There aren’t many cobblers in Kuala Lumpur who are able to mend leather shoes. I did a search and found two with good reviews based in Petaling Jaya. I ended up at Little Bubble Hut because they open every day and I was able to send pics of my shoe and get a quotation fast.
My ECCO leather boots is the most comfy leather shoe that I’ve been using whenever I travel to UK/ Europe. Mine is the ECCO Aarhus Ankle Boots in suede leather, super comfy thanks to the buttery soft suede leather and protects well from the cold. I bought my pair of ECCO boots in early 2016 on sale (£60 after 50% off) from a shop in Glasgow, used it on that trip and have since used it on two more trips to UK/Europe.
Unfortunately after clocking hundreds of kilometers through all sorts of terrains, the rubber sole of the shoe started splitting and separating. And the heel had been worn down. Before I left for the most recent trip to the UK, I got a cobbler near my parent’s place to help mend the sole by gluing it. Was told it was only a temporary fix and while I was in Ireland I tried asking another shop to help glue it again because it was coming off again. They glued it but didn’t charge me for it because the glue wasn’t gonna hold for long. If you’re in Dublin, this is the shop I went to: Italian Heel Bar.
So long story short, I wasn’t ready to part ways with my trusty boots hence I searched for a cobbler in KL who was able to resole the shoe and give it a few more years of use.
Decided to contact Little Bubble Hut and see if they could fix it. Contacted them on FB first but my photos were not getting through so Mr. Yip asked me to Whatsapp him the pics. He sent me examples of leather shoes they have resoled before and told me it can be done. Quoted RM120 for the shoe repair and that it would take 2 days from Friday (that’s when they receive their supply of soles).
They sent me a map to the shop located in Starling Mall and it was really easy to find. The simplest way is to just search on Waze for “The Starling Entrance B (basement)”. Dropped off my boots early in the week as I was on leave and paid in cash (no credit/debit card facilities), but don’t worry there are ATM machines just in side the mall next to the shop.
On Saturday Mr. Yip sent me pics of my boots and told me they were ready for collection. Drop off and pick up is really easy, you don’t have to find parking as there is a designated drop off are just in front of their shop in the basement carpark.
Here’s some before pics of my boots (these are the pics I sent to Mr. Yip):
And after repair:
My Thoughts
Overall I’m happy with the end result. It feels solid and well repaired, like my boots have been given a new life. Cost of the repair was RM120.
Workmanship seems great, I noticed they cleaned up the suede also and painted the sole a darker colour. Also the new heel has 3 small nails which I’m totally fine with as I think it would last longer than just glue. 🙂 I can’t comment much about overall quality as I’m not very familiar with shoe stuff but hopefully it holds up well and survives a few more adventures with me. In the recent trip it went through hail storms, hiking through muddy terrains, and 90+ km of walking. haha.
The shop is a corner shop in the basement carpark (B1) of The Starling Mall (the shop itself looks like they focus more on laundry but they certainly do a lot of shoe cleaning, repairs, and restoration). Definitely worth a visit.
Pros:
Consultation & quotation through Whatsapp
Good track record (based on reviews in Google)
Fast service
Conveniently located right next to a drop off/ pick up area (plus it is right next to the entrance of the mall which is where the ATM and the autopay machine is located)
Parking for the 1st hour is free at The Starling
Easy to find if you Waze and enter the basement parking
Friendly staff
Cons:
No credit card/ debit card facility so have to pay in cash
Little Bubble Hut (Google Map)
B1-022 Starling Mall, 6, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Call/ Whatsapp: 017-580 3427 (Mr. Yip)
Opens every day 10am – 10pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bubble-Hut-Shoe-187022121786088/
Website: https://bubblehut-shoe.business.site/
