Many of the casinos have a traditional shoeshine booth, including (but not limited to) Bellagio, Binion's, Circus Circus, Gold Coast, Golden Nugget, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Orleans, Palms, Rio, Riviera, Stratosphere, and Wynn Las Vegas. Typical shoeshines range from $5-$9 per pair, depending on the establishment. Surprisingly, Wynn comes out at the low end ($5-$6/pair), as does Binion's ($4 for shoes, $5 for boots); Mandalay Bay is highest at $8-$9 per.
With all the walking and partying you're likely to do during a Las Vegas vacation, it's also useful to know of a good shoe fixer, just in case disaster strikes. There are lots of repairers around town and it’s worth checking in the Yellow Pages in your room, or online, for the place nearest your hotel (particularly if you're shoeless!). Our personal favorite is Ernie’s Shoe Repair at 5040 Spring Mountain Rd., on the right-hand side, just west of the Decatur intersection.
Like most shoe-repair shops, Ernie’s is pretty dirty and scruffy, but that’s part of the charm. An ancient TV set is always tuned in to some daytime talk show or sporting event, with a few beat-up chairs to sit on if it’s a real emergency and you’re getting repairs done while you wait. The wall above the counter is a gallery of personalized signed photos featuring the likes of Joan Rivers, Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, and the McGuire sisters, and when asked, Ernie confirmed he’d fixed shoes for all of them in his time. But then that’s no big surprise –- the store’s celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year, while Ernie’s been fixing shoes (and boots, and purses, and bags etc.) since he was nine years old (which he doesn’t mind us telling you was a long time ago).
A sign above the counter informs that there’s a $10 surcharge if you’re "grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean" –- Ernie doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but he does fix shoes well, and we like his prices. Be aware that credit cards are not accepted.
Opening hours: Mon.-Tue., Thur.–Sat. 8:30 am–5:30 pm Address: 5040 Spring Mountain Rd. #7 Phone: 702/362-2724
