Not long ago, a friend of ours bought on sale the knee-high boots of her dreams. Trouble was, they didn't zip up over her calves. Three cobblers and many, many dollars later, the boots still didn't fit right--in fact, all the cheap fixes made them look a little strange. Enter our hero, Byron Valarezo of Cowboy Shoe Repair. Though he charges a tad more than most shoe-repair shops (prices vary on a case-by-case basis), our friend quickly discovered why his loyal clientele of fashionistas and celebrities (Famke Janssen is a regular) call him the "miracle worker": He handed her back boots that not only fit perfectly, but also looked better than new. Specializing in resurrecting vintage boots and shoes from the dead, Valarezo gleefully takes on the kinds of near-impossible challenges that give other cobblers hives. And as our friend learned the hard way, you get what you pay for.