We repair and restore shoes the slow way — stitched, welted, and finished by hand at one bench on South Congress. Dress shoes, boots, sneakers, heels.
Most repairs take 3–7 days. Resoles 5–9. Full restorations run 4–6 weeks and we'll tell you honestly if your pair isn't worth one.
Every pair gets looked at before we quote. If a repair won't hold or isn't worth the money, we'll say so and charge you nothing.
Goodyear welt, Blake stitch, storm welt, and cupsole sneakers. Vibram, Dainite, leather, or plantation rubber — matched to how the shoe was built.
Top lifts, heel blocks, stacked heel rebuilds, shank repair, heel linings. Wobbling heels are a 20-minute fix most of the time.
Deep clean, midsole repaint, heel tab repair, stitching, sole re-glue and swaps on Common Projects, Jordans, Sambas, and everything between.
Torn seams, split welts, toe caps, elastic, and patches. We sew — not glue — wherever the original was sewn.
Scuff removal, edge dressing, full recolors on calfskin and suede, patina blending. We finish by hand with Saphir products.
Heritage and sentimental pairs: re-welting, lining work, hardware, recolor, and refinishing. Documented with photos before, during, and after.
Prices are for standard jobs; anything unusual gets a photo quote before we start. No deposit for jobs under $150.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Soles & heels | |
| Half sole, leather or rubber (dress shoes) | $79–105 |
| Full resole, Goodyear welt incl. cork & finish | $119–165 |
| Full resole with Dainite or Vibram | $135–185 |
| Cupsole replacement (sneakers) | $89–120 |
| Top lifts (pair) | $24 |
| Heel block rebuild (pair) | $48–70 |
| Sole protector, thin Topy (pair) | $38 |
| Uppers & stitching | |
| Spot stitching, per seam | $18–32 |
| Zipper replacement (boots) | $52–75 |
| Elastic / heel grip lining | $28 |
| Patch, tongue, or toe cap repair | $35–60 |
| Color, care & sneakers | |
| Deep clean & condition | $42 |
| Scuff & edge repair with polish | $32 |
| Full recolor, calfskin | $95–150 |
| Suede / nubuck revival | $59 |
| Sneaker deep clean (pair) | $59 |
| Midsole repaint (white, pair) | $45 |
| Mirror shine, toecap | $36 |
| Stretching, one width (pair) | $22 |
| Mail-in & extras | |
| Return shipping, flat, insured | $14 |
| Shoe trees, cedar, made to last | $58 |
| Full restoration (quoted per pair) | from $210 |
| Local pickup within 78704 on jobs over $120 — ask when you book. | |
Email three photos — both sides and the worst angle. We quote within one business day. Or just come by; the kettle's usually on.
Nothing starts until you say go. If we find something else once the shoe is opened up, we stop and call first.
Standard repairs 3–7 days, resoles 5–9, restorations 4–6 weeks. We text you if anything slips more than a day.
Free storage for 30 days. Insured return shipping is $14 flat, packed with shoe bags and cedar savers.
From Google and Yelp. We reply to the rough ones too — that's the ones worth reading.
Sent my ten-year-old Park Avenues here after the heels finally gave out. New soles, edge dressing, they even re-laced them. $120 and they look better than when I bought them.
Sal told me a $60 dye job would not fix my boots and sold me a $32 polish instead. Could have upsold me blind. This is the shop.
Mailed in a pair of white sneakers from Chicago expecting 'cleaner'. They came back looking new. Packaging alone was nicer than most things I order.
Great work on a full resole of my Iron Rangers. Took two days longer than promised, hence four stars, but the finish is genuinely better than factory.
Fair. October ate us alive — we've since started texting delays the day they happen. Thanks for the nudge.
Heel tips replaced while I had a coffee next door. $24. Last place wanted three days for it.
They restored my father's 1970s loafers. I cried in the shop, which was embarrassing, but they acted like it happens every week. It might.
Sneaker midsole repaint held up through a whole Austin summer. I checked. Repeatedly.
Quoted me $18 to fix a seam another shop wanted $70 to 'replace the panel'. Honest people.
Alden · Allen Edmonds · Birkenstock · Common Projects · Crockett & Jones · Gucci · Louboutin · New Balance · Red Wing · Santoni · Timberland · Viberg — if it's stitched, we can probably work on it.
Learned the trade from his uncle in Naples, spent six years at a repair shop in Florence before opening on South Congress in 2009. Does all the Goodyear welting and the fussy restorations.
Ten years in boot manufacturing before joining in 2016. If it has a lug sole, a shank, or a story, it goes to Dane. Also keeps the grinder honest.
Trained in leather finishing. Runs dye work, patina, sneaker restorations, and the Instagram. Will tell you when recoloring is a bad idea, which is often.
It welds the leather into a hard lump and kills the next repair. We stitch, and when we glue, we use the right cement and clamp overnight. Slower. Works.
Thin layers, water, cotton, patience. We published our exact routine because a shine you did yourself is worth more than one you paid for.
Cracked welt, rotten lining, structurally tired uppers — sometimes the honest quote is a new pair. We give that quote about once a week and sleep fine.
Both, plus boots, heels, loafers, and the occasional roller skate. Sneakers are about a third of the bench now — deep cleans, midsole repaints, sole swaps, and stitching.
We can refinish worn red soles with a durable lacquer in the same register, but we don't claim factory-perfect matching and we'll show you photos before committing. Nobody honest does.
Email photos for a quote, ship the pair to the shop address with your name inside the box, we confirm on arrival, do the work, and ship back insured for $14 flat. Turnaround is the same as walk-ins.
Anything we did: stitching, soles, heels, dye, glue lines. If our work fails inside 90 days, we redo it free. Ordinary wear and dogs are on you.
Stretching yes, one width per pass. For orthopedic builds we work from your podiatrist's spec and quote after seeing it — usually $95–140.
Usually, yes. Cupsole and Blake constructions get their own treatment and we'll tell you which parts won't survive a second round.
Cedar shoe trees, laces, Saphir care kits, and shoe bags at the counter. We're a repair shop first; nothing is commissioned sales.
Saturdays, barely. There's a paid lot behind the building and two-hour street spots on Johanna. Weekday mornings are easy.
1206 South Congress Ave, Suite 4
Austin, TX 78704
Ring the bell marked "NOVAROS" — we're up the stairs.
+1 (512) 555-0142
quote@novaros.xyz
| Monday–Friday | 9:00–18:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00–16:00 |
| Sat lunch | 13:00–14:00 (bench stops, counter open) |
| Sunday | closed |
Mail-in packages: USPS/FedEx/UPS all deliver here. Include your name and email inside the box.