Yakovs’ Shoe Repair

Yacov’s sign says he is open until 4:00pm. I went at 3:00pm on Friday (yesterday) to pick up 2 pair of Feragamo tux shoes that I had left with Yacov for polishing. But Yakov was gone and the store was closed. These are the shoes that my husband and I need to wear to the Emmy’s on Sunday. Yacov, if you read this, please call me. We really need to get those shoes by noon on Sunday. (323) 717‑8033.

The work doesn’t hold up. I took three different pairs of boots for a resole, and they’ve all come undone within weeks. And it wasn’t cheap!

I’m really torn about how to rate this business, so I’m shooting straight down the alley with three stars.
The positives: It’s in a great location in the heart of West Hollywood’s residential district on Santa Monica Blvd., so you can multitask… drop your car off at the carwash, grab a coffee, hit Trader Joe’s, drop off or pick up your shoes, get a workout, etc. Also, after a year in Berkeley I’m sold on the idea of supporting the small business owner. Yakov’s is clearly a sole proprietorship managed, staffed, and owned by… Yakov. I like that. Also, he does quality work. My shoes came back to me looking amazing, and he assures me that the materials he used are above industry standard… it looks like that is, in fact, the case, to my untrained eye anyway.
The negatives: Pricey. Looking online, the average cost is $ 25 for men’s heel restoration. Average. Some higher, some lower. I paid over $ 80 for two pairs of shoes and a set of keys (what cobbler doesn’t cut keys also?). I’m not sure if he upsold me with the ‘good stuff’ and I could have gone less expensive for standard materials, or if that’s just the charge… but either way… it was ouchy. I recalled that I bought both shoes on sale… $ 40 and $ 25, respectively. So $ 65 in shoes cost more than that to repair. That hurts a little.
Also, and I know I’ll sound like a total a-​hole saying this… but West Hollywood is an extremely… hygiene-​obsessed subculture. It’s a tiny shop, a bit stuffy, and I’m sure that shoe repair can be somewhat hard physical labor at times. If I were managing this shop, I’d have a Glade plug-​in on the wall, and my employees would be strongly encouraged to invest in anything that creates a pleasant olfactory environment. Deodorant, breath-​mints, and light cologne would be job requirements. Just sayin’… it’s a TINY shop… and nobody’s ever been accused of smelling «too good» and told to knock it off.