Walked in w/ a $20 H&M dress & asked to have the neck taken in.....the dress is pinned & I'm handed a slip for pickup in a few days Well, after we got downstairs, I see the ticket is marked for $40 $40 to alter a $20 dress? No thank you!! Went back up to get the dress & when I told them I definitely wasn't willing to pay that much, the girl said she could have the owner call me the following day ( which would have been a Saturday ) to talk about a discount. Everyone works on the weekends? Not too sure about that...... And I don't think there's a discount big enough to come down to what I was expecting to pay - especially since I recently had another dress w/ the same alteration, at a different place, for WAY less Plus, I didn't want to leave the dress there in case they would have started working on it before I spoke w/ the owner & I would have been stuck w/ the original bill So took the dress & left.......might be nice to talk about price w/ the customer before sending us on our way - but then again, shame on me too for not asking I'll be taking it to the "other" place........ read more

This is a conversation that ensued after I got into the elevator after I finished my initial fitting: DUDE IN ELEVATOR: They do good work. ME: Really? I'm glad to hear that. It's my first time here. I'm nervous. DUDE: Best in the city! You're in good hands. ME: Have you been there? DUDE: Sure have. ME: What have you gotten done? DUDE: Oh everything. What were we talking about? It could be anything without knowing the context. In my head, I was thinking that it kind of sounds like we were discussing plastic surgery. But no. What we were talking about was clothing alterations, so it's clothing surgery. The alteration of clothes requires precision and an understanding or structure and how it should fit on the body. That's why it's important to go to someone who knows what they're doing. Don't go to a back alley surgeon if you want good work done! Conversation continued: DUDE: Shirts, pants, jackets, everything. Hearing all this put me at ease. I came here to get an expensive Marc by Marc Jacobs wool coat resized. It needed to be 2 sizes smaller. Over the past year, I've lost a lot of weight. It's great to get thinner but it sucks that my old clothes don't fit. So in the past few weeks, I've made the resolution that I am going to alter all my favorite clothes to fit me. I have a lot of premium denim and designer pieces so I'm very picky about who I trust my clothes with. I usually go to a place on Market Street but they were closed so I used the Yelp app on my iPhone to find another place since I needed this coat resized ASAP. That's what led me here. First of all, I love the fact that they're open until 6:00. Upon entering the studio, I was impressed with how clean, bright, and neat the place was. They have fitting rooms so you can have some privacy while you change. The seamstress who fitted my coat for me really seemed to know how clothes should fit so I felt at ease trusting her to fix my coat. I needed the coat by a certain date and they were able to accommodate me. I gave them 1 week and 3 days to finish and they finished in time. I paid $55 to get the sides of my coat taken in and the belt resized. They accept credit cards. I also inquired about getting some jeans resized and they told me it's $20 to get the waist taken in, and $20 to get the sides taken in. I recommend this place if you're in need of a nip and a tuck (in clothing of course). My coat came out fantastic. You can't tell that I had anything done to it at all. The seams are perfect. The lining is intact. They really pay attention to the details. They even preserved the care tag on the lining! My coat looks exactly as it did before, just several sizes smaller. I have extremely high standards when it comes to alterations because I'm a fashion student so I pay attention to details such as stitching, linings, and hems. The structure of the underside of your clothes is as important as what you see on the outside. This place meets my high standards and I wouldn't hesitate to bring many more pieces in, whether it be low end or high end. I've gone to tons of alterations places around the city and this is the best that I've found. Seeing as how I'm small and petite, most clothes are a little too big for me off-the-rack, even the smallest sizes. Since discovering this place, I feel like I can shop more freely because if something doesn't fit me and I really love it, I can just bring it here to make it work. 5 stars well earned on my 100th review! read more

I was walking around during my lunch hour trying to find a specific alteration place but couldn't find it so I walked up the street more and ended up finding HB Alterations. I'm glad I couldn't find the other alteration place because this place was great! Hulan was so sweet and nice. I had her hem a pair of expensive jeans for me and they turned out great. It looked exactly the same as when a brought them in (just a bit shorter) and it only cost me 8 bucks AND it was done in a few hours! Hulan also used to work at Bloomingdales in the SF Centre, so I felt comfortable having her hem my jeans. The place is cute and very clean. I am definately going back to her with any alterations that I need! read more

Needed to get a dress hemmed about 5-6 inches and turned around in less than a day. The alterations were impeccable and the length ended up being perfect. I was pretty skeptical that the timing would work out but it did and I was soooo happy. This will be my go-to spot from now on. read more

This is a review for their customer service only: I'm really disappointed in HB Alterations for their extremely poor customer service. I'm shocked by the reviews commending their customer service and how friendly the woman is there, because she's definitely not. I've come twice for their services (hem a dress and fix a slit) and every time she says they can't do it even though other alterations places are capable. I'm okay if they say no, but she was really rude about it and was basically try to shoo me away from the second I got inside. They may be great at alterations, but I'll never know since I won't be coming back. Poor customer service is huge. read more

I purchased a size 10 sample of my dream wedding gown and took it to HB Alterations to have taken down to around a 0/2. They did a beautiful job and at a very reasonable price! I have had a few fittings now, so it a been a process, but their attention to detail and willingness to take just a little a time has ensured that this dress maintains it's integrity but fits me like a glove. This experience could not have been more delightful read more

Had ripped suit pants (at the seam) that I needed fixed. It was't too bad but I expected it would take a few days to get them back. The nice lady took them right away and sewed them right there and then and DIDN'T CHARGE ME!!! It was the nicest thing that happened to me in San Francisco thus far! I was so embarrassed because I had no cash to leave a tip. I managed to find $2 and left it. Will definitely be back with more serious stuff and big tips to make up for this. Many thanks to the nice people at HB Alterations!!! read more

Incredible! I swear they can fix anything. Brought in an expensive coat that I ruined - via jammed zipper into the polyester fabric. The fabric itself wasn't very fixable, so she completely reconstructed the zipper to where the hole was and it looks seamless! So happy with the result. Safe to say I will be bringing all of my garments that need some *TLC* here. Also their pricing is very affordable! Finally a seamstress that can fix anything without charging an arm and a leg. Also, the building seems a little deterring. You must take the elevator to floor "M" and it opens up right to the alterations store. Got a little lost my first time! read more

HB Alterations recently saved my arse - the deadline for ordering my bridesmaid dress for my cousin's wedding was quickly approaching, and I wasn't going to be visiting St. Louis for another month. I showed up at HB on my lunch break and was quickly measured (and twice, for accuracy) for my dress. I then submitted my measurements to the St. Louis dress shop online and voilà! All done. I also brought in a wool coat with a small seam rip and it was mended within a few days. Their space is really tight, making it somewhat awkward, but they do a very nice job on alterations. read more

This place did a fantastic job. I needed to get a pencil skirt and suit pants hemmed, a hook and eye sewn back onto a skirt (which they did for free, score!), and (the real doozy) needed to make a formal dress larger in the rib cage area. I had no time pressures, and the turnaround time was about two weeks. All of the above cost me $95.00, but they did a fantastic job and now everything actually fits. I appreciated that the woman who I worked with (I didn't catch her name, my bad) asked that I try on all of my items before I left the shop when I picked everything up -- she seemed to really care that I was satisfied. I will definitely be bringing all of my alterations here from now on. TIP: Payment is cash only, so keep that in mind! read more

I went in for a quote to trim a dress for my friend's formal graduation dinner. As she was measuring out the dress, she asked if the length was okay and was very pleasant. We measured about an inch trim of the dress. Everything was fine until I asked her for the price - she said $65. I asked if there was a possibility for a reduction in the price, and she said she couldn't do any less than $65 for a bridesmaid dress. I paid $35 for that dress... I explained this was for my friends graduation dinner, and she said "sure, it's chiffon". She quickly took out the pins, threw them to the side then walked off. I can respect people's pricing - didn't appreciate the rude encounter and accusation of lying. read more

Hulan is amazing! I had a leather jacket done and you would never know that it was altered. I bought my jacket too large but couldn't return it since I purchased it on vacation, then Hulan came to the rescue! She also took in a dress for me that turned out beautifully. When I went in to be fitted for my alterations she was very friendly and super helpful as I didn't really know what to have done. Thanks! I'll be back! read more

I brought in a pair of $200 jeans here to get the legs tapered. Just writing that out makes me feel like a dickhead, since I am cheap and hate paying more than $30 for any given clothing item. But the jeans were a gift, and although they were too baggy in the legs, I wanted to have them fitted so I could see what it would be like to have "a nice thing" in my wardrobe. I've never had anything tailored before though, and I've never in my life had expensive jeans, so I was a little nervous about the possible results. When I went in I also brought a pair of my old pants that I liked the fit of for comparison. I paid $20, and then came back one week later to a pair of totally excellent looking, mad-$$$ jeans. I can't even tell that they were tailored - they look like they were originally designed to be skinny-fit. So, great job, A+, would accept more expensive jeans as presents and come in again to have them fitted. (One thing I want to add is that I originally tried to come in on a Saturday, but they weren't open. The elevator wasn't working and no one answered the phone. But I'm not sure if that was some kind of "post-4th of July holiday Saturday" anomaly.) read more

They let out a pair of Ted Baker slacks for me - by 3/4". I didn't try them on when I picked them up, so when I got home I took a look at the seams on the waist, and they looked just like they did the day I bought the slacks. My first thought was "Oh no, they forgot to alter them!" So I tried them on. They fit perfectly. I was just amazed, and took a closer look at the stitching. Ted Bakers have this trim fabric on the inside seams to add a little hidden flair - it's a little strip of bright purple striped fabric on these slacks - and I literally cannot tell where they altered the slacks! Anyway, I assume it's just sort of magic. Go. You won't be disappointed. read more

John, The owner of Torso Vintages, directed me to HB as I needed alterations on a gorgeous 50's coat I bought from him. Hulan and her husband at HB are extremely professional and very accommodating. HB became my tailor as I no longer commuted to my old one in So. City and I AM SO PLEASED! The workmanship is superb. HB has repaired and altered a lot of my clothes. I needed expensive suits altered and they were done to my satisfaction, jeans had to have 4" loped off and they too are done well. Next job is reweaving a couple of cashmere sweaters and repairing a split under the arms of a mink coat. They do it ALL, from jeans to furs, leathers, silks and fabulous gowns!. Oh, I had a really supple lambskin skirt that was 2-3 sizes too big and she altered it to perfection. Plus, she made it look new as she reconditioned the skins and I have a gorgeous skirt that would have cost me several hundred dollars new. Hulan even repaired a mink coat at a really incredible price. Hulan and Bayaraa are wonderful people and I am pleased they do such great work at great prices in a calm and soothing atmosphere that is clean and orderly! Thanks to John of Torso Vintages and HB! ELINOR read more

Worst customer service experience I've had in a long while... My request was very straight forward, take the waist of a summer dress in by about 2 inches. The lady pinned it to how I wanted, and I come back 3 weeks later to find that my dress looks exactly the same. I show the lady that there's a good 2 inches of cloth still there, and she looks at me like I have 3 heads without saying anything. She starts pinning where I'm holding and then goes to the receipt to start marking things. I ask her, "Are you charging me to fix this?" She says, "Yeah, we don't do anything for free." I was in disbelief at this point so I told her not to even bother and that I was going to take my dress as is (most shopkeepers would offer an apology, discount, etc.). She doesn't say a thing, just puts her hand out to take my credit card and charges me $28 for nothing. There was no eye contact since she knew they had messed up, she hands me a receipt and walks away. Will never return. On the bright side, at least they didn't ruin my garment... read more

Hulan is so amazing!! Not only is she a sweet lady but does amazing work. This is my go to to get my jeans hemmed since I am only 5'2, I unfortunately need almost every pair done. I trust her with my cheap forever 21's to my expensive designer jeans.This is also where my boyfriend will go to get work on his clothes done. She's also fixed multiple zippers for me. She is fair with pricing and will get the work done within a couple of days! Bring cash! : ) read more

I came in with a jacket that was way oversized and reversible. Hulan sized me up in about 5 minutes, and told me she could do it. Quoted me. Listened as I told her how important the article of clothing was to me. Picked it up. Shook her hand, gave a ton of thanks. The jacket looks like it was made for me. Amazing craftmanship. I now have a one of a kind item. read more

I was referred to this place by my friend and I have not yer been disappointed. I have dresses altered (taken out), jeans taken in and hemmed, and skirts hemmed. All of her prices are totally reasonable and the clothes have always fit right on the first try. She has also rushed a dress for me within a week when I was desperate to have it for a big event at my job. They have a convenient location if you are downtown and are very nice people. Tip: Bring your own bag when picking up- they have some but they re-use bags that have been brought it. And I always pay in cash. read more

My aunt in Albuquerque passed away and I've been cheating on my diet way too much. What do these two things have to do with each other? Better yet, what do they have to do with HB Alterations? Well glad you asked. Got the news from New Mexico with two day's notice of the funeral. No dark suit slacks in the closet that fit. Yelp search on "same day alterations" yielded HB Alterations at the top of the list, three blocks from my office. Several reviewers said they did same-day so I ran over there. Well, ran is stretching it a bit. Anyway, I dropped off the pants on Wednesday, and picked them up on Thursday two inches roomier. You could never tell these pants were altered. The seam is perfect and looks exactly like it came from the factory. And the price for a 1-day turnaround was very reasonable. I highly recommend this place. Nice people, too. read more

I went to my local dry cleaner and also to a clothier downtown to find someone to sew the torn pockets on my Armani jeans and turn it around in a day. Nobody was up for the task in the time frame I needed. Boo Hoo. Finally, a tailor in one of the shops I went to turned me on to HB Alterations. Not only did I get my pockets taken care of that day, I found a reliable place to take all of my alterations. I've even taken my computer backpack there and had the zipper repaired. Saved me about $100 instead of tossing it and buying another bag! Hulan is from Mongolia and is a super nice person. Chatting with her, it sounds like she used to work in a high end Union Street store doing the same thing, but decided to open a business of her own. I am glad she did. read more

Hulan is AMAZING to say the least! I was referred to her from Joe's Jean. I was so use to getting all my alterations done in NYC, but thought why not - Joe's Jean wouldn't stir me the wrong way. Well they sure sent me to the best tailor I've ever been too! Not only is Hulan the best tailor, she is the sweetest woman, runs a great shop, honest, efficient, always gets the job done when she says can and never ever over charges. Hulan is very affordable and my goodness - a heart of gold! Her smile brightens your day and her team is fabulous! Whenever I meet someone and says "do you know a good tailor" - well you can't shut me up b/c I only know 1 and she is TERRIFIC! She makes me want to go out and buy more jeans b/c she is an artist! read more

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! My husband has this great Hugo boss jacket that tore under a seam while he was passing by a construction site with scaffolding & Hulan (sp?) did an absolutely impeccable job fixing it. Her work was so neat & perfect you really cannot even tell there was ever a horrible jagged tear in his jacket seam. Totally impressed & I would absolutely recommend her work. Happy customers! read more

quick and polite , went straight to the point , true business professionals wish there business the best

These guys are amazing! I was in a pinch and needed a terribly cheap dress altered to look like it was from a different price range. I had 2 days to get it done and the lovely ladies of HB were able to accommodate me, even on such short notice! You can tell they take their work seriously based on the feedback and suggestions they were giving. The quality of their craft is superb. I was really impressed. The place is a little hard to find, since it's sort of between floors in the building. If you get past the locked gate on the stairs, you can enter at the first landing door, which takes you in through a dressing room. Otherwise, you'll need to select floor M to get there. Also, it's valuable to know this place is cash only. Highly recommend these ladies!!! read more

This place did a fantastic job, thank you HB. I needed to get a trench coat and pants hemmed and needed to make a jacket larger at a reasonable price. I really satisfied for their alteration work and everything actually fits now. They are professional, managing and courteous. I will definitely be bringing all of my alterations here from now on, I got the right place! read more

Tl;dr - Ended up with sleeves of different lengths. But at least they're nice people. Just brought in a jacket to get the waist tightened when I mentioned that some of the threads were popping out through the inner liner. Hulan offered to take a look at it at no extra cost. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the jacket turns out! Edit: When I went back the first time they had forgotten to check out the liner and fix the threads that were popping out, so I had to return the next day. When I finally picked up the jacket and took it home, I noticed that one of the sleeves looked slightly off. Grabbed a tape measure and voila! one of the sleeves was 1/4" longer than the other. Sigh. This experience has turned out less troublesome than I would have liked. read more

Very satisfied with the work done on my boyfriend's jeans. They are thorough and quick. One thing that I didn't like was they expect payment in full upfront so for that I knocked off a star. Everything else was perfect :) read more

Ive been coming here for almost 6 months now and i don't know why i didn't come sooner! i had so many clothes that i needed to be altered very carefully because I'm rather really small and i was skeptical to get them fixed so that they would actually fit me but i gave it a shot and stumbled upon this little gem! The staff are so nice and extremely accommodating with your needs regarding the garment and the pricing is really reasonable but the best part is the RESULTS! they are amazing i swear no task is to big or small for them they always nail it perfectly I'm so happy i have such an amazing tailor! My favorite thing about HB Alterations is that they remember every single customer and greet them like family with a big smile on their face, ready to help and have a good time. If your looking for a place to get something tailored or altered this is the place to do it. Thanks guys!! read more

Hulan does original hemming for $18 and regular hemming for $12, both of which are great deals. I've seen cheaper rates at other shops, but Hulan does such a good job that I don't mind paying a few extra bucks for better quality in the end. She doesn't cheat you. For one pair of jeans, I asked for original hemming but she suggest regular to save me a few bucks. (A new hem would've look the same as the original, so she figured it's not worth it.) My jeans have survived several washes are still in great condition. You choose when to pick up your clothes as well. I typically give her one week, and she's delivered on time. You have the option to pay on the day you drop-off or on the day you pick-up your clothes. She's open on Saturdays, which is very convenient. I've only had jeans hemmed here, but if I ever need a blouse, jacket, or dress altered, I would bring them to HB Alterations. read more

HB Alterations is the only place in SF I trust for alterations. I've been a customer for over 10 years. Their work is meticulous and the prices are fair for the quality and care they put in their craft. I once walked in because the button from my coat popped off and they resewed it on the spot for free. They are amazing! read more

I went in on a Thursday around noon with four pairs of pants -- three hems, two with slight waist adjustments, and one seam repair on an old favorite pair of pants. Nothing complicated. Hulan said "when would you like this?" I said "about this time next week, lunchtime." I came back the next Thursday around 11:30 (early, but definitely lunchtime). My stuff wasn't ready. She said she was sorry, they were working on it, when would I like to pick it up? (Well, I would like to pick it up right now, since this is when we agreed upon last week). The next day when I did actually pick it up, the work was fine. Price was on the high side of reasonable -- $70 -- but no discount or even apology for blowing the original agreed-upon pickup time. I'll head back to John the Fashion Tailor in Oakland next time I need tailoring. If HB had had less than a week, or I were asking for something complex, maybe I'd be more forgiving, but I didn't appreciate having to trek here three times instead of just two. read more

Visiting here for a repair on a pair of pants was the BEST customer service experiences I've ever had in my life. I take the elevator up to their Mezzanine floor and enter their cute bright shop. I'm greeted by a lovely woman who takes my pants and asks me to take a seat. In no less than 5 minutes she comes back with my pants (needed a minor repair at the waistband), smiles and says, "Here you go, thank you". When I asked if I could pay her, so said, "No- it was just a little piece of fabric". I couldn't believe it. I've never been there, not a repeat costumer that has brought in a lot of business. And in the heart of Union Square they're so busy. I'm in love. You will be too! Thank you HB Alterations- you have a customer for life! read more

I've been looking for a new tailor ever since mine retired. I saw all the good reviews on HB, so I tried them out. Unfortunately, this place is horrible. Let me clarify, if you're looking for work that could be done at your neighborhood dry cleaners, this place is fine. They will fix a hem or put on a button - and charge you 4 times more. I needed some serious work done to some women's clothing for work. Dresses and a couple of suit jackets. They were pinned and marked, but when I came back, only a quarter of it was actually done correctly. So we pinned the other 75% again and I waited 2 more weeks and came back... it was better but still not right. My bill was $550 CASH ONLY!! I got the items home and looked at the stitching. It was uneven and messy looking. Seams weren't straight, stitching was haphazard at best. I don't know when this place got all of these rave reviews, but I will never be back. Parking is horrid, prices are outrageous, and NOTHING is done with any pride of workmanship. Save yourself the trouble and let your local dry cleaner screw up your clothes. By the way, does anyone know of a good Tailor? I'm in desperate need! read more

This place is so good its ridiculous. I've brought several items here. You can never tell the item was altered because their work looks identical to the manufacturing. I've recently moved to San Diego and took a few items to the 'best' tailor I could find in the area. The work was decent but total crap compared to Hulan, and he charged about twice the price! Overall, expect amazing craftsmanship at a really fair price from HB. read more

Excellent all round from service to workmanship. The stitching on the pants I got hemmed looked better than on the original.

My go to spot for alterations. It's a little pricey but you get what you pay for and they've always delivered on quality.

This was my go to place for alterations while I used to work downtown, and today I made the trip into the city when I saw they were open. Always great service, quality alterations and reasonable prices, especially considering how many pairs of jeans I take in to get hemmed. Glad to support this small business! read more

They did a great job with a couple of repairs - replace a zipper, hems, a tricky button. They also gave me a free mask (with filter insert).

An example of professional work and super friendly service! I had a leather jacket need to be fixed and Hulan (tailor) did a fantastic job! Very clean and perfect. Highly recommend this Alteration to all "Leather-fans"! Thanks again! read more