Alden Shoe Shop

I’ve only had stellar experiences with Curtis and the crew at Alden NY. I have purchased 4 pairs from the shop over a span of three years, and they have always been courteous, maintained excellent communication, and provided outstanding customer service in the solitary instance when I did have an actual issue.
It’s worth noting here — this is a shoe store that sells Alden shoes — not the company that manufacturers the shoes themselves. A few of these negative reviews are pretty clearly issues people have with the product, and due to wearing the wrong size shoe at that. If you’re of the mindset that having a hand-​crafted, quality piece of footwear made in the United States is a good thing, then drop by the store and take the feedback of their experienced rep’s on what shoes or lasts are best suited for your feet — we’re all different!

Last time I buy shoes from this company and store. I purchased a pair of oxfords from the store and almost immediately the lining started to fall on my foot in the toebox area of the shoe. I brought the shoes back, they sent them back to Alden and repairs were made. I wore the shoes again same problem, sent back to Alden and I received the form letter saying that the shoes were within specification.
So I have a pair of $ 500 shoes I can’t wear. Most companies would exchange the shoes. I’ve have only worn them a hand full of times with my military dress uniform.

bought a $ 600 pair of shoes here awhile back. you would think a $ 600 pair of shoes would be wonderful right? great fit, comfortable, walking on cotton right? so I’m going to try to attach a pic of my bloodied foot. maybe you can see the blackened toenail? what you can’t see is the excruciating pain. Thanks, Alden. Thanks, Alden store shoe guy who clearly did not properly size my shoes. and yes, it is definitely the Alden shoes that caused it.
save your money, my Johnson & Murphy shoes (at least 5 pair) have always been a joy to wear. less than half the price.

I did not have the same experience that other’s have had here.
Moses was quick to help me when I walked in asked about a pair of Alden Indy boots. He helped me try on a few pairs until I got the ones that fit the best — something you definitely want to do on such an expensive purchase.
It is a VERY small store, and there were only two people working. I would agree to some point that a place that sells $ 600 shoes should be better appointed, and that the Allen Edmonds store blows this one out of the water. However the customer service was perfectly adequate and the product is unrivaled.
I would go here if you are looking into getting a pair of Alden shows in NYC.

Shoe makers with a high reputation amongst aficionados.
The store is cramped and the shoes are not even close to Santoni or Lobb.
There is nothing in the environment that makes one want to linger and buy a shoe for $ 500+.

The shoes are great, the service is lacking. Walked in and began looking around. The gentleman behind the counter said «let me know if you need anything» but never anything else. I left shortly thereafter and never felt like he wanted to leave his phone and come help me.

I bought a few pairs of Alden here. I don’t know how to describe this place. The shoes are great because they are Alden shoes, but the experience is usually only okay. It’s a place you go in and come out with shoes. There is not a reason for me to stay around any longer than I need. It has a VERY Madison Avenue vibration. I like Madison Avenue and shop on it occasionally, but I don’t want to buy my shoes from a museum.
I don’t recommend getting your first pair of Alden’s here because you might get a poor fit. I already knew how an Alden shoe has to look and feel on my feet and the salepeople were nice to me. I wished that they were more hands-​on in fitting.
I remember coming across a stranger with nice Aldens and asked where he got them. He told me that he got them at the Alden Shoe Shoppe on Madison Avenue. The issue I had with his shoes was that the eyelets were practically touching eachother across the whole lacing. The shoes were obviously too large. Maybe he was used to sneakers before buying his pair. Some people are used to the roominess of a sneaker, but don’t understand the concept of a proper fit.
I remember when I bought my last pair there, there was a family visiting from Germany. The father was interested in either a Colour # 8 Cordovan monk strap, or a colour #8 cordovan penny loafer. His wife liked the penny loafer, but he liked the monk strap. I don’t know what he purchased, but I told him to go with the monk strap before I left since those are his feet and you should wear what you like. This whole time the saleperson had no real opinion. What I was more disturbed about was how the saleperson was not saying a thing when the German tourist was bending the vamp of the shoe. When I try on shoes, I never bend the shoe, especially if I will not buy the pair, so that the next person trying it on will have a new shoe with no wrinkles. Cordovan retains little signs of previous wear even if it’s a slight bend. They don’t wrinkle, they ripple as I like to call it. I try to be careful.
Anyway, I give this place 4 stars, even though I feel like giving it a 3. The employess are human beings and they did me no wrong, so I give them the benefit. I stop by from time to time, to see what is new, but go away usually empty-​handed. They also sell accessories.

This is the place to buy Alden in NYC. The service isn’t over-​the-​top friendly, but they accommodated my request to try on a couple different styles in two different sizes. I ended up liking a pair, but I had an issue with some discomfort in one of the shoes. They took my number and said they would call when they got a new pair in.
They kept their word and called back. The new pair didn’t have the issue, and I left with a great pair of shoes.
I recommend buying these shoes here rather than at other NYC retailers. Although I haven’t had problems with the shoes I bought, the staff claim that they deal directly with Alden if you do have issues with defects. (Based on my personal experience, you might get the run-​around from other retailers if you do end up buying a defective pair.)

Great Service, Great Experience, Great Guidance
I have been a Ferragamo and Allen Edmunds fan for a long time. After doing some research I found a lot of reviews about Alden shoes and their quality. My wife and I were in NYC and we were walking to Time Square when I saw the Alden store. The very next day we visited the Alden store and were greeted by Ralph.
Ralph took his time and explained the show and was great at finding me the right fit. I went in looking — ended up buying two pairs of shoes. I also like most on this thread received free polish.
As a side note: the after sales support is also great. When I tried on one of my shoes I decided that I was going to wear the shoe that day. In the process the little cloth bags that you use to transport your shoes either dropped out or we left them on the floor. I sent the store an email on Monday morning — promptly received a response — have my bags in Miami two days later.
I am definitely going to be calling these guys again to order shoes and have them shipped.

Great place to get Alden shoes in NYC. The store is small, but how big does it need to be. The service was fine. I got my shoes right away. They took care of me and gave me some free #8 polish as well. If you want Aldens, this is the place to go.

About the product:
I love Alden shoes. The barrie last is the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. The shoes are not cheap, but I believe you get what you pay for. When properly taken care of (and not worn daily) these shoes can last 15+ years.
Alden makes some really good shoes. I’d put the quality a touch above Allen Edmonds (but behind C&J and EG). The style is very american. Many will say their shoes aren’t sleek enough. Its a fair point. If you are looking for a sleeker shoe, you may not want to look at Alden (although I do have a few pairs that I would define as sleek.) I believe that where Alden truly shines is in comfort. If you wake up every morning wishing you could wear your sneakers to work, i’d highly suggest giving Alden’s a try.
They make a bunch of lasts so you will take different sizes with different shoes. For example, I’ll wear 10.5D in their Barrie last, but 12C in their Plaza last.
The shell cordovan leather shoes also will fit a bit differently than their calfskin counterpart.
A word about shell cordovan:
If you can afford it, buy yourself a pair of shell cordovan shoes from your favorite shoe maker (Alden, AE, C&J). This leather is like no other. Once you buy a pair, you may not want to to back to a standard calfskin shoe. The above three shoe makers use Horween (tanned in Chicago) cordovan leather. Nick Horween is a great reference if you have any shell specific questions. Again, I prefer Alden’s shell cordovsn offerings because of their comfortable lasts.
About the store:
I don’t believe this store is owned by Alden, but rather is an independently owned store (similar to Alden of DC, Alden of Carmel, etc)
You will pay full retail prices here. They used to knock of 10% if you asked, but now the best you can do is ship out of state to avoid tax and you might be able to get them to throw in a free pair of shoe trees.
You can walk a couple blocks down and save some money on Alden shoes at brooks brothers during a corporate sale. However, if you need a special size or are looking for more variety/​styles, I’d recommend stopping here. I also find the quality of leather at this store to be better (on average) than the alden shoes at Brooks Brothers or Jcrew. It feels like this store is unwilling to accept anything less than perfect from Alden, whereas Brooks /​Jcrew doesnt even bother opening the boxes to inspect for quality. It is very enjoyable to step into a small independently owned shoe store. Hard to explain in writing.
One thing to watch out for:
There is one older man that works here (owner?) that some people may find cold or unhelpful. However, I have found if you give him a chance he isn’t too bad. The younger guys that work here are friendly and generally (but not overwhelmingly) knowledgable.

My brother who currently lives overseas asked me to look for a specific Alden pair because the country he lives in does not have Alden stores. So I called here to ask the availability. The man answered the phone told me that the shoes were discontinued and hung up without saying anything.
But I knew the style was still available after researching online, so I called back once again. And this time I asked for another sales person because the same man answered the phone, but he said «you just called, why not me? i’m the owner of the store!»…
I ordered the pair from the store in San Francisco. Will never use the Madison store.

Quality Goods: [x]
Quality Customer Service: [x]
The sales attendant saw to me right away, helped me get fitted, and I was out the door in less than 20 minutes. There was absolutely no hassling or having products pushed on me. It helps that I knew what I wanted before I walked in. The store itself is very cool to browse through as well, everything is laid out and labeled neatly on shelves.
If you are buying in store but are from out of state, they will ship your purchase to you for free which allows you to avoid the NY sales tax. Saved me about $ 50. Pretty sweet.

Their shoes are excellent – I have several pair and recommend them to people. I’d prefer to get my Aldens from TheShoeMart in Norwalk, CT than here though as they have a larger selection and seem to be a bit more knowledgeable.

The shoes are obviously top notch. This review, however, is about the service.
A friend was visiting for the weekend and was hoping to invest in a nice pair of Alden shoes. We called around 3:15 on a Sunday to find out what time the shop would be closing — the answer we got was 3:45. Seemed like an odd time but whatever. We immediately hopped in a cab and headed down.
We arrived at the store at 3:35 — 10 minutes before we were told the store would close (my friend knew what he wanted so 10 minutes was more than enough time to check the fit and buy the shoes). Unfortunately the door was locked. We checked the door and it said the shop closed at 4:00. We made eye contact with the owner and he mouthed ‘we’re closed’ and literally shooed us away. WTF is going on? The sign says 4, he said 3:45 over the phone, and he won’t let us in at 3:35?! Wasted $ 15 cab ride…
My friend bought a great pair of Aldens at Brooks Brothers a couple blocks away. I recommend you do the same.

Great customer service, great product. I could never shop here on a regular basis, but the one time I went in the staff were knowledgeable, patient, and all-​around-​cool. No hard sell, no pressure, just great shoes. Recommend if you’re able to make the investment.

My husband loves his Alden Shoes. They are US made, well made, last a really long time and fit him well. My husband has bought shoes from Alden both online, at other stores, and from their SF store. But there was a specific shoe he wanted to see (and buy) so we added the Madison Avenue Alden Shoes to our «shopping in New York» itinerary.
The shop, like the SF branch is small but clean and neat. The two sales men were occupied but neither looked up or said «we’ll be with you shortly,» although to be honest it’s possible one of them did. But we were happy to look around. Perhaps they are used to people who look but never buy.
When my husband had looked around and decide the shoes he thought he wanted were in fact the shoes he wanted he sat down and a salesman did come over soon thereafter. And that’s when things went downhill.
The salesman measured my husband’s foot, and when my husband said «I have several pairs of Alden shoes, I wear a 12D, no matter what I measure» the sales man appeared put off and there was no recognition that «ah ha, I have a somewhat ‘pre-​qualified’ shopper.»
And that’s when it went further downhill.
The salesman apparently misheard (or misunderstood my husband’s request for the «suede cap toes» and brought the wrong shoes. «Sh#%» he said when he noticed. OK, I’m not a prude. I’ve been known to use an expletive or 10; and while I may look younger than my age, I’m clearly a woman of mature age. So you’d think a young salesman who said «sh#%» in front of a customer would apologize; you’d think a young salesman who said «sh#%» in front of a female customer of mature years would fall over himself apologizing. But there wasn’t so much as a look of minor embarrassment.
And that’s when it went further downhill.
Not only did they not have the wrong shoe in the right size, they didn’t have the right shoe in the right size.
Not content to just say «I can order you size» or «I can order your size and have it shipped» we got a combination hard sell and outright lies about some nonsense trying to make us believe we could ONLY get those shoes through him… it made no sense at all.
Suffice to say we bought nothing.
The 2 stars are for the shoes themselves — otherwise it would be a negative star experience.

I just left the store. I had to visit because on my way in from California I ruined a pair of shoes this weekend, and I still have a week left of business meetings in NewYork and Summit. I emailed the store from a meeting five blocks away to check on size availability for a color 8 cordovan monk strap. They emailed back before I finished. Walked over. Met MOSES. He looks more like a Moises than a Moses, but this is New York. Can’t judge a book by its cover. Shoes were ready. Glove fit. Done. Out in twelve minutes. These other Unilocalers who are pi**ing and moaning: What are they talkin’ ’bout? Fugetaboutit. Excellent service. Be a man. Buy your cordovans here.

Aldens are, after all, orthopedic boots — even though they are «on trend» right now, a propper fitting in the right size and last can give me a lifetime propper support for my aching flat feet!
This is why the Alden Shop is the best place for me to get properly fitted for Aldens in NYC. They really undestand the importance of a propper fit and know which lasts will work best for my very flat feet, and unlike other places that now carry Alden — the staff always listens to my very particular needs… and don’t put «looks» over comfort.
I also love how they never preasured me into «pulling the trigger». There’s no sales pitch here, they know the product stands on it’s own. As a matter of fact, they even talked me out of certain models that would not have worked on me.
I really like the staff and the service is always top notch… **but like always, It does help to be familiar with the lasts and the shoe you want*
In my year in NY I have bought Modified, Truebalance, Barrie, Gant and Van lasts and this is the first and last place I always check for Aldens.
I will be moving back to Miami at the end of the summer but the Madison store will remain my «go to place» especially now that I’m familiar with size in the lasts that fit me best and I can order over the phone :-)

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I have bought two pairs of shoes here, one pair recently and another 5 years ago.
My experience 5 years ago was terrible, but only because I allowed the salesman to sell me the wrong size. He measured my foot on the brannock device and he assured me that the cordovan boots I was laying out $ 600 for was exactly my size and they would stretch to become more comfortable. They have remained extremely painful to wear for more than 5 minutes the entire time I’ve owned them. I am going to finally sell them. I suspect that it was the only pair they had in stock and they were just trying to make a sale. Do not listen to the salesman’s advice on fit at this store, it will be a painful and costly mistake.
My second experience was better, but only because I insisted on getting the E width this time, which they happened to have in stock. I would not have given them the business on my second purchase, except for the fact that the boots I wanted are difficult to find.