Jerry is an amazingly nice guy, but not an impressive tailor.
Location:
Jerry's bases his alteration services out of an easy-to-miss storefront called "jeans direct". The crowded, less-than glamorous surroundings make trying on a suit difficult, as the "changing room" is nothing more than an unused nook with a curtain. Further, there's only one full-length mirror in a poorly lit area of the store to see the finished clothes in. The store itself deals with jeans and is sometimes a bit noisy. It's also worth noting that they don't accept credit cards (cash or check only).
Service:
Jerry is a great guy. Probably mid-seventies, with a warm, genuine nature about him. You can tell he wants to help make you look your best. He also offers a "satisfaction guarantee" -- he'll rework the clothes free of charge if you're not happy with what he's done. He was careful as he measured me, and took his time to try to make sure he knew what I wanted.
I was there to get a pair of suit pants hemmed and the sleeves of a sport coat shortened.
Price:
This is where Jerry shines. What could have cost upwards of $50 at other shops cost $23 with "Bellevue tailors". He said he could have the work done in about five days.
Result:
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. For all of Jerry's sweetness and good intentions, his work is less than stellar. Mind you, I'm a fashion aficionado, and I was trusting Jerry with $200 wool suit pants and a similarly expensive J Crew blazer. I was shocked (and a bit upset) when I picked up my jacket and found that it had been stored on a wire hanger. For those that don't know, hanging a blazer on a wire hanger can do real harm to the shoulders of the garment. Most tailors that routinely work with fine clothing would have proper suit hangers on which to store jackets. This (and other factors) gave me the impression that the majority of Jerry's clients were the people already in the store, getting their "Jeans Direct".
To review the work itself: When you look at the bottom of the pants (from about a foot away) the stitches from the hem work are visible on the exterior. Since it's not SUPER noticeable (and because I needed the pants) I accepted that article of clothing without complaint.
I also had problems with the shortening of my Blazer's sleeves -- this time unignorable. You see, Jerry had taken about 1/4-1/2 inch off the sleeves and moved the non-functioning cuff buttons appropriately, but he neglected to trim or shorten the LINING on the coat sleeves. This left extra fabric that would bunch up in the arm and prevent my shirt cuff from extending past my suit cuff. Basically, the error meant that my dress shirts wouldn't fall naturally when using this coat. To his credit, Jerry was happy to rework the jacket for free, but of course that cost extra time and another trip to his shop.
Overall, I give Jerry 5 stars as a person, but only 2 as a tailor. If I need to get some Jeans or casual chinos hemmed, he's my man, but for suits or other finer pieces of clothing, I'll go elsewhere. read more
