Downtown Shooz

I have been going to Mel’s for ages and always enjoy stopping in to see what he has in stock. Recently I have been on the hunt for a new pair of Sanita clogs so I went in today and sure enough he had some. I bought a great pair of shoes and felt good about supporting a Coolidge Corner local shop.

Anyone who rates Melvin as less than 4 – 5 stars has no heart and doesn’t understand business. If you want to spend $ 20 less but see more of that money go into the pockets of billionaire investors, go to Macy’s. If you want a memorable conversation, a knowledgable shoe salesman, and a unique selection, come shop from Melvin… and know the extra money is going into a real person’s pocket.
Such a little thing, but I was really unhappy today and/​because my wife walked into to buy some rain boots… and I left with a giant smile on my face more than happy to be $ 80 lighter.

The owner Mel is very sweet, but as a shoe store Downtown Shooz is disappointing. First, it’s a small store, and the selection is equally small. With the exception of occasional sales (usually end-​of season, like sandals in September), prices are full suggested retail or sometimes even higher. On one occasion, the owner pulled a bait-​and-​switch on the price of shoes I was buying. On top of that, I have not found service to be particularly great.
One example: I brought a toddler in for new shoes. She was squirmy and didn’t like having her feet measured, so Mel just looked at the size of her current shoes and said to go one size up (I could have done that myself, and saved money by ordering online…). We selected shoes, and settled on a pair that were labeled on the bottom as $ 34. Mel took the display shoe to the back storeroom and brought out the box of shoes in the desired size. The box was marked $ 42. I told him the display shoe said $ 34, and he went and grabbed the display shoe that he had taken into the storeroom, and sure enough the $ 34 sticker was gone. He said, «this shoe doesn’t cost $ 34, I can’t sell it for that little.» I didn’t want to argue so I paid the $ 42. When I got home I looked it up and not only was the particular shoe we bought discontinued (long enough ago that it was not in stock at a single online site or outlet), but the list price appeared to have been $ 34.

Melvin at Downtown Shooz is funny, optimistic, and wonderfully friendly. He gave me constructive feedback on which brands and styles are the best quality. He is also genuinely curious about the customer’s life and well-​being.
The funny thing is that he showed me a letter from the Unilocal corporation that praised him for good customer reviews. He asked me to explain what Unilocal is and I showed him the website and all of his positive reviews. He chuckled happily about his Unilocal page.

I have looked high and low through multiple stores in Boston in search of rainbows. NO where carries them except for this little joint! Randomly stumbled in here by chance trying to help my friend find a pair of flats and was delighted to find rainbow sandals! Mr. Marty was definitely trying to make a sale and tried to convince me to get a size too big but he was friendly, jovial, and even stayed open an extra half hour for us. Easy to walk by but worth taking a second glance!

I took my 5 years old in to see if there’s any shoes that he might like and really had a great experience. Sometimes too many choices drive me crazy because my son can be picky. Shooz has a small but awesome selection. Mel was sweet and helpful. I’m glad we walked in there today. I will be happy to go back and get more shoes for our family.

One of the last few stores in town that still carry sauconys! Also, I’ve been trying in vain for years to find un-​hideous rubber boots. Popped in there, problem solved in ten minutes (yeah, Mel!).

yes, you may be able to find cheaper shoes at larger retailers but then you wouldn’t be supporting your local economy and community. this is a wonderful store and mel is super helpful — he’s ordered shoes he doesn’t regularly carry for me, is always up for a chat and going here is generally always a good experience. if all you care about is getting the cheapest shoe then perhaps shopping in coolidge corner is not for you.

I’ve never bought a pair of shoes here that I didn’t love. More importantly, this is a fantastic little mom and pop shop run by truly kind people. Mel’s the best!

This store is great — I called in looking for a new pair of Rainbow flip flops, which the guy running the place said he did. I went in and before I could say anything he asked if I was looking for Rainbows (maybe that says something about me?). Anyway, the price was right, the selection was pretty broad ranging from flops to Uggs to a variety of dress and casual shoes (mostly leather or leather-​like). I really like supporting mom and pop stores and this is a place that I’ll absolutely give my business to again in the future. The older guy that runs the place was really helpful and I personally enjoyed talking with him while I was in there. I guess the one suggestion I would make is just to call in first and see if he has what you’re looking for before you head down there.

Small store with high quality shoes. I came here needing a pair of black leather (real leather, please!) flats for work that look fashionable but can stand up to galavanting around the city, preferably with a pointed toe. I scored a pair that fit all those criteria for $ 35.00 since they were 50% off on the clearance shelf– that’s what I’m talking about! The soles are solid and they’ve been holding up really well despite my abuse. I’ll be back for some boots!

Love it! Diverse selection and price range. Sets itself apart from other small shoe stores in the area. Bought a pair for work and another for fun. –I also had a nice chat with Mel.

Teeny tiny store with a big selection of shoes. I wanted Uggs and the salesgirl made sure that I knew about and tried the cheaper Ugg-​like boots. She was very helpful and sweet.
Would be 5 stars but it seemed that they were waiting on shipments of just about everything and they didn’t have my or hubby’s size in some of the shoes we were interested in.

I’m not much of a style icon, per se. And unlike most women, I’m not a shoe hound. In fact, I pretty much felt that my Chuck Taylors or flip flops went with everything. I have a few pairs of dressy shoes… but I’ve had that pair of strappy sandals since, I kid you not, when I was an undergrad nearly ten years ago.
Well, those canvas sneakers and flip flops are pretty useless when the mercury levels drop and the snow falls. It’s already too cold to wear my beloved Carolina Blue Chucks without five pairs of socks. So, I needed to seriously amp up my footwear.
Since moving to Boston, I’ve purchased FOUR pairs of boots. Trust me, I always underestimated knee-​high boots until I saw what a temp difference they made for my legs as I walked down the street. TWO pairs of boots came from Downtown Shooz.
Look, I’m not going to lie. Their shoes aren’t cheap. But the brands they carry aren’t cheap. The two pairs of boots I got are priced competitively… even on Zappo’s. My super snow boots, made from North Face, were the same price everywhere. My fake Uggs, which I call «f’uggs,» were also about what I expected them to cost.
The service is hit or miss. The owner guy is nice but the girl needs some prompting. She’s nice once you get her to help you though.
Yeah yeah yeah, I used to write all these very funny reviews about restaurants, bars, schizophrenic people yelling at me, and really awkward dates; and all I ever talk about now is how to buy winter clothes. Well… that’s what’s on the docket these days. One day, someone else will move here from a warm or temperate climate and will be very happy that I cleared the path.

I can’t believe some people rated this place so high. Yes, the owner is really nice. But not nice enough to make me want to pay over $ 20 more than what I could pay at K-​Mart for the same exact shoe! (I’m not kidding. I froogled the shoes when I got home and there they were, gloriously cheap at K-​Mart.)
I really needed a pair of rain boots for the upcoming storm, but they were all cheaply made and overpriced. I really wanted to like this place, but I won’t be back there again.

Love this place! I found out about it because I wanted to buy a new pair of J-​41 brand shoes, and found out from their website that Downtown Shooz carries them.
Then I went to Unilocal and saw that Downtown Shooz got great reviews, so I headed right over there!
The good reviews are well deserved. Great, friendly customer service there, no pressure. I tried on a few pairs of shoes which were really cute but didn’t fit quite right, and nobody pressured me to buy them. In fact, the older geletleman who I think owns the store suggested a different model which I ended up really liking and buying! He is very nice and friendly, as are the other ladies who were working there. Looks like a nice place to work, and it’s definitely a nice place to shop!
I love my shoes and I’ll definitely come back again. They had a good selection of good quality shoes and boots. There is a pair of Frye biker boots calling out my name there…
Update: the shoes I bought, the ones that Mel recommended to me, have been one of my best purchases ever. I have worn and worn and worn them! I’d get a new pair, but they’re still not really worn out yet.

Having worked in retail, I have to give major props to the girl who was manning the store this afternoon by herself. She did an excellent job juggling all of the customers with ease — I wish I’d caught her name so I could give her proper kudos here.
I got the perfect pair of comfy Born sandals and Rainbows for my upcoming vacay — even at full price they were still cheaper than Zappos, plus I got a discount for being a Coolidge Theater member!
All in all, they have a superb selection of comfortable, cute, and stylish shoes and top-​notch customer service — great shopping experience!

The old man working there is the cutest little thing! I was just window shopping because I can’t afford the shoes in the stores, but he was so sweet that I almost bought shoes that I couldn’t afford. He was also telling me about how he sent a pair of shoes to Obama!
Their shoes, while not cheap, are all high quality. Good brands (and I used to work at an online shoe retailer, so I know about shoes!) that will last you a long time.
Next time I’m in the market for some sturdy, expensive shoes, I’ll go to Downtown Shooz!

This place is a must. There is no other place that you can go to in Coolidge Corner where you will be more welcomed. Mel is an amazing man. You can come and go and feel like you have a friend in the shoe biz. We chatted about all the places we each had eaten recently, what restaurants had good deals, ecc.
I got a pair of YellowBox slippers (?) and brought back my Uggs to have them mended or replaced (by the company, for a flaw) Mel said he would call me as soon as he could get something going on them. I like the selection of flats, puma trainers, and heels. I also want to get some rainboots on my next trip — maybe when I pick up my Uggs.
I like to come here to satisfy my shoe needs.

I bought a pair of shoes here that I absolutely adore!
However, I later looked them up online to see if they had them in other colors and realized I could have bought them for $ 30 cheaper online.
I stop in occasionally to check out the new shoes, but I’ve avoided buying any more shoes here because of the markup.
The guy that runs the place is really nice and always seems very appreciative to have your business.