Melissinos Art -The Poet Sandal Maker

My wife and I are visiting Athens to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary. As a special gift for my wife, we visited Melissinos Art and bought her a pair of custom sandals. The entire process was amazing! The sandal poet gave my wife expert advice on which sandals would best suit her. He also spent considerable time and effort in customizing her sandals. We most strongly recommend visiting Melissinos Arts. In addition to buying custom sandals, you are supporting a special artist who runs a small business that is locally owned.

I went with my daughter, son in law and wife and we had a great time. The staff was extremely nice and the other customers were delightful to hang around with while they made our sandals. The atmosphere was charming and light hearted. Worth a stop for sure. Enjoy! Oh and PS the sandals are great 👍

Trying to reconnect with my past as a young, dreamy ballerina (now in my mid-sixties), I recently returned to the beloved sandal shop of my youth: Melissinos, the Poet Sandal Maker. What great memories! Back then, it was a meeting point for us artists and intellectuals who loved handmade quality sandals, culture, and meaningful conversation. I was delighted to find that its creative energy and timeless charm are still here. I left with a beautiful pair of sandals, crafted with care and character—feeling young once more. A true Athenian gem that continues to honor its remarkable legacy.

Quality custom sandals if you can wait! I got the “aeolian one” style for €150 and was in the store for about 2.25 hours on a Friday afternoon in July. I think the wait depends on how busy the store is and how complex your design is—a woman who came after me got the “doric” design and spent about 1.5 hours—and Melissinos said the store was comparatively not busy at all when we were there. I’d budget 3 hours during tourist season just in case. The aeolian one style is extremely adjustable! It’s actually one long strap that goes between the leather upper and the rubber sole so you can pull any of the criss-crosses tighter or looser as your feet swell over the day. The workers in the store made sure to help me adjust it to fit my foot perfectly before I left. The buckle holes he punched are uneven, but I think it adds to the charm. After you get your sandals, you have to wait 24 hours before you can wear them; I think it’s to let the glue dry. So happy with mine, and I’ve been wearing them everywhere over the last week!

Honestly, these sandals were uncomfortable. They look nice, but are virtually unwearable: Melissino's stamp hurts and the leather cuts into my skin. If you you still want to try these, I'd go for a model that doesn't trap your toe. You'll regret it otherwise, trust me. It's unfortunate, but, I'll go back to buying off the shelf after this.

Months before visiting Athens I decided that when I was here I must have a pair of sandals made by "The Poet Sandal Maker to the Stars" Pantelis Melissinos. Today I had the pleasure of visiting his shop and visiting with the gracious team as they created my custom sandals, which I will cherish forever. A big thank you to ?Coastus (not sure how to spell his name), the young man who did the work on my sandals and to Melissinos Pantelis for sitting with us and making sure everything was perfect from beginning to end. The experience was all I could have hoped for. ❤️

First of all, thank you for your thoughtful response, and even more so for your beautiful poetry! If your store carries your poetry’s collection, I would be honored and happy to purchase it. I think you've misunderstood my point. A shoemaker who bends down to carefully measure a customer's feet and meticulously crafts high-quality shoes certainly possesses professionalism and a sense of service. I have no right to criticize this, and I believe no one else has the right to criticize this either. I'm simply speaking for a prospective consumer who has just developed a desire to buy something and is planning to purchase soon, learning about the product's quality and reputation through customer reviews. Of course, as a prospective consumer, I have no way of discerning whether negative reviews are from your customers or your competitors, let alone whether their reviews are genuine. I can only simply judge whether the customer comments and your attitude and language in responding to them are worth buying from. As a manufacturer, you diligently and personally respond to every customer's review; that alone deserves my respect! I believe you would also apply the same dedication to the shoes. I think it's perhaps because you're a meticulous shoemaker and an artist-poet that your response to negative reviews lacks the slickness of a businessman. Hahaha... Thank you for your reply and your beautiful poems! At the very least, I'll definitely buy and treasure your poetry’s collection if it's available! Thank you again! Furthermore, squatting down to measure a customer's feet and meticulously crafting shoes for them is a noble act of service! Jesus Christ, a carpenter, meticulously measured lumber for his customers and even squatted down to wash his disciples' feet. Even the noble Creator God humbly loves and tenderly serves people. How much more so for us? Thank you again! God bless you!

As one of desired destinations on my trip. I was overly excited to meet a fellow poet (at least he's published) and have him make my shoes. It was fair amount of tourists who arrived. All of them at the time were from the USA like me. One couple from Charlotte, another from San Francisco, and a third from South Carolina. I initially chose the Thebes but was disappointed to know it did not come in my size. Wide feet here. I am Texan right!!! So my second choice was the Olympian. $140 EUR. They were hand made in my presence. I have video. But this site only allow pictures. I took off two stars after spending time with locals who confirmed that the owner has two price lists. One for tourists and another for locals. Tourists pay double. You lose two stars for greed and ruin my experience (owner).