JD’s Shoe Repair

An amazing place! They totally brought my old shoes back to life and actually made them better than they were before!

THANKS, JD! I spent my childhood (1970’s). trailing after my mom to shoe repair places – she was in Social Work, but loved «Quality Italian Footwear» so good repair was a must, given that a pair of her shoes was equivalent to a mortgage payment. Honestly, I didn’t believe that level of workmanship even existed anymore, but JD’s was a revelation. I’v had four pairs of boots and three pairs of sandals repaired by them (you can see some of them on their Instagram page), including a pair of boots that I bought from them and had resoled. They’ve always done beautiful, beautiful work. Their resoling has been very much appreciated – I have a leg tremor that sometimes requires me to use a cane, but the sturdy, high traction soles JD’s has applied mean that I can leave that cane to gather dust a lot more often. Everything comes back looking cooler, never «orthopedic». I highly recommend them, especially to anyone with walking/​gait difficulties – sometimes seemingly small fixes, like new soles or an extra pair of shoelace holes, can make a big difference. All the work I’ve had done has been more than reasonably priced, especially for the quality. I’ve spent a little time there, too and can say that no one ever seems idle – if anything is a little bit late it’s only because they are doing the best quality work, no matter what.

My three to four week estimate for resoling has turned into 8 weeks. 2 months for such a simple repair? After calling them three times and leaving messages, I finally got a response, and it seems the only reason I got that response was because I’d turned from nice to pissed off.
That being said, they do a good job when not holding your shoes hostage.

These guys are the best! I have an aging leather backpack that needed a new zipper and some other more cosmetic repairs. Not only did they do an excellent job, but at a very affordable price, and the turn-​around time was fast. I’ll be returning soon with a pair of boots that need attention. I would highly recommend JD’s to anyone, without reservation.

Work boots were melted drying by the fire after being soaked. Went in expected to pay a lot more than it came out to, and they threw in new soles for free. Original wait time was 4 weeks, but a grease payment made it two ($ 10).
The folks working there were nice as well.

I bought a purse from Queen Bee about 15 years ago. It’s a one of a kind and has gone everywhere with me. It holds a 45 record behind clear plastic, which had become discolored and warped over the years. The seams were coming apart after years of use. I contacted Queen Bee and they said to contact JD’s Shoe Repair because they always refer them for their bag repairs. I knew it was a big job, but my purse means the world to me. I called JD’s and told them I live in MD, but I wanted to send them my bag so they could assess it in person. JD called me back herself and said she thought they could help me. Did they ever! My purse is like new and tougher than ever! I had a few conversations with JD personally and it’s obvious that she and her entire team work hard, do an amazing job and take pride in their work. I’ve attached Before and After photos.

Awesome quality —-worth the wait as all my shoes that have been perfect when I pick up.

Cons: Small and simple job took approximately 6 weeks when I was told there would be a 3 – 4 week repair time. Instructions and repair request were not followed despite clear communications and reiterations, ended up with a partially completed request ultimately.
Pros: They apologized and participated in problem solving, however I was unable to wait a week+ for further repair.

It should never take a MONTH… Very upsetting to call after the time frame they gave me had expired (2 – 3 weeks) and I would still receive a vague answer. No one apologized for taking so long and not keeping me updated. Nothing! I’m upset I paid upfront (to be a good customer) and clearly they don’t care about keeping one. Will not return and I recommended using someone else

Ohhhh JD. I’ve used their services a handful of times this past year and kept going back because 1) the ankle strap I had them fix broke not once but twice after repair, and 2) I really wanted to enjoy their services. It seems like a really cool looking shop.
The turn around time is about 2−3x as long as other cobblers I’ve been to. Something as simple as fixing an ankle strap took over 3 weeks. They would never call me when my items were done either — every single time I’d have to call them after the 3 week mark to see if they were done. «Oh yeah, you can come pick that up.» Gee, thanks :/​
The quality of work and the level of customer service are both majorly lacking. I’m not really sure where else you’re supposed to get your shoes repaired in Portland, I kind of give up.

Really good quality work – they saved my favorite boots!

Expensive and slow… took over a month to replace heels on a pair of shoes. One heel started to come loose after a couple of weeks… need to find a better place to repair it…

Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. Not the quickest, but that is an indication of quality and volume of business. My wife has had a couple of shoes repaired or resoled here and both time the quality of workmanship was fanttastic, For that we can pay a little more, and wait patiently for what we need. JD’s shoe repair was a great find!

Ripped off…
I dropped off a jacket, needed color touch up, cleaning, conditioning. Went into detail with the lady who wrote up my ticket; estimated about 1 week to complete.
3 weeks later I finally reached out to JD via email to see what the status was — I wasn’t in a rush so no big deal. They obviously lit a fire and I got a call back next business day saying it was done.
I went to pick it up today and they did nothing as promised. They removed none the salt stains, did none of the color touch up. The guy behind the counter didn’t offer in the slightest to make it right. I had to insist to clean off the salt stains before leaving! How can you honestly offer to clean and condition and give it back to me filthy and no better than what I could have done on my own?
Bottom line — you’re basically donating money to this business because they don’t actually provide the services they promise, expect lengthy waits as they must expect customers to do their job regarding follow up.

I brought my work boots in to be re stitched as they were coming apart in six or seven places. The staff were very friendly and quoted me $ 45 for the repairs. I also needed them done by Sunday for work on Monday. They talked it out and decided they could do it for me by the next day. I was stoked considering there were piles of boots that needed to be worked on. When I came to pick up the boots the next day they looked liked new, clean with water proofing. When I went to pay they said it was gonna be $ 15 less. So I paid $ 30. Great deal, I will absolutely be back!

JD’s made my holiday this year! I took in a truly battered pair of Justin boots & when the repair was more involved than they thought, they went ahead and rebuilt the leather sole and heel and stitching without charging me more for my boots. They do a truly A+ job, too, think quality cobbling like in wolverine 1000 miles or, well, better. Other reviewers also seem really confused about what a reasonable price is for shoe repair — I have been to several cobblers in Portland and they charge the same for much lower quality work. They’ve made a customer for life out of me. I’m not a fan of throw away shoes, and if you have a high quality shoe JD can make it last forever.

Thank You so much! Your work that you put in on my boots came back INCREDIBLE! I could not be happier. I took them into actually get patch work done on them and now wish I got the souls repaired as well. That will just be another errand I get to do with them! I am VERY VERY happy with the service and work they put into my boots! I will be returning soon to get my souls repaired. On a side note keep in mind it takes awhile to get them returned to you, but worth every day you wait. Thank you again for a job well done!

Thank you, JD’s Shoe Repair and company! You guys took two seemingly sad pairs of boots and returned them to me looking like new!
Folks, if you need shoes re-​soled, and you live in the PDX metro area, then you need to bring yer shit here. They took a pair of boots that have been to the playa many times and made them amazing again… so I can continue to wear them to (and off) the playa!
This makes me very happy. Very happy indeed.
The space is cute, the staff is RAD. Don’t buy new shoes, get them fixed HERE!

Right. So I brought in two pairs of boots to this shop, both had seen better days. One pair of cowboy boots was made for my feet in Nicaragua by a cobbler in a little town called Esteli (where they also make cigars). I mention that because they are the best made pair of shoes I have ever owned, hands down, for obvious reasons. The second pair is from the 70s. Both have held up pretty darn well, despite the constant wear.
I took both pairs in to get the heels fixed and the cowboy boots needed a patch on the bottom of the toes. The price to repair the 70s boots? «It’s probably not worth fixing them; you’re better off getting a new pair.» The cowboy boots? $ 75 — twice as much as what I paid for them and also $ 40 more than what I paid two years ago in NYC for the same service (a repair that has lasted this long even with constant use).
Why the rant? Because $ 75 is way too high of a price. I understand they’re a privately owned business. But so was the guy in Brooklyn and he did an excellent job. I’m more than willing to fork over a bit of cash for a job well done, but not if the price is that inflated.
On the good side, the folks in the shop were very friendly and accommodating. The lack of stars is merely because of the $$.

I brought in two pairs of Frye boots which I essentially live in daily. So, my boots were definitely showing the love I had for them. The one point of discontentment present from original purchase: I was never very crazy about the leather soles given our near constant wetness in the PNW winter months. Slipping around city streets is not my idea of fun!
JD and her crew spiffied both pairs up using much better soles. Honestly, I like the way both pairs look now better than when I originally bought them — JD’s Shoe Repair is that good. Additionally, JD, realizing my impending boot-​withdrawal when I dropped them off, offered to have one pair done sooner than the other. I really appreciated that!
I tend to buy nice shoes that i repair rather than replace, so this was not my first visit to a cobbler, but it was certainly by BEST visit. Definitely bring your shoes in you want to repair them and see what they can do for you. After reading the other reviews, I do think the lag time is a few weeks to completion, but the quality and care taken is well worth the wait!