Alpine Shoe Service

We’ve had dress shoes fixed here in the past and they’ve done a great job.
But I 100% agree with the other posts. Poor hours and very poor customer service. The gentleman who owns the store said some pretty rude things to me (including asking if I can read) because I got my dates mixed up after he posted a sign on his door saying he’s not taking showe in on certain dates as he has to have surgery. I asked for a recommendation for another shop since we need a pair fixed asap, and he said «I don’t give recommendations, you can just come back at the end of January.»
Not impressed.

This is not the first time I have had the unfortunate situation of being sold a footwear product/​upgrade at this shop that did not perform. When one complains about the discomfort caused by or the lack of sturdiness of the product, one is met with an «It’s your problem.» attitude. In my experience, they do not seem to stand by the products or workmanship. This time I was told that, rather than put heel savers on a new pair of Frye boots, I should have them replace the heels, which I did. The heels are significantly worn down after just a few dozen wearings. I expect better. I have learned my lesson and will not be returning.

It’s been a while since my first review, so I’m updating mine. I’m surprised the owner hasn’t retired but I’m glad to see he does take time off for himself instead of being a slave to his shop. I stopped in just in time to drop off a pair of Valentino rock stud sling backs. They have soft leather nude soles so I wanted to make sure they got some rubber soles on them to protect them from scuffs and damage, like all my other designer shoes and boots. I have 6 pairs of shoes and boots soled; 2 of them being soled at Master Shoe Repair at the Core and done horribly for $ 35; 3 of them having been soled at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto and done incredibly well for $ 55+; and lastly, a pair I got soled here at Alpine for $ 42 a done exceptionally well in Dec of 2013.
I went in and he greeted me warmly. He let me look at the sole colour swatches and none of the nude colours even closely matched the nude sole of the shoes. He suggested that I choose black to match the heel caps anyway. I ended up picking up a super dark brown that would look good against the gold leather.
I haven’t had anything repaired here so I dont have any experience in that, but from what I’ve seen he did such a great job on the soles of my boots prior. I knew he liked to take off for vacations so I asked him if he was taking any time off this summer. Sure enough, he let me know that he will be closing as of the following Friday at 6pm until Sept 1^st! I got in on a Friday and caught him just in time as his turnaround time for most shoe repairs is 1 week. I told him of my relief, and wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t get my shoes back before he left. He asked why? Because they’re only shoes. Wait a minute… take a deep breath… They ARE only shoes!!! It’s so true! He doesn’t take his business too seriously because in the end he’s beautifying JUST SHOES!!! And he’s damn good at it too! I’ll keep bringing my shoes here to be serviced as long as he wants to do them.
I’ve read reviews where people got frustrated with his business hours, or his blasé attitude towards their shoe problems. I can totally understand, but with my own experiences I’ve had nothing but positive attitude from him. I thanked him, and he profusely thanked me back as I left the shop. As a former shop owner I can relate to his wanting to close shop on the weekends. He’s done it long enough, so let the guy relax. If his hours don’t suit yours, go elsewhere that cater to you. His workmanship speaks volumes for me, so I’m willing to work around his schedule to make sure my overpriced shoes do not get ruined. I’m speaking from experience. Get it done right the first time. Happy shoe repairing!

I had perhaps 5 pairs done at Alpine. 2 of them had exactly the same issue — the heel tips that were replaced would come off during the first few times I’d wear the shoes. I agree with other reviewers that the owners badly need to upgrade their customer service. Last time I came back to the shoe service and explained that I had the shoes done there and the heel tip came off 15 min after I put the shoes on at the office, the owner seemed very willing to put the entire blame on me «not wearing the shoes properly». When I came to pick the shoes up, he said that «If you wear them at the office, you might be reclining in your chair and putting pressure on the heel. These shoes are made for walking not sitting in a chair. Just a thought». He replaced the tips for free but made it seem like it’s a huge favour on his part. Not a single apology from either him or his wife who took the order.

Recrafting Mastery — After doing some research online, I found that Alpine Shoe Service is generally regarded as the best in Calgary. I had a pair of Allen Edmonds Hale oxfords that needed new soles and heels. I dropped by over lunch and met with the owner who was very friendly. I was asked to return in a week to pick up the shoes.
I swung by over lunch the following week and met with the owner’s wife who was also very friendly and nice to talk with. She was kind enough to provide me with new laces for my shoes. I immediately noticed the amazing craftsmanship that went into recrafting my oxfords. The heels were burnished to perfection and the new soles were immaculate. I have never seen a stitch channel so narrow and precise. The stitching line around the perimeter was as perfect as I have ever seen on any shoe. The cork was also fully replaced and added a world of comfort when I tried them on.
I have since dropped off another pair of shoes: my Allen Edmonds Park Avenues for the same treatment. I have six pairs of Allen Edmonds oxfords and I walk everywhere so they do need to be recrafted fairly frequently. I had previously shipped all of my shoes back to Allen Edmonds for recrafting because I didn’t know there was a place locally that could do this type of work with a high level of quality.
I am very thankful to have found a master in Calgary who can recraft shoes better than the factory!

The rudest shop owners in all of Calgary. If you like to be demeaned, disrespected, degraded, humiliated, and insulted… by all means go ahead and give them your money. Otherwise i’d stay the hell away. You won’t get ANY help from these two uncaring, disillusioned individuals who should have sold or closed down their shop years ago. Now they are just crabby, old, and bitter trying to ruin your day as best they can.

Excellent quality work for a reasonable price — a small operation which is a welcome throw-​back to a previous era. Yes the hours are somewhat restrictive (I once left my shoes too long and returned to find the owners had gone away for a few weeks), but it’s the only place in Calgary I’d go to get a shoe repaired or re-​heeled, and I recommend it often.

The gentleman who runs this shop with his dog (we’ll call him Happy for the time being) is awesome! I didn’t think that my Allen Edmonds Black Oxfords could be saved but stopped in on a whim with my shoes the week before Christmas to see if anything could be done — to be honest, my expectations were not that high.
He (Happy) looked the shoes over and provided several recommendations — we decided to go with a partial leather sole replacement and swap out the heel. He told me that the shoes would be ready on January 7^th. When I walked in without my claim ticket on the morning of the 7^th, he was friendly, courteous and professional — the shoes were there waiting for me and look brand spanking new! The service ended up costing approximately $ 90 which is a bargain given that a new pair of Leeds runs about $ 350.
I will definitely be returning and highly recommend Alpine Shoe Service.

They may be able to repair shoes, but their customer service and their hours leave little to be desired. They are now closed Saturdays, Sundays, AND Mondays, and turn around time is one week or more. When I FINALLY arrived at the shop (after trying to make it many times within their limited hours of operation) … I was (barley) greeted by a woman who wouldn’t even look at me when addressing me, then essentially told me I should know better than to expect a repair in 4 days from «THEIR» shop. They may do quality work, but I travel to climb often and would rather find a shop out of town to support.

Just walked into this store and asked if they sell the simple plastic part on a high heel shoe. The owner first tried to correct my grammar, and then told me that no, they do not sell materials (which is weird, because the whole store is full of shoe materials and shoe merchandise???). Then his phone rang and he picked it up mid conversation and turned around. Wow, horrible customer service. I won’t be going back.

I would for sure go here again.
They were able to stretch my Danners length and make them very comfortable.
Price was totally reasonable, and they really know shoes crazy well.
As for the hours, they’re a mom and pop operation, and I support the fact that they are working reasonable hours.

I’m sorry to say that I won’t be giving any business to Alpine in the future. Their work is excellent, but their hours of operation are incredibly inconvenient and outdated.
I recently left a very expensive pair of Prada shoes with them for repair — given their lack of evening and weekend hours, it took me some time to pick them up. When I was finally able to make it there, they had shut their shop down for 3 weeks. I returned to the shop today as they have finally re-opened…only to find out they could not repair my shoes. I had provided my phone number, and the owner did not have the courtesy to call to let me know he could not repair the shoes, and could not give me any advice on how to get them fixed.
The store is obviously run by a couple in the «twilight» of their career, and it’s up to them to set their store hours, etc. Personally, I feel that they need to hire some more staff and expand their hours — particularly if they want to be known for repairing high-​end shoes — you need to be prepared to work with high-​end clientele and go above and beyond to help them.

Horrible service! I came back several weeks after dropping off my boots and they hadn’t even been looked at. It was only THEN that I was told that they probably couldn’t have been fixed anyway. I took my boots to Deer Valley Shoe Repair and received fantastic, TIMELY service AND high quality work.

This is by far the best shoe repair place in town I have come across.
I bring all my fancies to Alpine be re-​heeled, polished, buffed and fixed and they always does an exceptional job. I am hard on my shoes but every time I get my shoes back from these cobblers, they almost feel like new again. I think the only reason my pair of black leather Kenneth Cole boots are in such good condition, and have lasted for close to 5 years, is because I bring them to Alpine every 15 or so months to be re-​heeled, cleaned and polished.
Alpine is very good and because of this, they are also very busy. I mitigate this by gathering all the shoes I need repaired and bring them in at once since I may wait up to a week to get them back.
The wait may be longer than some other shops, but the wait is worth it because your shoes will come back in excellent condition and won’t have cost an arm and a leg to have them repaired.
I love my shoes, and because I love them, I treat them right and bring them to Alpine Shoe Services.
T.

Anything you need to basically buff up your boot or shoe can be found here at Alpine, there are leather cleaners and polishers, there are insoles and uppers and things to put on the soles of your shoe so you don’t slip.
This is a one stop shoe accessory shop; the only criticism I have however is that it is closed on Saturday and Sundays which makes it very inconvenient on the 9 to 5 workday working customer.