Perry Ercolino-Custom Shoemakers

"The man is a master craftsman who is willing to take on smaller projects if needed. Highly recommended."

"I commissioned a pair of bespoke single monks from Perry Ercolino over the course of 2022. Now in hand for a year, I cherish the shoes as one of my most special possessions and remember the experience fondly. Perry is the real deal in a bait-and-switch world. Most "bespoke" businesses sell a handcrafted fantasy and pawn off the work to anonymous workers in unknown conditions, or offer digital processes in lieu of high-touch attention from experts. With a pair of bespoke shoes with Perry, Perry himself talks to you, measures you, tweaks a pair of lasts with your name on them that will stay in his shop, and ultimately crafts a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes around those lasts. There are not many people in the world who do this, and I'm grateful for this level of craftsmanship being available at all within the northeast corridor. I think people romanticize bespoke work - that it's eye-poppingly expensive but otherwise some sort of magical experience. In truth, it's a pain, the same way that all complex physical projects are a pain. Commissioning bespoke shoes felt oddly similar to managing a boiler replacement for my house. I spent some time feeling aggravated about this, but in retrospect I think it just comes with the territory. Perry drove from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island for the initial 29 Jan 2022 appointment, which coincided with a heinous snowstorm that mostly shut the city down. I paid something extra for this trouble, but the way we negotiated that was clunky and opaque. Schedules slipped and slipped. I traveled to Doylestown in Oct 2022 for the second fitting and loved seeing where the magic happened. The completed shoes finally arrived on 31 Dec 2022. I do wish Perry did more to manage expectations upfront. In working with him, I suggest that you take the lead on clarifying pricing, scope, travel expectations, timelines, and milestone payments, ideally in writing. Also, I suggest not being in a hurry. At the end of the day, it was expensive and occasionally frustrating, but Perry did the hard work and delivered a gorgeous lifetime pair of bespoke shoes. The cost and frustration recede over time; the shoes stick around. A year out, I'm thrilled with the outcome and hope to afford a subsequent pair while Perry is still active."

"Mr E knows leather He did an expert repair of my 40 y/o leather jacket Totally repaired the rip Looks great !"

"Amazing shoes still hand made in the U.S. ! The level of craftsmanship is unbeatable. Beautifully made using traditional techniques, made to last."

"Mr. Ercolino knows what he’s doing and he’s great at it. Among other things, he fixed my favorite bag with barely noticeable stitching, looks good as new and now I know it won’t come off my shoulder ever."