the Cost of Alterations and Mending

I had a coat repaired which had a significant tear. The price included sewing up the tear, making it look as good as it could, and storing it until I was able to pick it up.

I was fairly satisfied with this service. To start, I should say that I was biased toward it; it is a local, family owned business, and I think we all agree that there are few enough of those that we should all support them. It was even within walking distance of my apartment, which is also a selling point to me - I like to conserve energy when possible. Finally, I like to continue to use things when I can rather than throwing them out, so the opportunity to salvage my old coat was attractive to me! I wasn't thrilled with the work the tailor did, though; my coat was made of a synthetic material, and the stitches were clearly visible, because they didn't match the hue or sheen of the natural material. I also wasn't happy that there was little attempt to fit the stitches in in a way that matched the layout of the seams of the pocket. Even so, they held for the remaining life of the coat, so I guess it was satisfactory enough.

I don't really have any tips to offer - you have to try a business like this to know if it's any good. And it was an unorthodox sort of request - the material of a winter coat is hard to work with. When you ask for the unusual, you take what you get.