no way to run a business.
Yes I will admit that this is an isolated incident, but I think it speaks to this store’s (lack of) professionalism and how the person I dealt with did not put my interests first. I wanted to know whether he could help me with my boots, he said he could, and then absolutely did not. They may do a good job on small, standard jobs, but instead of considering the best interest of potential customers, they just see dollar signs.

You want your shoes repaired right? Look no further. These guys are great, do it quickly (sometimes the very same day) and are a pleasure to deal with.
Still cash only, but worth every penny. Note their new location: 50 S. Washington Street, in downtown Hinsdale. Fancy digs for a not so fancy store.