Ricardo Villalobos
Second-generation master craftsman and cobbler. Owner of Villalobos Leather Works & Upholstery, serving the DMV.
Ricardo Villalobos is the whole of Villalobos Leather Works & Upholstery, a second-generation master cobbler who makes shoes and rebuilds furniture by hand, one piece at a time.
The trades look different from the outside. A restaurant booth, a boat seat, a car interior, a pair of shoes. But from the bench they are one discipline: read the piece, strip it to the frame, rebuild what's under the surface, then cut, sew, and fit the cover so the seams sit flat and the piece is ready to take the wear.
Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo is a second-generation master craftsman and cobbler. He learned the craft from his father and mother and their fellow El Salvadoran craftsmen, in the family shoe factory where his parents, his brothers, and half a dozen cobblers cut soles, formed, stitched, and finished fine shoes and boots.
By age twelve he was traveling to Central American cities, delivering boots and shoes to clients and bringing materials and new orders back. He especially loved making cowboy boots.
He has been making and repairing footwear in Washington DC since the 1980s: first at Imperial Valet, then in a shop of his own on Calvert Street in Adams Morgan, next to Mama Ayesha's. Ricardo is the owner and the craftsman. When you hear back, it is from the person who does the work.
He works in English and Spanish.
Request a quote“I am taking the liberty of writing you to let you know about a master cobbler who has just opened his business in your neighborhood. For over 20 years Ricardo Villalobos has taken care of our family’s leather articles. He has repaired our shoes, sewn purses and wallets and even made me a pair of evening shoes.”
Albert J. Beveridge III, Washington, DC, introducing Ricardo to a neighbor in 2007
The letter dates from the year Ricardo opened that first shop of his own on Calvert Street. It is reproduced here with his permission, the kind of recommendation no advertisement can buy.
From a customer's letter, 2009“The work is always completed quickly and efficiently, and the quality is such that you can't find the original flaw.”
“I have recommended Ricardo to many people and continue to do so whenever I have the chance. You will not be disappointed!”
Maura L. Dunn, Rockville, Maryland, on custom boots and years of repairs, in a 2009 letter of recommendation
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