Leon's Shoe Repair

I have meaning to write a review for years. I love this place!! One of the few family-owned business still hanging on in Mount Pleasant. Multi-generational and Latino, so awesome to see. Leo has repaired multiple things for me - pairs of boots, heels, leather sandals, a purse, a backpack, and a few belts. I took a pair of heels to him and said “please add 3 more holes, swap out the sole for rubber, and add padding to the ball of the foot” - came out perfect. Are the hours sometimes a little off? Yeah, he’s one dude and cares for his son and family. Can you call him to tell him you’d like to pick up and he’ll give you a date? Yeah, Google lists his cell and he always texts or calls back. Cut people some slack and support small businesses. Shoe and leather repair runs in his blood, he’ll give it to you straight and won’t let you waste your money on a dumb request. Quality work, good price.

I dropped shoes off on 6/28. Leon said he preferred if I paid in advance, and when I said I preferred to pay when picking up, he changed and said it was actually required to pay in advance. So I paid in advance. He promised the shoes would be ready 7/2 or 7/3, before I left for travel. They were not ready until 7/7, when I was already on travel. Then, I came twice to pick them up, and the shop has been closed during its normal business hours both times. I called Leon’s cell number, and haven’t been able to reach him to get my shoes. I will raise the rating if the shoes are well done, but it has not been easy working with this business. Editing to add that I can, unfortunately, not raise the review. When my shoes were finally ready for pickup, I went by once again during their operating hours and no one was there. On the day I picked them up, they had not been cleaned (only the heel had been repaired). They said they had cleaned them, but offered to do it “again.” After they cleaned them in front of me, I could tell they had not previously been cleaned.

I have mixed feelings about this place. A year ago I had some suede boots that needed to be cleaned. Leon did an amazing job! They came out great! But it took me a long time to get them back. The winter season was basically over once I got them back, we’re talking over a month’s wait to get them back. This time I planned better - so I thought. My leather boots just need a quick polish to be ready for the fall season. I dropped them off on a Monday/Tuesday in August, told him no rush on my end because it was still warm outside and I was going to be out of town in the coming days. Regardless, he let me know that Friday they were ready for pick up but I was of course out of town. When I got back to town the store was not open. I shrugged it off and just figured I would come back another day. I knew the store was a little quirky with hours and wasn’t consistently opened according to the hours it listed. Again, I still had plenty of time until Fall season and it wasn’t super urgent to get the boots back that day. Fast forward now more than two months since I dropped off my expensive boots, and paid ahead of time for the cleaning, I still do not have my shoes back. I’ve gone multiple times every single week since. I’ve texted the number he used to let me know back in August my shoes were ready and no reply. I’ve called several times as well. No answer. Who knows if this store will ever reopen again because there’s no way that I’ve gone by several times at different hours, within the working hours window, to not find this place open.