Orinda Shoe Service

Review #103 — 2016
I’ve been to Orinda Shoe Service a few times since I’ve lived here and each time they’ve done a great job. Both father and son are very friendly.
I honestly never cared to repair my shoes in the past because I was only about following the fashion trend so I’d just toss them and buy new ones after I got bored of them. But as I got older and my taste in shoes started changing, I’ve had a hard time finding shoes that are both comfortable and sexy – so when I do find them, I try to keep them in good shape.
I especially have a hard time finding knee high leather boots that fit my size 6 feet, yet at the same time fit my fat calves. Most women who wear a size 6 have skinny legs & I’m not that blessed, unfortunately.
I’ve brought quite a few pairs of my leather boots and leather heels here for a sole and heel replacement. The price of leather shining is included when you replace both, but if you decide to do just the heels, the shining is an extra $ 10, I believe.
I paid about $ 125 for three pairs of boots sole and heel replacements, which is still cheaper than buying a brand new pair of knee high leather boots – if I’m lucky enough to find a pair that fits as comfortably as the ones that I currently own.
It took about a week for them to get all 3 pairs of my boots done. I will definitely keep coming back!

I took a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps to this shoe repair for new soles. They did a lovely job. I met the son of the owner when I picked them up and he is so very nice and knowledgeable. I do want to mention that when I took the shoes in I dealt with an employee whom I thought was the owner but found out he was not. He was rude. I will not give the business a bad review due to this man and I did speak to the owner’s son about him. He apologized and said he is a good worker. So, if you go in I suggest only dealing with the owner or family. The other man is rude. Pretty much said this is Orinda so we can charge what we want. Anyway, I will definitely go back but I do not wish to deal with that employee. So just a note to beware of him and see the owner or his son.

I took my Jimmy Choos down for the heels to be recapped and add a non-​slip sole, did a perfect job and did it the same day. And great friendly service! Will definitely be going back.

I just had my first experience with Orinda Shoe Service and was very happy with the friendliness and care for my shoes. They did a lovely job dying a pair of shoes, reheeling another pair and polishing two pairs. I will definitely go there again!

I live in San Leandro, about 18 miles away, but still going to this place for shoe repair and polish. They are PROFESSIONAL! The best repair shop in the Bay Area!

I have been a faithful customer for years. Torre is truly an amazing cobbler. I am never disappointed with his work. He really takes a genuine interest in all of his customers. I recommend Orinda Shoe Service very highly !!!

Tyler is super nice and helpful! Cool family business. They are fast and do good work. Highly recommended!

My shoes were as good as new after Orinda shoe service was done fixing them! I’m getting more of my shoes here!

This was my first visit to this shop, based on excellent reviews. I was nervous, because I needed real skill for a really silly project.
The job was to glue and stitch sturdy leather bottoms onto a pair of fake-​fur «bear foot» slippers for my husband. Sounds dumb, but my husband was told by his doctor to keep his feet from getting chilled, and those slippers are funny enough that he remembers them.
This pair was a replacement for a pair I bought him years ago. He loved them, but the bottoms were made of such flimsy plastic that I took that first pair to a local shop and got heavy leather bottoms added. He wore them for years, until the tops fell apart.
Then I found out the guy who had sewn the first pair was gone. The current shoemaker said it was too much trouble to sew the leather soles on. At several other shops they gave me funny looks and said it wasn’t worth the bother.
Orinda Shoe Service saved me. Sandra, the lady at the counter, looked a little unsure. She asked a young man working in back (who turned out to be the son of the owner) to look at them. He didn’t laugh. He said they’d find a way to make it work, especially if I was willing to leave them for a while.
Two hours later I got a call from Sandra. I was sure she was going to say the boss had vetoed the job, so imagine how I felt when she told me they were done! She said the boss had taken one look, disappeared into the back of the shop, and didn’t come out until he’d fixed them. Wow.
I couldn’t sneak out of work twice in one day, but today I arrived at opening time and met Torre. Not only was he skilled enough to sew those leather bottoms flawlessly to poofy foam and fake fur, he was gentleman enough to put me at my ease. The shop is a family business, 3 generations over more than 50 years. He said they do all sorts of leather repairs: orthopedic work, purses, bags, straps, all those leather things that sometimes need rescue. When I took the slippers home, I was walking on air.
This is a shop where «old world craftsmanship» isn’t just an empty slogan. But the real treat was the pleasant courtesy that came with the excellent work. I’ll be back. I wish I could give them fifty stars.

nice, great work. easy location to get to. worth the drive from Berkeley hills.

I live in Oakland and work in downtown SF, but I am glad I made the trip to Orinda to have Tory fix my shoes after reading these reviews. I am very particular about shoe repair work and was not disappointed. He brought 4 pairs of neglected shoes back to life and I couldn’t be happier. He uses high quality materials, such as Vibram soles. He has a great personality and really values his customers. I now plan to be his customer for life. Can’t say enough good things about Orinda Shoe Service.

Orinda Shoe Service is a great family owned company! I needed some help with sewing some seatbelt material and Torre helped me and did a fantastic job. I highly recommend using Orinda Shoe Service for any sewing needs. Torre is great!

The soles on my boots were worn out, so I brought them in to have some vibram rubber soles put on.
My boots came out looking better than new! He polished them up and did a great job with the soles.
Probably not the cheapest place to go, but you can be sure they’ll do a great job, so it’s definitely worth every penny, if you care about your boots/​shoes.

What an artist Tory he is! He did great jobs on my brand new two Chanel shoes and many more! I am a very detail oriented person and I think required little more then other customer. Tory always listening to me with nice smile. I highly recommend this shop to someone looking for high-​end designer shoes!!! Thanks Tory!

Let me start off by saying this is an excellent service. Most businesses advertise themselves under «shoe repair» but what separates ‘Orinda Shoe Service’ from the rest, is their unflinching attention to detail. Torre listened closely to exactly what I wanted, repeated it back to me, and delivered with awesome results. I made the mistake of trusting a well known San Francisco shoe repair and they literally ruined my shoes. Torre took the time to clean up their mistakes, recreate my desired look, and I highly recommend him to anyone seeking exceptional service, with a great eye for delicate, feminine, details.

Who knew we had a cobbler in town? This is a multi-​generational, family-​owned business. Torre and his son know how to take apart and repair shoes with artistic professionalism not seen every day anymore. I am also impressed with the designer shoe shop they have around the corner from the repair store front. Nice, personal attention to service. Highly recommend!

I have been a customer of Orinda Shoe Service since the 1980’s. I have always been provided excellent and courteous service. They know what they are doing. I no longer live in the area but travel there frequently for business and still bring all my repairs to them. They are honest and trustworthy qualities that make you come back.

I have been taking my shoes here for years. This shoe shop has been in their family for over 40 years and it is still going strong. That’s a testament to hard work, excellent craftsmanship, and consistently delivering a great product. I’ve had soles replaced, baggage straps repaired, shoes polished, purchased shoes and shoe products here, holes punched in my belt and even a car seat repaired here. They do it all with a smile and a very fair price! My last pair of shoes that they had their hands on came out looking so good, I had friends ask me if they were brand new. I told them no and said they had been reconditioned by my peeps at Orinda Shoes. They couldn’t believe it.
You cannot go wrong if you bring your shoes to Orinda Shoes. Plus, they’re conveniently located in Orinda, right off the freeway. I highly recommend!

I stopped by to pick up my shoes at about 2pm, but they were not ready because he had to order elastic. I got a call about 4pm from Torre at the store telling me they were ready and he would deliver them to my house since he would be in the neighborhood. He delivered the shoes to my house by 5pm. WOW… who does that… what great service!!! This kind of service to a first time customer.
Bill

Torre is stellar. Very kind and seems to know what he’s doing. I called earlier and couldn’t reach anyone, and an hour or so later I got a call back! Who does that?! Even though I was only looking for new laces (Amazon has these things but shipping costs are as much as the laces and it’s nice to be able to take a look at what you’re getting) he was helpful and friendly, even lacing up the shoes for me. If I ever do need my shoes repaired, I’m coming here. Prices seem decent. It’s the people that make this place stand-​out.