Richmond Shoe Service

I am a weekly customer of this store — have been a customer now for 2 years. My husband wears good leather shoes to work. We get his shoes shined here, heel and toe protectors replaced, belts repaired. The work is very good & prices are excellent. The owner and his son are very busy, so probably 5 or 6x a year I arrive to pick up shoes & they are not completed when they were promised. I live nearby, so returning at a later point isn’t a big deal. This is a cash or check only store.

Excellent experience!
My shoe’s leather was ripped and I almost decide to get rid of it. However, to my surprise, the shoe was completely repaired and ready to rock again in 2 days turnaround.
Highly Recommended.

I’ve been to this store twice. Both of the times to repair the heels. I thought the customer service was fair. The older gentleman doesn’t smile but he wasn’t rude or anything. I actually thought it was much cheaper than shoe hospital. I repaired my heels for $ 10.77. I would definitely come back!

It’s true that Don Jose’s prices can’t be beaten and that his work is top quality – he’s unquestionably a very good zapatero. My issue with Don Jose is that he doesn’t care about finishing jobs in a timely manner. He’ll give you a date and then tell you to wait another week for him, as if you could just keep calling or going back to his shop several times. He might even get bothered if you pressure him, to remind him that you actually need your stuff to be fixed. So don’t count on things to be done on time, though they’ll be done well when you finally get them back.

I never write Unilocal reviews, but this experience was so bad that I had no choice but to share it.
So last Friday (¹¹⁄₀₇), the bottom sole of one of my shoes came loose and required reattachment. This was the first time I’ve ever looked into getting my shoes repaired, so I called around for price quotes and turn-​around times. The first was Houston Shoe Hospital. An employee courteously told me that shoe repairs range anywhere from $ 15 to over $ 30 depending on the quality of the shoe and extent of repair. He also said the turn-​around time is around three days. I then called the second store, Richmond Shoe Service.
I asked the man over the phone about price quotes and he said he couldn’t provide a quote because that would be like «asking a doctor over the phone how much it’ll cost to help them. You’ll have to come in so I can see the shoes.» I thought that was a fair point. I asked him if he had a general range of shoe repair prices and he said, «Say, why don’t you just come on by and we’ll have you taken care of today?» I replied, «Are you saying that you can have my shoes repaired by today?» to which he said, «Yes.» Having been told that the turn-​around time can be up to three days, the «immediate servicing» option made checking out this business worthwhile. I told him that I’ll be there and proceeded to head over.
I entered his tiny store and was relaxed by how quaint it was. The man greeted me and I reminded him about our earlier phone call. He acknowledged who I was and asked to see my shoes. I showed him the loose sole and asked what he could do to repair it. He then proceeded to violently tear the sole away from my shoe while claiming, «Yeah, you see this glue job? This is poor work. You’re going to need to re-​glue all of this.» Of course the sole will come off if one pulls hard enough on it, but that doesn’t mean the previous glue job was poor work. Concerned over my shoe, I told him to be more careful. He then began examining the other shoe which I considered to be fine. He, on the other hand, showed me what I thought «fine» was by forcefully creasing and bending my shoes to «expose» poor glue work. Of course the shoe will have weak points if you forcibly point them out.
I didn’t like the guy’s treatment of my shoes. Furthermore, when he returned my shoes, he had left a large shoe polish stain on the suede part of my shoe. I had brought in my shoes stain free. I asked him, «Are you going to clean that?» to which he replied, «Oh, what? That stain? I’m sorry, but that wasn’t me.» Shocked, I began pointing out his dirty hands that are obviously covered in specs of shoe polish while saying, «Your hands are clearly covered in shoe polish. I’m pretty sure you just stained my shoe.» He replied in a very stern manner, «Okay, we don’t need your business. Please take your shoes and get out of my store.» I was stunned. I could not believe what was happening. Confused, I said, «Hey, but you also further damaged the sole of my shoe by pulling at it. Aren’t you going to help me with that?» Very sternly, he replied, «$ 30 repair and clean. Take it or leave it.» $ 30 sounded like too much and I wanted to continue shopping around. But this guy had already damaged my shoes and they were in worse condition than they were when I first brought them in. Defeated, I said, «Are you seriously kicking me out of your store after damaging my shoes and not taking responsibility?» He repeated his earlier sentiment, «We do not need your business. Get out of my store.»
It was by far one of the most hostile, aggressive, and downright unfair customer service interactions I have ever experienced. I DO NOT recommend this business to anyone looking for quality shoe repair. Instead, drive west on Richmond towards Houston Quality Shoe Repair by Kirby. I went there immediately after my fiasco, and wow, they were on the complete opposite end of the friendliness spectrum. They were extremely courteous and insanely cheap. My shoe repair cost $ 12.50 and an optional cleaning cost another $ 12.50. I was so relieved by the friendly staff and the repair price that I opted in for the cleaning. I had my shoes returned in three days and they were perfect. I definitely would recommend them. But more importantly, I would definitely recommend against Richmond Shoe Services.

Been going here for over 7 yrs. Family owned joint with Jose and his son. I ask that you guys cut them some slack. Yeah, no credit cards, yeah the hours are a little loose and yeah, he has misplaced a few of my shoes over the years, but it is really really hard to actually find a good cobbler nowadays.
It’s craft and not everyone can or wants to do it. The work is top notch. Considering his shop, you would think it would be cheap, but it’s not; but it’s also fairly priced. Same as you would pay elsewhere. If you are in a hurry, this isn’t your place. But if you want quality work done, this is your place.
I have had them resize belts and make me new belts. Very nice leather, well made and top stitched. I have had what I thought was impossible-​to-​re-​sole shoes get resoled by them.

I love this little family owned shoe repair. Fantastic people. Fantastic workmanship.

Having a pair of relatively new shoes with a bad sole, I was in dire need of a qualified shoe surgeon. Having had this place recommended to me by my girlfriend, I had to give the guys at Richmond Shoe Service a chance. Although relatively small, scattered throughout the store are various shoe care products and a few steps forward from the door, the counter where you can place your order.
The owner at the counter quickly gave my shoes a look and told me what needed to be done and how much it’ll cost. For a complete resoling of both shoes, I was looking at about $ 65 which wasn’t too much more than what some others were charging. After being declined of any haggling, I agreed to the price and was given a time frame of about one week. The only downside of his work is that it takes an incredibly long time to finish. I got my shoes back a little over a week and a half later but the job was perfect so it’s hard to complain. All future shoe repairs will definitely be brought here.

They appear to have a leisurely approach to service. Their posted hours are a suggestion only. I also found them unfriendly and unapologetic about keeping you waiting. I’ll take my beloved shoes elsewhere.

This is the place to go! I had a pair of boots and a pair of shoes resoled. Both look better than new. Ready when promised. Great service, great quality, not cheap, but worth the price.

The only reason they don’t get 5 stars is because it is a cash only business. I’ll echo what others have said about the owner, his craftsmanship, and the very friendly manner in which both he and his son treat their customers. I enjoy doing business with local family owned establishments and will continue to take all of my shoe repair needs to this shop.

The owner is very personal and holds high standards for doing grade A work. His craftsmanship is impeccable and friendly service will keep me coming back to have more shoes crafted as if they were new.

I’m sad to say that the purse was cleaned, and it did look better than when I brought it in… but it seems like it was slightly damaged by some sort of scrubbing…
I’m still taking all my shoes here… but probably wont take a purse to again.

I’m writing this while sitting in a chair at Richmond Shoe, waiting for the finishing touch on a pair of boots. They have buckles at the top but were a little too wide for my legs, so the straps holding the buckles had to be removed, shortened and replaced. I can’t think of anyplace inside the Loop where I would get this level of service. The owner personally took my measurements first, then had me come back to try them on to be sure they fit properly before completely stitching and finishing out. Yes, it was a little slower than a Houston Shoe might be, but like the old cliché says, you can get it done fast, inexpensively and right– but you can only get two of those three. I’d rather have it done right without having to practically repurchase the boots. The owner is Jose Aguilar — give him a try. BTW, he only takes cash or checks but you don’t pay till you pick up.