I discovered a new alteration shop in Montecito Plaza in San Rafael. This small shop is located around the corner from US Bank towards the canal. This is a woman owned family business. They are a mother and daughter team. Ala is the mom and Sofia is the daughter. They are from Moldova, a small Eastern European country. The prices are almost as great as the work. I was so happy with the way they altered my summer dress. I've since returned to alter two more items. I love to support small businesses and since I am very petite, I've always got something that needs alterations. They take great pride in their work and are in high demand. Expect to wait up to 2 weeks for your clothes. I'm so thrilled to have found them! read more

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Incredible work and excellent customer service! Ala and her daughter are local treasures. I absolutely trust them with my client's most valuable items. read more

Was sent there by the Montecito Cleaners and what a great find. High quality work, good value and parking. Will go back again.

Amazing attention to detail on occasion dresses and any other garments. Attention to details.

Ala has named her business "excellent" for a reason! She has great sewing and tailoring skills plus her demeanor is wonderful and kind. Where can you find a skilled tailor in this day and age? Go straight to this business! read more

I can't say enough amazing things about Ala's work. She had only a few weeks to do all the alterations on my wedding dress, and she pulled it off flawlessly. Ala transformed my dress into a stunning mermaid silhouette, added a full bustle, tailored the gloves, took it in, and even removed a layer underneath -- all with incredible precision. Not only was everything done on time, but Ala's professionalism, skill, and attention to detail were unmatched. She truly brought my vision to life and made me feel amazing on my wedding day. If you're looking for someone who can work magic under pressure and deliver perfection, Ala is the one! read more

It's been a long time since since I needed anything altered. I'd been here years ago & the gentleman did good work. Recently, I needed a pair of corduroy pants shortened. The pinning process was efficient & Ala, the new owner did nice work. Ready when expected & fit perfectly. I'll be back. read more

I have used this shop for many years and have always been satisfied. Earlier this month I took in a sport coat to get the sleeves shortened. The gentleman who had always been there was not. The woman I spoke with had told me that he had passed away and the business was now hers. I figured her work would be as good as his was. I was wrong. The sport coat had working cuffs. Which is to say four working buttons on each sleeve. I left the coat and when I picked it up the following week the button holes were gone. I pointed this out and she told me that's the way the coat was when I brought it in. I told her she was mistaken and she insisted that she was not. She told me she had not touched the buttons and had shortened the sleeves at the shoulder seems. Rubbish! I took out my phone and opened the Gieves & Hawkes of Saville Row website. I pulled up the coat and showed it to her. I enlarged the photo of the sleeves that clearly showed the button holes. Then I clicked the "details" link on the page and pointed out where it said, "working cuffs." She continued to deny that the coat had working cuffs in spite of the evidence I'd shown her. I told her I was unhappy with what she'd done. I said that if she'd been transparent with me from the start and admitted that the job was beyond her skill set I would have gone elsewhere. She took a project that was beyond her ability and refused to admit it even after seeing the coat on the website of the shop where it was purchased. I've worn suits and sport coats for all of my adult life and pay close attention to the details of my clothing. I left her a sport coat with working cuffs and that is not what I got back. I paid her for her labor and left. The gentleman who used to own that shop was a trained tailor. It's clear that she is not as this was a job any tailor could handle. I've been shopping at the Montecito Center since 1982 and will continue to do so. But not at her shop. read more

I had my suit altered here for my daughter's wedding. Had a great experience. Ala did a very good job.

Montecito Alterations ALa provided excellent alterations, which were quickly done with a smile. read more

I took a pair of pants to be hemmed and was so impressed with not only the friendly service, but the very talented and knowledgeable seamstresses. Plus pricing is competitive and quite fair. I definitely felt like I got my money's worth in that the pants are perfect now. I highly recommend Excellent Alterations. You will not be disappointed! read more

What an incredible business! Wonderful customer service that goes above and beyond. I felt so taken care of and was so relieved to have found this place. I didn't think my broken button could be fixed but to my disbelief my beautiful skirt was as good as new thanks to Ala! And I was shocked at how reasonable the pricing was! Would recommend 10/10. There really are a shortage of businesses like this these days. Thank you again Montecito Excellent Alterations! read more

I never went under the prior owner but Ala and her daughter are exceptional. Great service and skilled alterations. I wish them much success in their new business! read more

I had the best experience here! Very quick turnaround and such a great detailed alteration! Thank you! read more

Very good quality. Ala helped fixing my jacket. Would recommend to anyone. She took care of everything I requested.

Five star review for honesty! Had a zipper problem that could have cost a lot but the proprietress suggested an alternative place to go that would save me money. But I'll be back with other items in the future as a trustworthy business person can be hard to find. Thank you! (Written by wife of Steve) read more

I recently heard that the alterations store opened under a new owner. I had a dress that needed to be hemmed for an upcoming wedding. I'm very happy how the dress turned out. Will definitely be back. read more

Amazing he took in 3 pairs of pants - beautifully done ! Will def be back also great value read more

Skilled, precise and timely are some words I would use to describe Kabir. From hemming pants to fixing a child's Halloween costume, everything gets completed in a timely fashion with zero mishaps. read more

I came to have my slacks and button up for my wedding altered here. Kabir did an amazing job and within the time span I needed them by. My pants and shirt look flawless as if they were never even altered. He made them shorter and gave my slacks the skinny fit I desired. The pricing was also reasonable! I'll be coming back here if I have any other alterations from here on out! read more

One of my worst pet peeves is showing up to a business well within business hours only to find them closed with no apparent reason why. If this place can't bother to open their doors during their published business hours, I am sure their lack of professionalism also extends to the quality of their service as well. They don't deserve my money. I recommend taking your business elsewhere to someone more reliable. read more

1. They guy/owner is very unfriendly. 2. They only accept cash and can't bother to put up a sign about it. This is the shop toward the back of Montecito. read more

We've had several things done here including a few easy pant hems and a more complicated job altering motorcycle leather. Very nice quality of work, pretty quick turnaround times, and reasonable prices. read more

I just recently started going here for alterations because I moved from Corte Madera to San Rafael. I feel very fortunate to have found such a great place. I'm extremely particular and detail oriented, especially when it comes to my clothing, most of which are middle to high end designer -they have to fit just right. Excellent Alterations knows how to fit them just right, and does an excellent job through to the finished product. The turn around time is usually quick, within 1 week or less depending on how much I bring in, and the prices are very fair. He gets top marks from me. read more

I took four pair of too-long pants here to be hemmed up based on Yelp reviews and was extremely pleased. They were different styles of casual pants. I was a bit worried that the hem might not match the style of the pants or end up looking odd. You would never be able to tell these pants were altered - they looked "original" and were the perfect length. It was $15 per pants - don't know if that's expensive for tailoring or not (first time I ever took pants to be hemmed), but the end result was great so I didn't think it was bad at all. The shop is small and tucked in a back corner down the "alley" from Pinkey's Pizza so you have to be looking for it to find it. It's worth the effort! read more

I'm very pleased. I brought in a jacket and leather blazer and he did them both perfectly. I'm not sure about how price competitive he is as I don't have tailoring done often. I trusted the reviews here on Yelp and was not let down. read more

I just got a pair of great jeans that fit like a glove but were a bit too long. I didn't want the bottom to look like they were cut off so I'm glad I took them here. They were able to really make it work well and the bottom looked perfect. I just wish I had washed them first because now they shrunk and are a tad bit too short now....oh well, you live, you learn! read more

Always fast and amazing service when I come here. Kabir always makes sure to put time and detail into his work but doesn't overcharge. I know he has a lot of regular customers, which is not a surprise. It's not worth it to overpay for alterations elsewhere when you can pay at a reasonable price here. Does all kinds of alterations and I know he's designed wedding dresses before too. Always recommending him to others. If you're looking for a place to get alterations, look no more! read more

Kabir is an excellent tailor. His work has been consistently great, and his prices are good as well. He also weighs in with ideas for how to accomplish the tailoring goal, sometimes suggesting something that would result in the same end goal, for a lot less money than what I initially suggested. I'll definitely continue to go to Kabir for me tailoring needs! read more

This place is the best! I have had leather jackets that needed to be shortened in the sleeves and pants that needed hemming. Kabir always comes through with a top notch professional job that is completed in a timely manner. If you are looking for a reliable alterations business that completes it's work professionally and is reasonable priced, look no further than Montecito Excellent Alterations read more

Absolutely excellent service and prices!!! Kabir is the best tailor in all of Marine County! He was great on timing and the prices are more than reasonable! I brought a few different pairs of pants here that I needed tailored and Kabir did an amazing job! I used to go to two other tailors closer to my house, but Kabir will be my go to person from now on! read more

This tailor does excellent work! The alterations are always ready when he says they will be. He is the best I've found in Marin County!

I brought my beautiful, too large, shearling coat to Kabir to have it taken in. I needed the body of the coat altered as well as the shoulder area. He did a beautiful job; excellent fit and craftsmanship. A true professional and a reasonably priced. I am now shopping my closet to see what other pieces of my wardrobe that he can help me revive! Thank you Kabir! read more

He is excellent. Good prices, and excellent work. He has tailored many a pair of pants for me over the years, and the work is so good I forget they were ever tailored. He's got great attention to detail and makes small adjustments so that things fit just perfectly. I moved farther away from San Rafael and made the mistake of going somewhere else, and realized I need to just make the drive back here! read more

Wonderful place! His hands work like complete magic. I came in here once, because my friend suggested, with a very expensive evening gown. I wanted the gown to be slimmed and shortened. When receiving my dress back, it was perfect, it didn't even look altered! After that I came here for all my clothing problems. I have full trust in the work he does and am never disappointed. read more

After reading the Yelp reviews, I decided to bring a few pairs of jeans here to have the waist taken in as well as a silk shirt slightly modified (I mean slightly!). I typically go to another seamstress across town who is amazing, the only down side being that she is so good at what she does it takes her longer to get the clothes back to the customer. Anyhow, I thought I would try someone new and I was in more of a hurry this time around. Wow, am I sorry I branched out. Kabir completely botched the job. They looked pathetic. He basically pulled equal amounts of material together on each sides of the waste band in the back of the pant and stitched it together. Awful. It looked like it took him, literally, 5 minutes. The shirt, luckily, turned out fine- thank god it was only 3 small stitches. So in the end, I ended up taking them back to my gal to fix them which or course cost me more time and money in the long run. Oh well, lesson learned. stick with what works! read more