Shoe-ins

Subscriber favorite cobblers

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shops

Hot on the heels of last week’s roundup of FOUND subscriber tailor recommendations, subscriber responses to the prompt, “Please tell us your favorite NYC cobblers”:

• Yakub (Greenwich Village) changed my life. My dog ate the tip of one of my beloved vintage Chanel suede loafers. I went to three cobblers before hearing about him, all of whom gave me $150-$250 estimates to fix the sole. Yakub charged me $25 and stretched them too. All within a same-day turnaround. Of course, I wouldn’t be recommending him if his work wasn’t pristine as well. Much love to Yakub. 

• Pavlos Shoe Repair (Upper East Side) on East 88th is fantastic. Have been going to him since I was a kid! 

• Leather Spa (multiple locations), hands down.

• B. Nelson (Midtown East) on East 55th is generally regarded as the best in NYC, if not everywhere, by leather shoe aficionados/nerds. They’re a bit gruff, but don’t be afraid to ask questions. They can do insanely high-end details like fiddleback soles. The sign on the awning says VIP Shoe Restorers rather than B. Nelson, but don’t worry, you’re in the right place.

• Downtown, Hectors Shoe Repair (Greenwich Village) is great. Like B. Nelson, you can get JR Leather soles and metal toe taps. They’re really good at fixing women’s heels too, including torn toes and stilettos. They can’t do the crazy custom sole work that you see at B. Nelson, but they’re good at everything else. Unless you’re wearing John Lobb, I’d skip the trip uptown.