Sabah — Local services in New York

I love my Sabah shoes. I also love this New York boutique. Super cute and feels like I’m walking into someone’s flat. The shoes are comfortable. And customer service is great. They actually recommended the wrong size in the store and over email did an exchange. I appreciated this. I would give them 5 stars. Except: the shoes cannot be easily resoled and the soles last about a month. The material on the soles is cheap and wear quickly through to the leather. I’m not exaggerating when I say one month. I took them to get resoled and my cobbler was able to get a new heel on there, but he wouldn’t do a full sole because the way Sabah shoes are made, the stitching is too close to the bottom of the shoe. He would have ground into the stitching while removing the first sole. I’m so sad about this b/c I really want to wear these shoes longer and I prefer to resole rather than buying a new pair every couple months - too expensive! I hope Sabah reads this and looks into the material...

The Sabah House is hard to find – unless you know it’s there. Pass through the glass-enclosed, plant-filled entry and find yourself in a salon of shoes.

There is a well-lit wood floored gallery where Sabahs are displayed in a variety of hues and materials. There is a small bar for refreshment - and benches for trying as many as you like. The shoes are $200 with leather made to last. However the soles are rubber, and so the seller offers (and recommends) re-soling for $20 as the shoes age - to keep them in great condition.

There is also a second area of the House that is 100% there for you to live and lounge in, with comfortable seating and a bookcase and even a guitar. Snacks and drinks are offered, and you can take your time considering styles or just get to know the shopkeep before you head back into the East Village.

The shopping experience is relaxed. You’ll be treated as a customer but first of...

The store itself is a really nice spot, and everyone is very helpful. Buying in person is good because there is some variance in size -- I tried on a few pairs within the same size until I found one that fit well. I love the shoes; very comfortable and I feel like I can wear them with a huge range of outfits. However, after 7 weeks of fairly irregular wear the rubber is beginning to separate from the leather sole on the toe of both shoes, and rubber on the heel is worn through. Maybe the heel wear is due to my gait -- but the rubber sole falling off the leather in less than 2 months is a manufacturing issue. As Sabah notes, a cobbler can easily fix this - but it's frustrating that it needs to be done so soon. I'm hoping I just got a bad apple, as I am a big fan of the...