Cobbler Bill’s

I took my boots here to get the soles replaced as I have had them for 5+ years and they were getting a to that point. Waited 4 weeks and then picked them up. About 10 days later the sole one of the boots started to come off. I called and they said to bring them back in and they would take care of it. I brought them in and immediately the man behind the counter blamed me for the sole separating, saying that it was from heat damage, but that he would fix it for free this time. I kept my mouth shut and and gave them my contact info. Meanwhile the other guy at the counter starts talking to another customer about me and how the sole problem is my fault. Heat damage. These are boots that I wear to work and I work in a office and I’ve only have them for 10 days since picking them up from you.
Finally the guy gives me a claim ticket and says it will be another 4 weeks. I just grabbed my boot and told them to forget it. $ 114 down the drain and now I have to take them to a real shoe repair shop since these guys don’t stand behind their work.

BUYER BEWARE.
Take a photo of your shoes before you leave them here, because it will be your word against theirs that they were responsible for the damage. Showed them to a friend who used to do shoe repair at Shoe Stop in Clackamas and he said his guess was they used a leather softener on leatherette and used a mechanical brush to polish them, stripping the leatherette from from the synthetic substrate. Owner REFUSED to issue a refund for a pair of boots that were ruined after I picked them up PREPAID. Boots were NOT in in that condition when I brought them in because if they had been I would not have had them repaired. Owner extremely defensive and condescending, refused to give a refund for just the repair cost, all I was asking for, even though the boots were basically now a total loss. If I could post photos I could show the horizontal gashes in the neck of the boots (on both pairs) to illustrate. No accountability here, refused to amend or admit mistake, — bring shoes in at your own risk!!! Recommend JD’s shoe Repair on Alberta, a real class act of technicians/​artisans there, excellent customer service, a little more spendy and in different part of town but worth it for the hassle free and dependable craftsmanship. Unbelievable bad experience at Cobbler Bills! Looking at other reviews on Unilocal I see I am not the only customer with complaints regarding the hostility in regards to customer service. Take a photo at the counter of your shoes when you hand them off if you choose to take the risk here, telling all my friends about the terrible experience!

Excellent service. very attentive to what I needed. They very kindly spot stretched a pair of shoes that was rubbing on my little toe and then had no issue with repairing a strap on another pair of shoes. I will be coming here agsin and again. This place has been here a long time, I hope they stay in business forever.

I have been coming here for over 20 years, because they know how to keep my difficult feet comfortable. Bill & Maria and the crew are great. I love that their focus really is just finding the right fit for me, not on making money.

Seeing how happy my wife has been with Cobbler Bill’s solution to her shoe and insert needs, I visited when a different issue of my own appeared. Unlike some places, where the extent of ‘service’ is finding a box in the back room with a particular size written on it, I got a thorough fitting and evaluation of my style of walking and what the wear on my old shoes indicated. This was followed by an unhurried trial of multiple shoe and insole combinations. It’s amazing how quickly aches and pains can disappear with the right choice of footwear. This is a place where, by paying a little bit more, you will get noticeable payback and enjoyment every day.

An expensive mistake!
My boyfriend was reticent to buy the shoes the salesman had suggested, because he wasn’t sure they were comfortable. The salesman pointed out that my boyfriend’s feet were probably sore from his old, admittedly painful, shoes, and that he ought to give these a chance by wearing these for a little bit on an occasion when he hadn’t just taken off painful shoes. The salesman assured us not to worry, that there was no risk of us getting stuck with shoes we didn’t want. He said that we should take the shoes home and try them out indoors. He said as long as they were only worn a little bit indoors, and they could be resold as new, it would be no problem at all if we brought them back in a couple of weeks. We bought the shoes.
When my boyfriend tried to return the ill-​fitting shoes a few weeks later, the owner was very hostile, and told him that they only gave refunds within the first week (they do exchanges later, but given their small selection of shoes, that wasn’t any help). We appealed to the salesman who told us we could bring the shoes back after a couple of weeks, but he conveniently couldn’t remember what he’d told us.

Horrible experience. Poor selection of over-​priced shoes and terrible customer service. I have trouble finding shoes that fit so I thought I should try a cobbler (someone who actually knows shoes and feet). I was shown a pair of shoes that had a very stiff sole and when I said they didn’t feel right we went through a large selection of inserts. I was still uncertain about the fit but the salesman, Chris, seemed very nice and assured me that I could return them as long as I didn’t wear them outside. I took them home and tried them on inside, on carpet and realized that they didn’t fit because they are about 2 inches too narrow (my foot actually bulges over the side of the sole). Unfortunately, like most people, I work normal hours, so getting to this store when they are open is difficult. When I took ½ a day off so I could go in I was told I could exchange but not return. The owner then got hostile (lunging toward me, raising his voice and visibly angry) when I explained the situation. He then threatened to call the police because I was trespassing. I have never been treated so poorly. Do not go here.

I got exactly what I was looking for here. I wanted to have a one on one shoe fitting experience and Bill was great. Excellent customer service from the time the door opened until we left. Bill has a great personality and sense of humor. Helped me understand the fit and my feet. Thank you!!!

I swear. I’ve been having pain on the outside of my left foot under my pinkie toe ball joint (I’m sure that’s the right technical term :)) for about five years now. My doctor suggested some moleskin padding; no good. I walked in to Cobbler Bills after being referred there by a friend. I was fully expecting and willing to pay for new shoes. After talking with the guy there (I think Mike), I purchased a pair of insoles with metatarsal support, slipped them in my work boots, and NO MORE PAIN! I feel like running around outside dancing with my arms in the air! Seriously though; I wish had known five years ago the solution was this simple. Cobbler Bills has me for life now! Thank you Team Bills !

The best around
High quality footwear combined with excellent customer service and a wealth of professional knowledge. A treat.

Finally a place that fit me in the right shoe and orthotic. Yes they are more expensive but so worth it. They spend time with you in finding what will and won’t work. Also fitted me in full size up in Brooks Ariel than what i was wearing — huge improvement and I am able to walk much better w/​the new combo and keep Plantars under control

You won’t find any cheap shoes at Cobbler Bill’s. But they do really know how to fit you well with the shoes that they have. I have foot problems and wear shoe inserts, and Cobbler Bill’s is the only place I have found that knows how to give me a good fit on a shoe with my shoe insert. They will take returns but only if they look new on the bottom, and there aren’t any scratches showing that you walked outside in them. In my case they usually put me in a shoe 1 ½ sizes larger than what my foot measures. I had an employee of Archfitter’s tell me that Cobbler Bill’s fits the shoes too big. I bought a pair of shoes from Archfitters that went by the measurements, and it was uncomfortable. I guess Cobbler Bill’s really knows what they are d

Wonderful x a million Maria and Bill are the best! Don’t go any place else! You will be happy u listened

They really know what they are doing here. If you have foot issues, try this place. When you go, wear a pair of shoes you normally wear and they will study it and they will use it (along with foot measurements) to fit a pair of shoes perfectly to your feet. They are patient, friendly, and competent. I can’t recommend them enough.
They repair shoes too. I just took a pair of shoes in, so I can report back when I pick them up.

My husband and I have come here for years. My husband has serious foot problems and Cobbler Bill has been the guy who solves almost every one! I went there when I was having some minor trouble that was keeping me from getting enough walking exercise — and in less than a year I actually walked a marathon! I didn’t win any speed awards but I sure had happy feet :). Bill and everyone there are always friendly, courteous, and exceptionally knowledgeable! Can’t say enough good about this place, especially their tenacious commitment to making things better for the customer. Check them out!

I have been searching for a pair of shoes for sometime that are comfortable for my feet — quite difficult for someone who has fallen arches. The shopping experience was beyond frustrating — first fending off the salesmen who are bent on lifting my arch and then just trying to find a shoe that fits my foot. I’ve been to many shoe stores — well-​rated, great shoe stores — but they were no help. Today, I found a solution at Cobbler Bill’s and I will be eternally grateful.
The key turned out to be their method of foot measurement: measuring the arch, not the toe. He (Chris — So nice and knowledgeable) even told me, «Your arch is an 8 and your toe is a 6.5.”(!!!) I had no idea this was possible. This means that I haven’t been able to rely on the structural support of any of my shoes because I was cutting the arch support short by a size and a half. This also means in shoes that fit correctly, I’m going to have a lot of extra room in the toe area, which feels a little funny at first but seems like it will be easy to get used to. …it also means that every salesman who has measured the fit of my shoe by only checking the toe fit (all of them until today) was really missing the mark.
I can’t recommend this store enough. The salesmen, who are the nicest and most grounded I encountered, proved to me today that they’ll do anything necessary to help a customer leave with shoes that fit them comfortably and correctly. I also found their pricing to be extremely reasonable for the inventory they carry.

I’ve been going to this store for seven years. They do a great repair job, and help weigh the pros and cons of new shoes vs. repair, without pushing sales over repairs.
Bill does an excellent job of finding the right orthotics to correct a variety of foot, ankle and knee issues. I work on my feet all day, and I’m sure he’s saved me lots of doctor visits by finding the proper shoe or support for the job.
You can’t go wrong here (unless you’re looking for cheap shoes).

This is going to be my official shoe repair place in Portland from now on. These people know their shoes.
First off, I’m a girl who walks absolutely everywhere, and I tear through all of my poor shoes like no tomorrow.
I went to Cobbler Bill’s with the agenda of getting a couple of pairs of my damaged boots repaired; the first being my favorite English Riding style boots (which were purchased about 7 years ago from an independent shoe store in my hometown and are apparently discontinued. I brought them into the shop with destroyed soles filled with gravel, torn and faded leather, and busted seams.) The 2^nd pair were converse-​knockoff knee-​high black boots (the zipper was broken on one of the shoes, so I just wanted to get that repaired. I had bought them at a thrift store for $ 20 so they weren’t expensive, but since I liked them I figured I’d try to get them repaired as well). I was walked through everything that he’d want to fix on my English riding boots, and allowed to pick out which new sole I wanted (at no additional fee). Then when I brought out the other boots, I was given the honest truth about them (which is that they were very cheaply made and even if I got the zipper fixed they would tear apart on me in not too long, and it wouldn’t be worth my money.) I was impressed by both the knowledge of the shoes, and the fact that the man was honorable enough to be honest with me about the other pair rather than just trying to get more money out of me. I love it when businesses maintain a sense of integrity.
Today I picked up my newly repaired riding boots, and WOW. The leather looks gorgeous, vivid, and new; the new soles are much sturdier (and a more attractive shape) than the original soles. They look better than they did when I first got them. It’s like I got a brand new pair of my favorite [discontinued] boots for less than half of their original price. Thanks, guys! Keep up the good work!

It’s interesting to read the polarized interviews written about this Woodstock area merchant.
It makes one wonder if they’re visiting the same shop, or if this store drifts in and out of parallel universes.
There have been times where Bill and the staff have been back in the shop, talking and laughing. To get service, all I’ve had to do is call out a cheery «Hello there!» and they come right out.
Being heavy (OK, fat) and on my feet quite a bit, I was always having foot pain. I decided to stop into Cobbler Bill’s, because it is almost near my neighborhood.
They first measured my feet.
This is something that hasn’t happened in a shoe store for several decades. You usually get a teenage clerk that says his job is to ring you up, or find «your size» from the stacks in the back of the store.
Then, I tried on six different pairs of shoes. As it turned out, on of the less expensive shoes felt best. I purchased two pair. Having good fitting shoes is a thing of delight.
About a month later, the shoelaces broke on one of both sets of shoes. I took ‘em in, and they replaced the laces with heavy-​duty laces — no charge.
Now, two years later — my shoes are still in pretty good shape, because I alternate wearing the pairs and keep shoe trees in them.
But, my laces broke. In Freddies or other retailers, they have about two sizes (wrong for me) in stock. I took them back to Cobbler Bill — and for a few bucks — they cut and INSTALLED laces in both shoes.
While I was there, I saw a pair of new shoes I wanted to try. They didn’t have my size, but said they’d order them — without obligation to buy — just to come back in and try them on.
Sadly, this kind of retail service is becoming rarer due to «showrooming».
When I was there, a young man came in, looked around, had his feet measured, and tried on an expensive shoes — he apparently knew the brand he wanted. Then, he got up and left the store mumbling «I can get them cheaper online. I just needed to know my size».
If you’re in a rush, you are rude or unkind, if you want to «get it cheaper» — this is probably not the store for you.
But, for good service, at a fair price, Cobble Bill’s is the place to go for footwear.

Cobbler Bills is one of the few stores that actually takes the time to sell shoes on the proper fit instead of just selling you what is convenient and easy. They are also one of the few actual repair shops left that do a good job. So they have had my business for a long time.
What made me eternally loyal is what they did when I was laid up in the hospital. I needed some slip on shoes. My wife is disabled and could not get into the store to get these for me. Instead of just telling us we were out of luck they actually arranged to deliver the shoes to my wife at our house. This really helped us out. This is the kind of exceptional service you don’t see much anymore. Obviously Cobbler Bills is our first choice when we need new shoes!