James Shoe Repair

Had some time to kill while my mother in law was at a dentist nearby so I stopped in to James Shoe Repair to buy some shoe conditioner. He had 2 bottles of Melatonian in the case and I asked for one. They had yellow circular price stickers on them for $ 6.50. He took the sticker off and said to me that the price would be $ 8.50. I said the price on the bottle was $ 6.50 and the one in the case was also marked $ 6.50. James said that it was an old price and the new price was $ 8.50. I couldn’t believe the guy. Who does business like this. I asked him if he knew what Unilocal was and he said he did and then I told him that he should look for my review this evening. I went to get a business card from his stack that he had on his counter and he jerked them away and proceeded to go nuts. He got so agitated that he made an attempt to throw the cards at me and he seemed to want to fight as he came around the counter. He also called me all kinds of names and was cursing up a storm. I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL DOING BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE WHO IS THAT UNSTABLE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A FEMALE!

Owner is cocky and overpriced. He actually complimented me on my vehicle upon leaving his repair shop & said he would overcharge me! I had the soles of two leather sandals glued together & he charged me $ 30.00! I will never go back there again, nor will I recommend him to other consumers.

THE WORST SHOE REPAIR EVER-​rude, disrespectful, expensive– this is the OWNER! He will decide what he’s charging by sizing you up!
The work he did was terrible! STAY AWAY!

This place is horrible. Rude and unprofessional to say the least. I would not ever recommend this place to ANYONE. James was extremely rude when it was determined that he couldn’t fix the shoes he picked them up, pushed them into my hands and walked away.

Expert repair. Owner is very knowledgeable, honest and dedicated to his work. He’s repaired several of my husband’s very expensive dress shoes and boots. He has high integrity. A very sweet man who has literally made shoes as well as repaired them for decades.

I would give him zero stars if I could. I brought in a pair of Christian Diors a few months ago that needed all new 3″ heels (not just the tips). He had them for over 2 months trying to find the right size heel. When I got the shoes back, they appeared to be of good quality so I was fine with the time delay. A few months later after wearing them a couple times, one of the heels flat out broke off while walking in a parking garage. No signs of distress… I didn’t even catch the heel in a crack… it just broke. Upon inspection, the interior «metal» core was really just a hollowed out piece of plastic. I returned to the store with them and showed him the shoes. First thing he said was, «I NO DO THAT!» Immediate defensiveness is a sure sign of guilt. I continued to plead my case in a nice manner and he flat out walked away and went in the back. Complete jerk with no regard to customer service. I will never go here again.

Posted hours of operation don’t mean a thing. Works when he feels like it. Very rude on phone

So bad that I was looking for a candid camera!
I needed two strips of leather reattached to two interior pockets of a favorite handbag. He charged me $ 20 and said it would be done on Friday. When I returned the following Monday, he couldn’t find my bag so he had me help him look in the back room which was in complete disarray: shoes tossed everywhere. Found the bag and he hadn’t done the work. Returned later to find that he had made two hasty stiches across the top of the pockets and left the leather he was paid to reattach dangling. When questioned about it, he said, «NO CAN DO!» (Funny … He said he COULD DO when he charged me in advance.)

I never write reviews on Unilocal,but I had to write one about this experience. If you like OVERPRICED, RUDE, LACK OF SERVICE, then this is the place for you to go. I was recommended to go there by a tailor I go to. I needed to get a pair of leather pants altered. I thought the price was a bit high and he was very short with me. He also keep saying it is too much work. He also demanded that I pay him up front. I was not in the mood to argue so I did what he ask.
The second time I came in was to have a leather bag repaired. The seams were coming undone. He quoted me a price and told me to come back the following week. I actually came back 2 weeks later and he never did anything to the bag and forgot about it. He asked me to come back later. I said fine. I came back 3 weeks later and to my shock he still did not have the repaired done. But he did tell me to wait a few minutes and he would get it done. Which he did. When it was time to pay, he ended charging me more what is quoted. but I just paid it and wanted to leave. i noticed that some other seams were coming undone that i did not notice before. I brought it back and he said it was too much worn and it would take time. But I said you did the other ones in 5 minutes. He also said it will cost another payment. I told him these were small job and he overcharged me on the other job he did on the bag. He kicked me out and told me to take it elsewhere.
The funny thing is when I got in, he told me that he gets tons of business from Unilocal.Well, I told him while I was leaving that I will for sure visit his Unilocal site and put out a review.
BEWARE, OVERPRICED AND RUDE!

Wow! Fixed the GF ‘s purse in minutes and very reasonably priced. Next will be my shoes!!!

WOW. All I can say about this place it that it has BAD ENERGY. I’ve never experienced such a MEAN person, let alone business owner. It’s a shame cause from the other reviews, it sounds like he does great work– but I’m afraid to even come near this place again (which sucks cause I love the Mongolian restaurant a few stores down. hahaha) I just, ewe, I can’t shake this evil vibe this guy threw at me. I’m just… still in shock hahaha.
When I walked in, I explained that I had never been to a shoe repair before and that I was just getting an idea of how much it would be to fix the heels of my shoes. He gave me the price and I said thank you, I’d probably be back. He said «Why would you be back». I said because I’ve never been to a shoe repair before and I just want to look around a bit to compare. He then spatted at me, «Go. Don’t bring your shoes back here.» I thought he had heard me wrong so I said «Wait what? No, I said I’d probably be back I just have to make sure.» He repeated himself again in several ways and then began spouting off like 5 other shoe repairs and that I should take my business there because I deserve to pay more money. If he was saying this lightheartedly as conversation or a joke, then I would’ve gotten the message and left my shoes with him, but he was pointing me out the door and literally spitting these words out to me with such spite… I just left saying «Ok. Thank… you?» One of those situations where you repeat the episode over and over again in your head thinking– i should’ve said _​_​_​_​_​_​back to him. haha you know?
Who knew shoe repair would be so dramatic? haha
So… still in the market for a CORDIAL shoe repairer :)

Simply the best shoe repair around. He works on all of my most expensive shoes… I never worry that the work will ever be anything less than stellar. Used him about a dozen times for anything from repair, stretching and simple cleanings. And the price is more than fair.

James does not have the best «bedside manner» but his work is excellent! I had another shoe repair tighten the straps between toes on my sandals and they were not even and still too loose. So I Unilocaled and thanks to my Unilocalers, James was rated well so I stopped in. He measured properly and the fit is perfect. Definitely recommend!

What a rude snob James is! I took my shoes to be re-​soled today and after grilling me as to how much I paid for them (can’t remember), he told me that I should buy more expensive shoes. The brand is David Charles… not the most expensive shoe, but hardly a cheap brand.

I took in my favorite Taryn Rose flats which had been scraped in a fall and needed to be dyed. After foot surgery, I rely on these comfortable shoes. They were an unusual shade of pewter. I drove all the way from Long Beach because of what I read here.
They came out beautifully, better than expected! The price was quite reasonable.
I would not hesitate to recommend this business.
Thank you, and thank your wife who did the work!
—Harriet

rude! i would never send anyone here.

Nothing but good things to say about James Shoe Repair.
James has worked on my shoes… Italian and high-​end American, from shines to seam repair to full soles and heels… three times in past six months and I have been most satisfied each time. I will continue to use James (instead of the other shop that has been around forever and has had a near monopoly) because of his fairness in suggesting needed shoe repair work and reasonable prices (for example, he surprised me with recommending a simple stich repair when I had been told elsewhere the shoe needed to be rebuilt… a $ 100 difference), prompt service (2 – 3 days), and the excellent quality of his work.

I took 3 new pairs of Louboutin shoes that were too tight. I had taken them to 2 other shoe repairs places that stated that they weren’t able to help me. James (the owner) had me try on each shoe, marked where it was to tight. The shoe were ready in 3 days with a great low price to go along with them. Now my shoes fit perfect… yay!!! I was very impressed and he continues to «WOW» my family and I every time we use his services.
Thank a bunch James

Five Stars for sure…
Took a pair of brown leather shoes in very poor conidtion that I needed to wear to a wedding 5 days later. In just two days and for a very reasonable price, James restored the shoes to a better condition than I could have ever asked for or even imagined. I was extremely impressed and will continue using his services as long as I am in OC.
Thanks James!!!

I am so happy that James is now in Costa Mesa! Discovered his shop when I worked in Irvine, I tried a couple of places closer to home, but was always disappointed and would trek back over to his shop in Irvine.
I buy great shoes and only trust them to James. Via Spiga, Pedro Garcia, Prada, etc… When you spend that much on a pair of quality shoes, you only trust the re-​soling, waterproofing, etc, to someone whose workmanship is just as phenomenal. Add to that, James and his wife are the nicest people. Their prices are usually less that I would expect. They do not do advertising, preferring to grow via word-​of-​mouth. Please visit James and let him work his magic on your shoes and bags; you will be glad you did.