Imperial Shoe Crafters

SO awesome! The prices are great and they were not expensive in the slightest. I need a strap replaced on my sandals and it was only $ 8. They had it ready in 2 days and they were so nice about it! I will definitely bring shoes here in the future.

I’ve come here to have all my shoes repaired and I have never been disappointed. I can fairly say they’ve repaired 20 pairs of shoes for me, some pairs repaired multiple times.
I beat the crap out of my shoes so they need more than just a simple shine. The pumps that they repair always look brand new after I’ve worn the heels down to nubs, and they even repair the tips of the shoes where I knick them from often kicking the sidewalk.
I’m a bit clutzy with my shoes to summarize, and Imperial is the only place I’ll go to get them looking like shoes being worn by an actual human being.

**Update** The woman I spoke to the next day when I did get to drop my shoe off (because, still– they had done nice repair jobs in the past and are only a block away from my office) seemed genuinely concerned and I left feeling like she was definitely going to address it. The shoe is fixed, it was I think less than $ 15, and done. Thanks.
Hmm. Well, they’ve treated me well
In the past, so I rushed out of work early today– one cherry red Tahari heel in hand, to give them for repair before they closed. But– I arrived at 5 ’till only to find that they closed early. Lights off, doors locked. Thanks for that.

Ok… they really know what they’re doing. A while back I had the unfortunate incident of my sister’s dog chewing the heck out of one of my beloved (and expensive) aged leather booties. the heel was unrecognizable and the leather was wrinkled and discolored. I was worried because the heel was unique — had these grooves and contours that i thought wouldnt be replicated by a replacement heel. I found imperial on Unilocal and thought — well, i have nothing to lose. When I picked those boots up, I was shocked. It looked so good, it would be impossible for anyone who didn’t know which shoe was tore up previously. I just about cried.
I recently went back for another pair of booties that I wore to death, zippers broken, heels, wore down, etc. They told me that they’ll see what they can do with the zipper — if I wanted to replace the entire thing, then it would be super $$$ and I thought I’d just buy a new pair instead. So they said they’d try to fix what they can, including heels for $ 49. Still steep but better than paying the money I paid for these shoes to begin with (prob twice that amount). And I love these shoes. Once again, Imperial came to the rescue — the heels look great and they did some kind of magic with the zippers that should keep them good for a while longer. THANK YOU IMPERIAL. Client for life.

These people know what they’re doing with leather! I had a shoulder bag that I wanted converted into a cross-​body and the hardware was difficult to match — but they did it! Perfectly I might add. I walked a hole into the bottom of my Frye’s, and they replaced the entire bottom of my boot and shined them so well they look better than they did the day I bought them! Great service! Prices are comparable to other cobblers and since they do such an amazing job I would NEVER go elsewhere!

I had a vintage tan leather Coach purse I got at a thrift store years ago and it looked very worn and had white paint splattered on it. I took it in hoping that they could remove the paint but it came out so much better! The girl who works there told me they put a solution on it to remove the dirt and whatever else was on there. It looks like a brand new purse! You can’t even tell that the spots had been there! I had to pay $ 20 up front and could use my credit card and then paid $ 15 cash when I picked it up two days later. I have gotten so many compliments on the transformation and I would highly recommend them to all of my friends!

My friend highly recomended this place. I am very picky. I was amazed!!! Brought a couple of pairs and I must say, these guys are perfectionist. Highly recommed. They take pride in their specialty. Thank you for the wonderful job. I finally found a place where I can trust, Excellent service, wait time. A must if u need your shoes repaired. Than you guys. I WENT TO THE ONE IN DOWNTOWN, AND I SEE LAKE STREET GOT GOOD REVIEWS AS WELL, CLOSE TO WORK SO WILL TRY THEM TO SINCE THEY HAVE EXCELLENT REVIEWS.

A little pricey but the quality of their work is worth it.

I attended a charity banquet at a nice hotel in downtown chicago and at the banquet the waiter spilled red wine all over my white Coach purse. The hotel offered to pay for my dry cleaning bill so I started looking around for a place that cleans purses.
When it came down to my purse I went onto Unilocal to see if there were any good places any where in the loop that had good reviews on purse cleaning and to my surprise I couldnt find any. I noticed this place had good reviews and it was close to my work so I decided to stop in to see if they cleaned purses and just my luck they do. The young lady working the counter was so nice and very helpful, I told her what happen to my purse and that I had been looking all over for a place that cleaned purses.
Since the hotel was paying for it, I didnt care what it cost but to my surprise it was a very reasonable price. My purse is a white leather medium size over the shoulder bag, I honestly thought it was going to be more. I picked up my purse a week later and they did an excellent job on it. I will definitely be bringing more purses to them in the future. So ladies if you work in downtown and want a good place that cleans leather purses at a reasonable rates this is the place for you.

This place is fantastic. In addition to shoe repair, Imperial Shoe Crafters (ISC) also repair bags. I brought my camera bag in for some patch work on the zipper’s lining. They did an outstanding job, and the price was very reasonable. I was very pleased with the work. Spread the word, ISC is not limited to shoes. They repair bags, too, and do great work without breaking the bank. Thank you.

Do not bring shoes you care about to this company.
1) They do not stand behind their work. I brought in a new pair of shoes for protective services, which is stated as a service on their website. I received them back in a condition lower than when I brought them in. As in: holes on the side of the suede top that were probably from whatever they used to hold the shoe; specks of glue from the sole adhesive; scuffs to the top of the shoe; black smudges against throughout the shoe. These were a pair of shoes that are light suede and they had recommended I not protect the actual suede (which, ironically, they ended up ruining before I had a chance to myself).
These shoes were not worn outside of the store. I had brought my suede shoes in for a protective sole to wear down before the actual leather sole was worn. I thought it would be a smart move to take care of them before I wore them so that I could make them last as long as possible.
2) The only resolution was to not charge me for the price of the soles. They refused to take any ownership of what happened. When I explained again that my shoes had glue specks from the adhesive, the manager told me it was my fault — there was black gum at the sole of the shoe (which again, was never worn outside). Hey, if there was gum at the base of the shoe that was black, that still doesn’t explain the CLEAR specks that look like splatters of an adhesive. Poor excuse.
3) While I was waiting to hear back from the owner — mind you, he doesn’t come to this location and shoes need to be delivered to him before he basically tells you you’re SOL — there was another guy picking up his shoes. After inspection, he gave a pair back to be reshined. He, also, said he would never be coming back.
I came here based on the shiny reviews. But don’t bring any shoes you prize.
They keep telling me they’re only a repair shop, however their website claims they also provide protective services. Buyer beware. You risk the quality of your shoes being sacrificed when coming into this store.

Girl desperately wanted to find trendy skinny belts to zazz up several outfits. Girl finally found the perfect hot pink patent skinny belt and a yellow skinny belt. Only problem – they were three sizes too big!
After realizing that there was no MacGyver-​esque way I could shorten them without ruining them, I remembered that shoe repair places usually do leather work and would be able to cut the belts. I researched online (on Unilocal of course) and narrowed it down to a few places. Imperial Shoe Crafters actually had «belt shortening» listed as one of their services on their website. Score! If they listed it, they must be good at it.
I took the belts in and the guy said he would shorten them both for $ 15. He showed me how he was going to fix it by unwrapping it at the buckle and cutting it at the buckle end, so then it would be folded and sewn to look just like new! No need to punch in holes. He even got the belts ready for me earlier than promised because I could only pick them up in the morning. Next day, the belts were ready and looked fabulous, he had found matching hot pink and yellow thread to sew them and had done such nice, clean work.
If they did such a wonderful job on my belts, I knew I could trust them with my shoes. I took in a pair of beat-​up, worn-​out, light gray boots that had seen water damage and stained by the dye on my jeans and another pair that was scratched and scuffed on the toe. I wasn’t expecting any miracles because I knew the stains were going to be tough to remove. To my surprise, the stained boots came back looking almost new and the other boots had been properly patched up. They exceeded my expectations. It was definitely worth the $ 6 for the scuffed boots, and $ 15 for the stained boots (note: payment is due at drop-​off). Convenient location, they’re open until 5 pm only. Imperial Shoe Crafters has a new loyal customer.

This is the best place to get your shoes/​purse fixed. Exceptional customer service. I have never been dissapointed. Their work is excellent. Their prices are fair. I will only take my shoes and purses to these guys because they take pride in their work. Highly recommend

: jaw hanging open:
$ 10 to fix a very deeply scratched leather boot. Results: umm, what scratch?!
They just gained a life long customer outta this chick.

*** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ***
This family-​owned business is helpful, courteous, understanding and does wonders! They may be a little pricey, but extremely reasonable for their quality of work.

totally in the «i gotta guy» category. great shoe shine — i think, the male equivalent of a mani/​pedi — and great, reliable repairs. need a new snap on a coat? they’ll figure out something that looks great and works. also, a great location, right in the loop and near the train…

Picked up my shoes today and they look great. I liked the fact they didn’t make me replace both taps on my boots even though I only needed one tap (some other repair shops told me I had to replace both at the same time even though one was practically brand new) and they were able to replace the strap on my jeffrey campbells with practically the same type of leather… yay…would definitely use them again… cost me $ 18.00 to get both shoes fixed :)

Imperial Shoe Crafters are are as good as it gets! Every repair I get done, my shoe is repaired perfectly and I am convinced it increases the lifetime of my shoes. Their prices are very reasonable and it only takes a couple days. I have had heels replaced on high-​heeled shoes, boots and I think I am going to try them on purses now too. The location is perfect for those who work in the Loop and the service is friendly. I highly reccomend them!

I came to Imperial Shoe Crafters at the recommendation of a friend. My favorite sandals were falling apart, and the guy at Excellent Shoe Repair told me they could not be fixed. Not willing to take no for an answer, I brought them to Imperial Shoe Crafters. Two days and $ 10 later, and my shoes are as good as new! I will be taking my shoe repair business here from now on.
(They require payment at the time you drop off your shoes, but they do accept credit cards.)