ABOUT HEM OVER HEELS · SINCE 2009
A Small Shop With a Lot of Talent
Hem Over Heels started in Boynton Beach in 2009 with a simple idea: bring together skilled people, treat customers honestly, and do work we can be proud of. Over the years, the shop—and the range of things we can do—has grown considerably. The basic idea hasn't changed.
Local people · Specialized skills · Honest advice
HOW IT STARTED
From Humble Beginnings
Hem Over Heels opened in Boynton Beach in March 2009, founded by husband-and-wife team Josh and Fatima. Fatima was the seamstress. Josh, originally from Montreal and working in South Florida since 1999, handled pretty much everything else.
The timing wasn't exactly ideal. The economy was struggling, the shopping center was new and mostly empty, and there wasn't much money to spare. But customers began finding us, then telling other people about us, and little by little the business grew.
In 2014, Fatima passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was an extremely difficult period personally and for the business, but Josh decided to keep Hem Over Heels going and continue what they had started together.
Today, the little shop they opened in 2009 has grown into an unusual collection of specialized trades under one roof. Some members of the team have been here almost from the beginning. Others arrived much later and brought entirely new skills with them.
HOW WE DO THINGS
Good Work Starts With Honest Advice
We don't believe every repair should be done simply because it can be done. Sometimes an item isn't worth repairing. Sometimes an alteration carries too much risk. And sometimes there is a better solution than the one a customer originally had in mind.
Our job is to look carefully, explain what we see, and give you an honest recommendation—even when that means recommending less work, or no work at all.
Tell You What We Really Think
If we don't believe a job makes sense, we'll say so. We'd rather give you an honest recommendation than take on work we don't believe is worthwhile.
Put the Job in the Right Hands
Different members of our team specialize in different things. When a job requires a particular skill, it goes to the person best suited to do it.
Stand Behind the Work
We're human, and occasionally something won't turn out as expected. If something isn't right, come back and talk to us. Give us the opportunity to make it right.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORK
Meet the Team
Hem Over Heels isn't a one-person operation. Our team brings together different trades, different backgrounds and very different skills. Some have been here almost from the beginning. Others joined us much later and discovered new talents along the way.
OWNER · CO-FOUNDER
Josh
BIO
Josh co-founded Hem Over Heels in 2009 and is still the person ultimately responsible for just about everything that happens here. He's been working in the trade since arriving in South Florida in 1999 and has picked up enough skills along the way to lend a hand in several departments.
He's also very particular about how things are done. His philosophy is simple: give customers an honest answer, put the work in the hands of the right person, and don't take shortcuts just to get a job out the door.
SEAMSTRESS
Cida
pronounced (Sea-Dah)
BIO
Cida was the first employee Hem Over Heels hired back in 2009. She has been part of the shop for nearly its entire history and has helped maintain the standard of alteration work our customers have come to expect.
SEAMSTRESS
Lena
Pronounced (Leh-Nah)
BIO
Lena joined the team in December 2018 and has been holding down the fort ever since. Experienced, dependable and remarkably dedicated, she's exactly the kind of person you want beside you when the shop gets busy.
SHOEMAKER
Joe
BIO
Josh and Joe first worked together back in 1999. They eventually went their separate ways professionally but never completely lost touch. When Joe became available again in 2017, bringing decades of shoemaking experience with him, there wasn't much question about where he belonged.
Joe started learning the trade when he was young and was already repairing shoes by the age of 15. More than four decades later, he’s still learning, still experimenting and still particularly happy when somebody brings him something a little out of the ordinary.
He’s responsible for many of those repairs that make customers stop at the counter and say, “Wow.”
We’d say Joe is nearly perfect, except for the Yankees and Giants thing. Nobody’s perfect.
LEATHER REFINISH
Oksana
BIO
Oksana joined Hem Over Heels in 2025, originally working in customer service while learning alterations. Somewhere along the way, we discovered another talent.
Today she handles our in-house leather refinishing work, including cleaning, color restoration and surface refinishing. Her growing expertise has allowed us to take on projects we wouldn't have imagined doing ourselves a few years ago.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Holly
BIO
Holly is one of the people welcoming you when you come in and helping make sense of whatever you've brought through the door. She's knowledgeable, efficient and very good at keeping things moving.
We've also given her permission to deal with any unruly characters.
So be nice.
SOCIAL MEDIA · TECHNOLOGY
Joe — Tempest Labs
BIO
Joe helps Hem Over Heels with the technology behind the scenes, including social media, promotions, our customer app and IT support through Tempest Labs.
Not everybody who helps keep Hem Over Heels running spends the day behind a sewing machine or a shoe-repair bench.
INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
There's Always Room for Talent
We're not always advertising a specific position, but we're always interested in meeting talented people who could add something to Hem Over Heels.
If you have experience in alterations, shoe repair, leather work, embroidery, customer service—or another skill you think could help our business grow—we'd be happy to hear from you.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF17 YEARS AND COUNTING
Still Doing Things the Same Way
The shop has changed quite a bit since 2009. We've added people, equipment, services and skills we never imagined having when we opened the doors.
What hasn't changed is the way we approach the work: look carefully, tell the truth, and do it right.