Written by : Her World Singapore
I’ve gotten a good share of fashion crisis-related questions over the years. ‘‘Where are the best places to get my clothes altered?” “Where can I get my designer handbags maintained and repaired?”
But the most commonly asked question, and this always leaves me perplexed, is “Where do I go to get my shoes fixed?” The sorry pair of designer heels hidden at the back of my closet can bear witness to the fact that I had no clue either.
Favourite shoes, especially ones that are branded, are too dear to our hearts to throw away at the first sign of trouble. I’m sure many of us could relate to the pinching agony of having to toss a pair of damaged shoes that we love; be it old pairs that have suffered severe wear and tear, shoes with broken heels or ones where the soles have come off.
In order to answer the pressing question posed to me by many, I managed to find a list of shoe mending places that are highly recommended by past customers on the internet. Whether you’re looking for convenience, value-for-dollar fixes or cobblers that specialise in fixing designer shoes, here are the best places for getting your seemingly exhausted pair of kicks fixed.
For designer shoes — Master Fix Services
If you’re looking to fix your precious pair of branded shoes, Master-Fix is known for their quality workmanship and use of materials that specially cater to designer shoes; namely a special red rubber sole used for Louboutins. Other than having an expertise in fixing shoes, MasterFix’s list of services also include dry cleaning, re-colouring as well as many other leather care services to cover all your needs. According to a customer on inSing.com and the store itself, big designer boutiques in Singapore allegedly send their shoes to Master-Fix for mending services too. We may not know if that’s true, but the reasonable prices and highly raved-about workmanship practically speak for themselves.
Located at: Ion Orchard (opens daily: 10:00–22:00) , The Clementi Mall (opens daily: 11:00–21:00), Raffles City (opens daily: 11:00–23:00), City Square Mall (opens daily: 10:00–21:00), Paragon (opens daily: 09:30–21:30).
For a wide variety of shoe care and repair services — Mister Minit
With over 60 years of service and 300 shops across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, Mister Minit is a household name that’s conveniently located near heartland and business areas such as Jurong East, Simei, Raffles Place, Orchard and Hougang. Offering a wide variety of shoe repair services such as heel tip replacement, stitching and patching, stretching out leather shoes to fit you better, and replacing scuffed and worn shoe tips, this chain store will make your shoes look as good as new. They also have shoe care services that protect and polish different materials from leather to suede and nubuck. Albeit slightly on the pricier side, Mister Minit undoubtedly has a wide range of services that will cover most of your needs.
Located at: multiple locations, find out more on their website.
Free pickup and delivery — Advance Shoe Repair and Locksmith
Highly praised by ex-customers online for their top-notch workmanship, quick 1–2 day turnover time and great quality of soles that last up to a year, this shoe mending store is trusted and reliable. What’s more, they offer free shoe pick-up and delivery, making things way more convenient for those of us who are too busy to make our way down to the cobbler.
Located at: Hong Leong Building (opens Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:30), Icon (opens Monday to Saturday 10:00–16:00) and The Sail at Marina Bay (opens Monday to Saturday 10:00–16:00).
For affordability — Yamaguchi Taro’s
With 25 years of experience in mending shoes, Mr Yamaguchi Taro is one of the few street cobblers left in Singapore with his humble DIY storage unit stationed next to Yishun Bus Interchange. Charging as low as $2 and $10 for a simple shoe mending job to up to $450 for stitching leather soles onto a pair of Louis Vuitton heels, the well-respected cobbler has been featured on many media channels such as The New Paper and Mothership.
Located at: Next to Yishun Bus Interchange (opens Monday to Sunday, 13:30–23:00).
Quality workmanship in the West — Mr Paul Street Cobbler and Shoe Repair
Located below a HDB block in Clementi, Mr Paul Street Cobbler is a skilled old-timer who can get your shoes fixed for a mere $6-$7. With a pushcart stationed beside Ma Kuang TCM in Clementi Central Block 477, Mr Paul and his wife take turn running the makeshift store. Offering same-day repair and collection and professional, meticulous workmanship, Mr Paul has garnered good reviews online on Yelp after honing his skills in shoe repairing for decades. If you live in the West, consider paying him a visit the next time you need to get your kicks mended.
Located at: Blk 447 Clementi Central, Singapore 120447 (opens Monday to Sunday, 10:00–14:00, 16:00–20:00)
This article was first published on Her World Online.