Joseph’s Shoe Clinic/ Repair

Wow! Great job at an amazing price. I picked up my first pair of shoes today & they look brand new! I literally went home & looked at all my shoes/​boots to see if anything else needed love.
Highly recommended! Exceeded my expectations! Will be back! Dropped off another pair of shoes today.

I have never had a problem with this repair place. I followed then from their old location down the street. All shoes, bags, and even a leather coat expertly done. I refuse to waste. I would rather renew and reuse. Service is good, on time, and at the right price.

I recommend Joseph’s for fast, consistent quality service. I’ve brought in several pairs of shoes for repair, anything from rest itching seams, to replacing the heel on a pair of boots. They always do a great job

Best place for shoes and purse repair. I got to expensive purses looking good just like new for very good price and very short time. I am going to tell everyone I know about this place. And I am goin back to get my favorite lather jacket fixed too. Need to polish and bring the shine back to any lather jacket shoes or purse do it here.

The shop performed a substandard job. I paid 30 dollars to have a sole reattached to a buckle boot, and the elastic replaced on the buckles on both boots. The glue on the boot that had the sole reattached was sloppily applied (Somehow some glue made its way to the tongue of the boot. I’m no expert, but the sole and the tongue seem to be a fair distance apart, not sure how that happened), getting all over the leather. The elastic was well done, but the hack job with the glue completely destroyed what would have been a good job. I’d avoid this place unless you thoroughly inspect your repairs before leaving. I left the store assuming my shoes had been taken care of, and that was my mistake.

Have been bringing my stuff here for a long time.
Marty’s awesome personality and confidence in what he does makes me comfortable enough to bring all my high end designer goods here. Thanks again Marty!

I brought four sandals in to have a lift put in one shoe. I was charged $ 64 dollars and was very satisfied. I had given Marty the insert I wear and he measured it. I brought in another four sandals and was charged $ 88! Again I had brought the insert in for Marty to measure. When I showed him the previous bill and the sandals, he went on and on and on about how he had to custom make these… and claimed it wasn’t the same size insert. I was very very angry that the price went up from $ 64 to $ 88 when I had given him the same size insert to measure. No accommodation, nothing, just an argument like it was my fault. Never again!

I brought in a very expensive pair of shoes to be repaired and they did an excellent job. I could barely tell where the seam had ripped. They were flawless and don eon time.

I used to like this place. They narrowed the calf of my boots. I paid $ 50 for that and I was very happy with the final result. Unfortunately I would’t recommend this place anymore. I asked them to fix the elastic rubber on my high heel shoes (2 pair). They charged me $ 28 and told me to come back next week. When I came back only one pair was ready. After checking how did they fix it I found that they didn’t even do it. I told Joe about this and he didn’t even apologize. I agree with preview review — «over promised and under delivered.»

This place is great!!! I had a pair of boots that needed to be fixed and I knew it was going to be a difficult job. When I went in I spoke with Marty and showed him my boots and asked if he would be able to fix them and he said yes. I left them there and within a couple of days they were fixed! Not to mention they are my favorite pair of boots! What a wonderful experience. I will tell my family and friends about this place and they have a customer for life.

I’ve taken many things here – shoes, purses, etc. I have always dealt with the male owner, and he has always been delightful. I go back time & again because they’ve always done a good job with my things. I even had a bit of a pinch with a pair of shoes that I needed fixed in one day. They were able to do the turnaround, which was a big help to me.

Perfectly friendly, reasonably priced shoe repair. The hours aren’t exactly convenient for the working professional, but if you plan to take time out on a weekend or a day off, it’s well worth that inconvenience.
I brought a pair of designer shoes in after destroying the heels. They look like new and it cost me less than $ 20. I also received a good recommendation for leather cleaner.
I’m very hard on my shoes so I’m sure I’ll be back!

Over-​promised and under-​delivered. Please see posted photo.
I brought in two pairs of my husband’s shoes. They were in rough shape — but very good, pricy footwear. One pair was so bad I wasn’t even sure I should bother. I expressed my hesitation, but the owner assured me they would be «beautiful» and «like new». I forked over my money (prepayment required for all orders) and was given a pick up date.
I returned on the agreed day, but the shoes were not ready. No phone call to me although they had my information, and no apology. I said my husband would come the following day. He did and the order STILL was not complete. My husband attended an event that night in sneakers.
I returned several days later to collect the shoes. The pair I was hesitant about did not look great. I posted a photo, so you be the judge. I wish the owner would have been more realistic about what he could do — and in what timeframe. I shan’t be returning.
UPDATE: *sigh* the second pair I thought was ok was not. My husband put the dress shoes on for an event to find the laces were frayed! I think when I’m paying $ 50 to have a pair of shoes re-​heeled and spruced up, the cobbler would at least LOOK to see if the laces needed replacement. See pic.

Let’s just say this: If I could give negative star ratings; I would. Please bear with me as I elaborate on my horrible experience with this place that all started in the winter of 2012.
I first noticed Joseph’s b/​c it was right by my work, and after checking them out on Unilocal,I decided to bring some stuff in. The item that this story revolves around is a hot-​pink, nylon, Prada wallet, a birthday gift several years ago from a dear friend of mine that actually passed away just recently. When I came to drop off, I distinctly remember my concerns about whether they dealt with this material, and if they would have any issues. They enthusiastically assured me they knew how to clean nylon, and it would be in mint condition upon return. «Almost like brand new,» he said in his thick accent-​laden, broken English. WRONG. To my utter shock and dismay, it was completely RUINED. Basically, what should be a smooth surface is now shrunken and puckered to resemble ugly ruching. I first tried stuffing it with plastic bags + newspaper, hoping to stretch it out and return it to its original state. WRONG. The nylon shriveled up from whatever cleaner, chemical, or process they used and it was beyond salvageable. I went back and showed them the irreparable damages and requested reimbursement for the cost of the wallet (which is approximately $ 500). They INSISTED they could fix the damages and asked me to leave it behind once more. Being the fairly rational and patient person that I am, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and gave them the chance to fix their mistake since they were so adamant they would be able to/​
WELL. I just got home from picking up my «almost like brand new» Prada wallet today, and surprise surprise — it looks exactly the same as when they first messed it up. They didn’t fix anything; there were no improvements whatsoever. I told the man at the counter (I assume he was Joseph, the man himself), that the damages were irreversible and I politely requested they offer me a reimbursement or compensation for my loss like I had originally asked. From the look on his face I could just tell he knew he messed up. BUT this guy obviously does NOT CARE about his clients enough to admit a mistake made on his part, nor does he want to assume ANY responsibility for anything. He stubbornly repeated, «You brought it in to be cleaned and I cleaned it.» To which I responded, «Ok yes, it is cleaner. But your business is to „clean and repair“ so you would think your items would be returned in BETTER condition than before, not cleaned then ruined.» He then had the audacity to tell me that’s how it’s supposed to look. I paused for a moment at the absurdity of this statement then told him to google it. I almost laughed out loud at the level of immaturity and his defensive, petulant manner. OH. And we can’t forget the cherry on top of this sordid little story of a sundae, can we? Not only did he ruin my wallet, but this man was nothing but rude, condescending, and aggressive every single time I spoke with him. I almost felt like he was trying to bully me around or intimidate me just b/​c he’s 4x my size. He had this look in his eyes like he was challenging me or taunting me, probably thinking in his head, «What are YOU going to do about it.» I swear at one point he looked like he wanted to jump over the counter and fight me. Yea ok thanks for that, but: 1) you DON’T scare me; and 2) the fact that you try to bulldoze over and pick on people b/​c they’re smaller than you (or maybe b/​c I’m a woman?) speaks VOLUMES about your character buddy. He didn’t even have the decency to offer me an apology. Not ONCE.
The FACT is: I brought an item in to be CLEANED and it was not only cleaned, but RUINED. What was once an expensive, beautiful, sentimentally-​priceless designer wallet is now nothing more than a sadly disfigured pouch made of nylon, which has lost all fiscal value. I do NOT think I am wrong for requesting reimbursement for an item that HE ruined. The least he could have done was give me a refund on what I paid for the «cleaning» service, which he refused of course. Whatever dude. You can go live in your delusional world and here, you can take my completely ruined Prada wallet for company.
Extremely long-​winded story short: DO NOT go to this place because: 1) the quality of work is not reliable; and 2) this guy is one of the most unpleasant people I have ever encountered.

Joes simply the best. I only bring my bags and shoes to Joes shoe clinic. He’s always straight forward, professional and super kind. His prices are very fair and his quality service is spectacular. He always gets the job done right. Thank you Joe! I always leave a happy customer. I definitely recommend.

Since I have moved, I decided to go to a place near my new home, only to be disappointed. What I should have done, is gone straight to Joseph’s Shoe Clinic since this is the only place which can fix any scuffs, tears, and damages. This is my second review for several reasons: excellent customer service, speedy service, they really can work miracles with shoes, and they really can work miracles with shoes. Thank you Marty, for never letting down this customer.

This placed has MOVED.
6847 N Lincoln Avenue
Lincolnwood IL 60 712
Same phone number — 773 478 3226
Moved in June 2013

I took a pair of Enzo Angiolini black leather flat boots here that have lasted me through 5 Chicago winters. I’d previously had the heels re-​soled a few years back, but they were seriously starting to fall apart and the toes and heels were wrecked. However, I love the style of the boots (zippers on both sides) and I haven’t been able to find anything I like as much as these.
This shop did a fabulous restoring the leather on the heels and toes, and they completely resoled the shoe. They also cleaned, polished, and weather-​proofed the boots and they look like new. I went back a week and a half after dropping off, and they were ready as promised (he said ready in 1 week).
The sole that makes the shoe look a little less sleek, but I think only I would notice. It was also pretty pricey ($ 55) to get them fixed, but they were in a bad way. I figure I’ll be able to get a lot more years out of a boot that I really love, so it was worth it!
You do have to put down a deposit, which I didn’t know about. The deposit was $ 30, but I only had $ 20 on me. The owner (think) let me put down the $ 20, which I really appreciated.

The service, customer focus, professional pride and quality of work are of the highest standard at Joseph’s Shoe Clinic.
Marty is not the «Shoe Doctor» but he brought my shoes back from the dead! I brought in three Ferragamo men’s shoes in for repair. All of these shoes were thoroughly worn out and required the replacement of the soles and heals. Furthermore, the leather was not in the best shape. When I picked up the shoes, they looked and felt as if they were new. The leather was restored and thoroughly shined. The soles and heals were new and were comparable to the original soles and heals. The work on the soles was fabulous. When I wore the shoes that Marty resuscitated, my colleagues asked me if I had purchased new shoes!
If you have any high end shoes that you want to restore or fix, I would suggest going to Joseph’s Shoe Clinic because Joseph has a passion for his trade and the skills that are worth the money. He has earned a customer for life.
Jon M.

Wow after reading the reviews, I was very afraid to take my boots to Joseph’s, but due to lack of time, I took a pair of suede boots. Thankfully the boots weren’t that expensive, so I thought I’d try Joseph’s out.
I didn’t have any problem with the service, but I made sure that I kept my tag in my wallet. The cost was $ 7 and the work wasn’t bad. Not the greatest, but not bad. I would give Joseph’s 3.5 stars. Nonetheless, the reviews made me think twice about taking any of my expensive items.