Best of Arlington 2014
Best of the Rest
Best Shoe Repair
Sam Torrey Shoe Service
Lyon Park resident Karen Ledwin had nearly given up hope on the hole-y green cowboy boots she bought 14 years ago in Santa Fe. But she wasn’t ready to part with them. On a long shot, she took them to Kevork Tchalekian, owner of Sam Torrey Shoe Service, who somehow resurrected them.
“I don’t know how he managed to maintain their size,” says Ledwin, who organizes travel excursions for a living. “But they’re still made for walking today.”
From fixing zippers to rescuing damaged heels, this leather-scented workshop has been performing minor miracles at affordable prices since 1945, when the original owner, Sam Torragrosa, shortened his name to Torrey for branding purposes. Now Tcha-lekian is carrying on the legacy.
“We’re an old-school, full-service shop,” says Tchalekian, an Armenian immigrant who bought the store with his father in 1986. He and his six employees do all repairs on-site. “People are shocked at how busy we are.” –A.B.W.
5267 Lee Highway, Arlington, 703-532-4933, www.shoerepairarlingtonva.com/
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