There are only one or two decent seamstresses in Newtownards and as far as I'm concerned the lady…read morewho owns Stitch-in Time is the best. A friend's mum recommended her to me, she advised me to take my slightly torn and ripped clothes here for mending. In these hard times it's better to repair than chuck away I find. The downstairs area of the shop seems to be quite massive with two ornate sofas below the window. Upon these sofas sit her two glorious little dogs. There seems to be no need for all the space downstairs as the lady takes your stuff upstairs or out the back. The prices are reasonable and the speed of mending is fast, just a couple of days or quicker if you are in a hurry. I bought a top, which I really loved, from Primark. I successfully caught it on a nail and it needed mending and it cost £5.00, which was the same price as the top in the first place - might seem silly but I loved that top. The rip she mended was quite big but it was totally invisible when I collected the top - she does a really good job!

I first heard of the Zip Yard because a man on a bright yellow bike nearly knocked me down in…read moreBelfast city center. He was handing out leaflets about a place called The Zip Yard and I was immediately intrigued. I hate our throwaway society and think who ever came up with this idea is an amazing person. Everyone has a broken zip or a rip that they actually can't mend themselves or haven't got round to it. The Zip Yard is the answer. Just take your injured clothing into your local franchise store and they will do all they can for you. You can use the express service for minor jobs such as zips or minor repairs or they will amend dresses or even curtains for a few quid and in only a few days. You can go behind the curtains and get get fitted by the ladies who work there. In the Newtownards branch there is a very friendly man who will talk you through whatever needs done. I bought in an old curtain to get converted into a roof storage compartment for my van - he quoted me £20 which I thought was really reasonable and said it would take a few days. I was very impressed and will get back to him soon. Great for rips and repairs - a wonderful idea!

Brought in a coat with a broken zipper. They replaced it and had it ready for me the next day!read more

This is a great find! I had bought a coat 2 years ago it was unworn it had lay in the wardrobe as…read moreit no longer fitted me. I was about to sell it on ebay. I took it to "Tip" the owner who told me she could get the exact material of the coat and alter it to fit me. I was amazed, I didn't think this was possible. "Tip" went out of her way to find the material, the exact match, and she made a fantastic job of my coat. I was thrilled with the results the coat was absolutely perfect. "Tip" is a lovely lady, very professional who will go out of her way to make sure you are happy with her work. Go to no-one else with your alterations, I can highly recommend this place, you will not be disappointed!

From the owner: We specialise in tailoring your cloths to fit you perfectly. Our aim is to make you look good, feel…read moremore comfortable and confident. We specialise in wedding dress and formal attire, curtains, blinds and general alterations. We can work with a full spectrum of materials from fine silks to heavy leather. We also provide an ironing service, leave your cloths with us & we'll ensure you are dressed to impress.

Every girl needs a good seamstress that she can trust. I'm a firm believer in having clothes…read morealtered so that they fit you perfectly, and Zips and Rips is where I take mine. Over Christmas, I left in two dresses. Being measured took no time at all, they made a note of what I wanted done, and didn't take too long (given that it was Christmas and therefore insanely busy everywhere!) to finish the job. I was thrilled with the results too. They took two dresses that were good and made them great, and I feel fantastic in them! I have no problem recommending these guys, since I trust them completely.

There's a lovely little selection of vintage clothes in the window of Threads, including, when I…read morewent in, a striking coppery/brown sequinned dress and nice shoes and accessories. In addition to sewing alterations there is a curtain making service for whic I was quoted a charge of £30 per curtain width. You'll probably need two widths per curtain, though might manage to make them a width and a half for a smaller window. I received a good impression of Threads from the girl in the shop when I went in to enquire who was friendly and helpful so if I ever do manage to get some curtains made (I've been humming and ha-ing about this for about three years) I will certainly return to make a further enquiry.

Total life savers. Needed a dress for a wedding taken in and they did a fabulous job for me…read more Also just so lovely and beyond helpful. Really friendly and professional service.Will definitely use again and again.Thank you.

This is one of, if not the most established dry cleaners in Bangor and has an amazing reputation…read more They have been up and running for around 20years and recently moved to this location from its long term home in Bloomfield Shopping Centre. This place really is a one stop shop for dry cleaning, key cutting, engraving, curtains, duvets, shoe repair, alterations, ironing service and a carpet cleaner for hire. I've had to get my shoes fixed or a key cut a few times and have always been given a good, friendly service at a good price. Top Stuff.

Marlowe Cleaners is a good old fashioned dry cleaners, not the type like in Eastenders where you…read moreoperate the machines by yourself but more of a commercial cleaners. They have been established for years and years but have only recently moved to their swanky location on the Balloo Road. This location makes Marlowe dry cleaners even more convenient. I recently left a suit in to be dry cleaned and was in and out in no time. You can literally park at the door and there is now a cash machine in the neighbouring Centra so you can pop in there grab some cash a pick up your clean clothes from Marlowe. The service is rapid and the staff are excellent, really well organised and polite, they always have your garments to hand on collection.

I have used this shop several times to get dresses adjusted for upcoming weddings or special…read moreoccasions. The girls who work there are lovely and always very helpful. I have always been very happy with their work and would highly recommend them.

Loving the Zip Yard! These ladies have come to my rescue many many times and kudos to them for it…read more The Zip Yard is run as a franchise business and the Belmont Road branch is really good. Take them any kind of alteration and they'll have it done in a day or two and done really well. They can do pretty much anything and will take your garments from you either already pinned or will take you into the chainging room and pin you into your dress or whatever to make sure that the measurements are exactly right. I had a formal dress altered in this way and it turned out perfect - fitted exactly and the stitching was billiant. They have also done a small job for me free of charge which I thought was fab. Ladies of the Zip Yard, I salute you.

I found the Belmont Road Zip Yard by recommendation of another sewing company, Ritefit, who…read morecouldn't do the repair by the time I needed it but were kind enough to suggest the Zip Yard instead. I'd already been told about the merits of the Zip Yard by another friend so the company should congratulate themselves on how well they are going down with all and sundry, mostly women who need this sort of service. All I can do here is join the chorus of previous recommendations. The job I required was new zip to be put into a skirt that I'd bought with a broken one for £3.00 in a New Look sale. True to their word, the Zip Yard had the skirt ready for me on the day they said they would. It cost £7.00, so I ended up getting a nice skirt for £10.00 in the end. Good result.

Great products. Great service…read more Have worked with there guys for years. Always very helpful and communicate well. They have a show room where you can try on items. Lots of choice in custom wear. Also a customer fancy coffee machine. Could not recommend them highly enough.

It is all about getting a holiday T-shirt printed. Say you are off to Benidorm and you want…read moreeveryone to know who you are with, what your nickname is and your favourite number. The best way to do all this is to get a T-shirt printed and the place to do get this done is Sports Crest. They will embroider even the craziest nicknames, Chopper number 10, Wee Man number 8 and Big Chief number 1 are all T-shirts that can be conceived at Sports Crest. They even offer different styles of tops. The traditional Polo that lets you can pop your collar when group of girls walk past or perhaps a vest to show off the guns you've been working on for the last 2 months before your holiday. Whatever your printing need Sports Crest are the company to do it. They will generally offer competitive printing and embroidery that will not start peeling off like your holiday tan. They also offer bulk commercial printing for employers and sports teams. They offer polo shorts for as little as £9.10 an item. So you if you want a Holiday memento or a professional looking team, look no further than Sport Crest.