Cobbler’s Cottage

Great shoe store with very nice quality shoes. It’s not a bargain hunter’s place so if you want «cheap» shoes, I wouldn’t recommend it but I will say that the shoes are a good value compared to something you’d typically find in a department store. Anything I’ve bought there has held up well. They have a wide range of styles from more utilitarian to more dressy. They always have an especially great selection of boots in the fall and sandals in the spring. We are lucky to have a store like this in Ithaca!

They have a pretty great selection of comfortable and well-​made, cute shoes here and they are the first place I go in Ithaca when shoe-​shopping. Also, the owner who often works there is incredibly helpful and not pushy but just patient and informative.
I went in looking for a pair of wedding shoes and she pulled about 5 styles for me and continued looking in the back for the others while I tried them on. She also let my obnoxious self stay late after the store closed because I couldn’t decide on a pair. And I loved that she offered honest opinions herself when asked. Every one of the shoppers seemed happy with the service and were all talking to each other and the owner, and it felt like a real experience, not just a store.

I had read some negative reviews on other sites, but I went in anyway. Honestly, the service there was terrific, and the selection is wonderful.
I was not pressured by the salespeople — I came in, I stated what my needs were in shoes, and within minutes I had bunches to choose from!
This isn’t a place for cheap stuff, it is a place for things of quality… including the people that work there.

I came in today to see if they could fix the strap on my new pair of shoes… I bought them at Target but they were too big and the back strap wouldn’t stay up, so I wanted to try to make them more snug. The girl at the counter was very friendly and offered to punch more holes in the strap so I could buckle them more tightly. It literally took two minutes and she didn’t charge me even though I had not purchased my shoes there. I don’t know if that’s a standard practice, but it was a refreshing change of pace from Fontana’s where they always glared at me if I came up to the counter with my own shoes… I don’t know if they do other repairs but since they still have all the signs and equipment I would assume yes…

I used to love this place and bought many quality pairs of shoes from them over the years. My husband and I have also brought in several pairs of shoes for repair from my beat up Birkenstocks to his Red Wings steel toed boots, all with amazing results.
Over the past three years things have gown downhill at the Cobbler’s Cottage and I’m not sure I’ll be giving them much of my business anymore. First off, their customer service has taken a nosedive. It used to be that Cindy, one of the owners, was the main seller. She is excellent! She knows a lot about shoes, is very friendly and down to earth and gives you breathing room when making a decision on shoes.
These days she is rarely around and the two girls who work there seem to have little sales experience and act as if they really couldn’t care less about the customers. They are usually talking to each other when you walk in the store or their taking care of one or both of their children behind the counter. Seriously?! I like kids and all but this is a shoe store, not a day care and by the way I was considering dropping $ 120 on that cute pair of Danskos but not when you barely acknowledge my existence!
So while I no longer purchased any new shoes at the Cobbler’s, I could take solace in the fact that I could bring my old shoes in for repairs until one day a few months ago I discovered to my horror that they stopped doing repairs! WHAT!!! Indeed, they referred my to Aurora Shoe repair which is owned by a guy who apparently used to work for him. He’s affordable, personable and talented (and deserves his own review) but suffice to say that now I have no reason to ever go back to the Cobbler’s Cottage… and that makes me super sad.

My godmother has gotten me several pairs of shoes and slippers here. None of them are particularly «fashionable» but they are very comfortable. They sell brands such as Minnetonka and Birkenstock and sell shoes such as clogs, mules, hiking boots, and winter shoes. The cobbler is very good and knows what he’s doing. This would be a great place to come to get your leather shoes repaired.