Zhicay Shoe Repair

The tiny shoes hanging in the window drew me in.  Inside, a couple of bikers, there for leather repairs, exchanged stories, and people streamed in and out for boot stretching, sole & heel jobs, and the other usual sorts of things. Gonzalo Zhicay runs the shop, having bought the business in 2004.  Prior to that he was working in Manhattan, and until 9/11 in the World Trade Center.  It seems like a lot of the stuff in the shop pre-dates Zhicay, like the lovely old machinery and the stained glass frieze at the tops of the windows.  There's a shoeshine chair, still in use, which Zhicay uses with walk-in customers, and to buff up footwear in to be fixed.  I'd take the train all the way from Brooklyn to Ditmars to put my shoes in such good hands.

Zhicay Shoe Repair

23-04 28th Street

Astoria, NY 11105

718-726-1294

M-F 8:00 am to 6:00pm

Sat. 9:00 am to 4:00 pm