- Can it be fixed?
- Often – if the base of the shoe where the heel sits isn’t cracked or torn.
- Safe to fix yourself?
- No. Super glue won’t hold your weight, and the residue makes a proper repair harder.
- What decides the cost?
- Reattach or replace, heel height and shape, covered or plain heel, and damage to the shoe.
- Mail it in?
- Yes, from anywhere in the US.
- While you wait?
- Some small repairs, yes. Call ahead.
Which problem is it?
Hold the shoe and the broken piece side by side – the break tells you which of these you have.
Heel came off in one piece
The whole heel popped off, often with nails or a screw still sticking out of it or the shoe. If the heel and the base of the shoe are both intact, it may be possible to put the original heel back. Bring the heel with you.
Heel snapped in half
The heel broke across the middle – typical of thin stilettos after a step into a grate or a crack in the sidewalk. A snapped heel can’t safely carry weight again, so it usually needs a new heel, as close as possible to the other shoe.
Heel loose or wobbling
The heel is still on but rocks when you walk, or you hear a creak. Whatever holds it on from inside has loosened, or the base has started to separate. Caught early, this is often a smaller repair than a heel that has come off completely.
Heel cover torn or peeling
The heel is solid, but the leather or plastic wrap around it is gouged, split or peeling, usually from a scrape. This is a heel cover repair, not a broken heel, and it’s worth fixing before the exposed core gets damaged too.
What to do right now.
- Stop walking on it – a heel stub or a wobbling heel can twist your ankle and damage the base of the shoe.
- Put the broken heel, any loose pieces and any nails in a small bag so nothing gets lost.
- Bring or photograph both shoes, so the heel height and shape can be compared.
What not to do.
- Don’t super-glue the heel back on – it won’t hold under your weight, and the glue has to be cleaned off before a proper repair.
- Don’t hammer the old nails back in; they can split the heel or push up through the insole.
- Don’t keep wearing a wobbling heel until it falls off – that’s how a small repair turns into a bigger one.
When it’s not worth repairing.
Some shoes aren’t built to be repaired. If the heel and sole are molded as one plastic piece, there’s no separate heel to replace. If the base under the heel is cracked through, the upper is falling apart, or the pair cost less than a repair, a new pair often makes more sense. Shoes you love with a solid base are usually worth it.
How we fix it.
- We look at the heel, the break and the base of the shoe to see whether the original heel can be used.
- We explain the options and the price before starting – work begins only after you say yes.
- We put the heel back or replace it, keeping the height and shape close to the other shoe. Where the heel cover is damaged, we repair that too.
