Reader report: East Village Shoe Repair relocating to former home of David's Shoe Repair

East Village Shoe Repair closed for good at 1 St. Mark's Place last month.

However, a closure may be short-lived. Proprietor Boris Zuborev told a reader that they would reopen in the space that housed David's Shoe Repair on East Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue… high rents chased the 35-year-old David's to Midtown back in the spring...



As for the former East Village Shoe Repair… next-door neighbor Unique Collection has taken over the space on St. Mark's near Third Avenue...

David's Shoe Repair has left the East Village

As reported earlier, high rents sent David's Shoe Repair packing from its longtime home on East Seventh Street to ... West 35th Street...



Previously on EV Grieve:
For rent sign appears at David's Shoe Repair

For rent sign appears at David's Shoe Repair

Jeremiah and I both noted on Tuesday that a big rent hike is forcing David's Shoe Repair on East Seventh Street to relocate to... Midtown.

A reader noted yesterday that the for rent sign is now up in the front window. Didn't spot a listing for the small space online anywhere just yet. Curious to see what the landlord will be asking here.

David's last day in the East Village is May 31.

High rent forcing David's Shoe Repair to leave the East Village

[Bobby G]

EVG reader Bobby G passes along the sad news that David's Shoe Repair, which has been in the same location on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue for more than 35 years, "is closing and moving to Midtown due to an exorbitant rent increase."

Jeremiah Moss confirmed the move in a post this morning. "The owner says the rent has gone up too high, and he is forced to move out of the neighborhood."

David's last day here is May 31.

Jeremiah has written about the store several times in the past ... noting that we almost lost the shop once in 2008 to a rent hike ... the store was gutted in the fall of 2009, but, to some surprise and relief, the store lived on, with David's grandson taking over the business... which he will now continue from Midtown.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Life with those Yelpers: 'This is one store I wouldn't mind if it ever closed and was replaced with a Starbucks'

Life with those Yelpers: 'This is one store I wouldn't mind if it ever closed and was replaced with a Starbucks'

I recently looked up the number to David's Shoe Repair on Seventh Street. His hours can be a little irregular, so...

Anyway, I get the Yelp listing... and I spotted the two reviews...

The one-star review!

Renee C.
New York, NY
10/27/2008
seriously, what the hell is wrong with this old guy? since this is the closest shoe repair place to my apartment, i head over eagerly with my favorite pair of black boots in tow. i arrive in the store and innocently show him the boots and ask him if they are repairable. the old guy takes one look at my boots (which are admittedly on their last leg, no pun intended) and begins wagging his finger and shouting at me "NO! I SELL BOOTS HERE. $175 DOLLARS. YOU BRING ME JUNK. NOTHING BUT JUNK! GOODBYE!! GET OUT OF HERE!!" completely shocked at this outburst, i reply back "these are expensive boots! i like them," to which he responds "GOODBYE!! GET OUT!! DON'T WASTE MY TIME!" i walked out of the store defeated and teary eyed. really there is no need to yell!

oh and against my advice, my roommate went to this place to see if she could get her shoes repaired and the old guy yelled at her too!!

seriously, i really REALLY hate new yorkers sometimes.

And a two-star review...

margs k.
New York, NY
3/13/2008
I don't like patronizing businesses that treat me poorly or do sloppy work and in this case, both reasons apply for why I won't be returning here with my shoes and bags. I dropped off a purse here with a broken zipper on a Saturday. The guy sort of grunts at me gutterally and tells me to come pick it up on Tuesday. Also, they make you leave a deposit, which isn't typical for this kind of work. I show up on Tuesday and the guy looks confused when I ask him for my bag. He finds it under a pair of boots, obviously not worked on, and tells me to come back the next day. NOT COOL. I don't appreciate having my time wasted. I come back the next day to pick up my bag and not only did I pay $25 for a cheap gold zipper (when the metalwork in my bag was SILVER) but I had to listen to him complain how long it took to do.

This is one store I wouldn't mind if it ever closed and was replaced with a Starbucks.

[Photo via Jeremiah's Vanishing NY]