I've been going to Mr. Carl's for decades. His business has evolved and while he focuses more on men's clothing now I still periodically well taken items. I've been going to Mr. Carl's for decades. His business has evolved and while he focuses more on men's clothing now I still periodically well taken items. read more

Always piles of clothes to repair, but still they figure out a way of fitting in your repairs. Second generation tailor started on Vaughn Street (maybe somewhere else before that), then moved to the west end. read more

He is a very talented tailor. He is usually very busy! His hours aren't the most convenient.

We have had a lot of work completed here over the last 20 plus years and are always satisfied with the quality. Since it's a specialty one person shop with great demand for services it may sometimes take a little longer to get your item finished but it's worth the wait. Fine tailoring is hard to find but you can find it here. read more

Mr. Carl is such a pleasant man, my first interaction was perfect. Dropped off a couple pair of jeans and he was so pleasant, funny perfect customer service. read more

I went to him for years, but found his prices to be fairly expensive and timelines to be very long to get things back. The final straw was when I was promised suit pants for two weeks from that day, and told to be sure to be in by 1pm because they closed on that day at that time. When I showed up at 10am on the promised day, there was a hasty note written on the door that said "Closed early to go to wedding". So my suit pants, which I had hemmed for my son's Christening that day, were behind a locked door after they had been promised to me as long as I arrived prior to 1pm. I had to wear an old suit that didn't fit me well due to this disorganization. I called and left an angry message and received no call back. I finally went back in, got my pants and left, never to return again. read more

I went to Mr. Carl's for the first time yesterday after the bottom snap pulled off on my winter coat. He told me to come back in an hour and it would be fixed... much faster than I was expecting considering how busy he looked! When I came back my coat was ready, snap looked/worked great, and he told me the price was $15. I noticed the sign at the register said no credit card transactions under $25, and unfortunately I only had $10 cash on me. I offered to come back tomorrow to get my coat, but he told me $10 was fine, I got a deal and that I owe him another job... how nice of him! I will definitely be bringing all my future tailoring/repair work to Mr. Carl's and highly recommend this business! read more

Absolutely love this shop! From the customer service, craftsmanship , style and timing .... this place is the best.

I truly don't understand the negative reviews. Rheinold is the best at what he does and maybe the people who complain should truly appreciate how busy he is. I have trusted him for the last 18 years. He is a genuine guy and does great work. And you know what. I pay for great work! read more

Busy time in April and May (due to proms, graduations, and weddings). Brought in a suit for alterations. They did an assessment and markings that day. Returned two weeks later and the fit was perfect!! read more

Unfortunately, despite his charm, friendliness and great work, his service yields this poor review. I brought in a pair of pants to be taken in and was quoted 2 weeks (reasonable, I thought!) but when I went back in two weeks & two days later, they were not finished, but promised to be a few days later. They said they'd call and never did, so I let another 2 weeks go by and they still were not done. Finally, after a month and a week they were finished, but then given to the wrong customer. I decided to chalk it off as a bad experience and try them again...this time recommending them to a friend. This friend dropped her pants off for a new lining and they quoted her a month...well, the same rinse and repeat routine as I experience occurred and 2.5 months later they were finished. If you need something done well, maybe give them a try...but if its quickness and straightforwardness you're after, go to the next guy. read more

I think most people only come to Yelp when they have a negative experience. I work at the Air National Guard base nearby and had pants that I needed done quickly for a wedding. I actually skipped using this tailor initially because of the bad yelp reviews. However, when I asked a co-worker where I should go, he recommended Mr. Carl. With his recommendation I went. The service was great, my pants were ready on time and fit perfectly. I wanted to take the time and tell Yelp that the negative reviews are probably from the typical unhappy sort and all the happy customers never posted. This place is busy and there was at no point not a customer in the shop. that being said, there's only a couple reviews, so it's not a good sample. He is also particularly pro-military. Highly recommend. read more

I had a summer maxi dress and a pair of designer jeans hemmed. I paid $38.00, so it wasn't the cheapest place. Nevertheless, they did a good job and it was ready exactly when they said it'd be. The gregarious gentleman behind the counter made the mistake of asking how my day was going and, of course, I had to tell him about how my parked car had just been backed into an hour earlier. He was a great listener and I felt better upon leaving. I know this little anecdote has nothing to do with anyone's tailoring skills, but I just thought I'd mention it. read more

Quick, easy and dependable. A bit pricey for a simple prom dress hem ($55) but well worth it as there are very few tailors in the area.

Due to some surgery, I have a rather unique tailoring requirement. I have brought several suit coats to Mr. Carls and have found his attention to detail, and customer service, to be excellent. He has taken a great deal of time to ensure that he has the coats altered to his exacting specifications, and has done so without any increase in his original (very reasonable) price quote. As for on-time delivery, I would only say that his shop is very busy, and, absent going the dry cleaner route, he is pretty much the only good tailor around. I also know that in a real pinch, he has come through for me twice. Once when my son needed his dress blues tailored in a hurry, and once with a quick alteration for a wedding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone. read more

Some of the other posts talk of poor customer experience at Carl's. I used many tailors throughout the years including some of the best in Boston. The work here at Carls is very good and thorough. I have had a couple large projects reconstructing sportcoats moving down a size and moving from regular fit to slim fit. Both turned out well, looks very good, with consistent experience. On several occasions I have asked for special requests including expedited turnaround and each time met their commitments. Bottom line: friendly, predictable, and quality service. Recommended. read more

Not only did he do exactly what we asked him to, he did it VERY quickly - he pushed a rush job to be sure my son had pants for a critical baseball trip. Between the rush job, re-doing a pair without being asked and waiting for me to get to the shop after closing, he went OVER AND ABOVE in customer service. I won't go anywhere else. read more

Did a great job expertly repairing a rip in an expensive suit. Despite a busy prom alteration season for them, they completed it on the date promised. read more

I brought in a jacket I needed a zipper replaced on. It took longer than expected however, he needed to order double zippers and it wasn't the simplest sewing job. He did a beautiful job and I'm pleased with the finished result. Mr. Carl does quality work but, just keep in mind time frames given may not be accurate depending on circumstances. read more

Sloppy, poor organization, passive aggressive. Can not recommend despite challenge of finding tailors.

I'm a regular customer. He does good work, provides good advice, is honest, and generally completes the work by the promised date. Now that he has hired staff to help at the front desk and with tailoring, the shop operates more efficiently than several years ago. I try to plan ahead, realizing that alterations or repairs will generally take about two weeks to complete. However, when I really need an item fast, which is a rare event, I have been able to negotiate a quick turnaround. Small independent businesses like this are scarce and should be cherished; we need to understand and tolerate the challenges they encounter with workflow. read more

I've officially used Mr Carl's for the last time. They consistently miss their promise dates. Even on day of pickup, I'll call and be told something will be done at a time and when I show up I have to wait. I don't care for the friendliness, or lack thereof, of the people who work at Mr Carl's. Finally, their work isn't bad but it's not great. They are unable to do original hem for jeans. I'll find a new tailor. read more

Completely satisfied. Retired to the seacoast and tried alterations through two dry cleaners. Terrible results. I was referred to Mr Carl by a friend. This man is a tailor not an alteration person with a sewing machine. I am very fussy about sport and suit coat sleeve lengths and they come out perfect. This is not about alterations, it is about tailoring. My wife had jacket and dress tailored here also with excellent results. read more

Promised a jacket alteration in 2 weeks (which I thought excessive), came back in 2 weeks and he hadn't touched the jacket. Got passive aggressive with me as if I had done him wrong, told me to come back in 2 hours, and when I did it was apparent that he had done nothing more than brush off the chalk marks he had originally made on the jacket, telling me that he had made the alteration. Not impressed-- apparently his lack of organization creates these situations. read more

I've never posted on Yelp, and I don't complain. But my experience, and the workmanship, by Mr. Carl's was so bad that I feel compelled to save other people from becoming future victims. I dropped off a pair of shorts to be taken in. Instead of opening them up at the back seem and down the crotch and taking them in and restitching, he cut two slits above each of the back welt pockets and simply restitched them back together tighter. So now my shorts have two reverse pleats on the back above each of my butt cheeks. They are ruined. WTF? I also dropped off three dress shirts to be taken in. All three came back fitting totally different, and not one was done 100% correctly as asked. And, of course, like all the other reviews, it wasn't done on time, took over two weeks, and he is a jerk. Don't risk it if you have nice clothes - chances are he will ruin them. read more

Perhaps Mr Carl Holton, founder, was a fine man; his son, Rheinhold, currently operating the family business, is not. He is rude, awash in self-importance, chastises you endlessly if you question the quality of work done. As another reviewer said, it feels like an abusive relationship. Had used him previously with no issues (other than his abrupt and rude attitude), but about 6 months ago took 2-3 pairs of jeans for hemming. The work was shoddy and I complained. It was redone, and still not right. When I complained again, Rheinhold lit into me with such rage, and for at least 5 minutes, that I was absolutely flabbergasted. There was never any discussion because he doesn't permit discussion - just his own rantings. He went on to say that his brother Jay (who had done the work), had spent enough time on my job and had other work to get to. He then ordered me to leave the store, now, immediately. I was in shock. I could not believe how this man treated me. I then took the jeans to another tailor who just shook her head at the quality of the workmanship, and re-did the hemming - which was perfect upon completion. There aren't many tailors around, but there are a couple of others in Portsmouth and Dover. And some dry cleaners hem jeans just fine. May go that route next time. read more

Totally disappointed. Dropped off a sweatshirt for a new zipper. I was promised 3 different times that I could pick it and each time it was not done. It was there for nearly a month. I will not go back and will not recommend him to anyone. And after all that aggravation I was still charged for his time. read more

Honestly, I feel like Mr Carl and I are in an abusive relationship. I know how awful it is for me... but I keep going back. Literally every single time I have ever taken an article of clothing here, he has never gotten it back to me on time. NEVER. Not once. He has had a dress that I needed taken in for a wedding for SIX WEEKS. The first two times I went in to get it, it wasn't ready. The second time he couldn't find it. The next time, he thought it was at the dry cleaner (?), and the next time he said he knew it was at the dry cleaner... but it just wasn't back yet. At this point, I'm fairly convinced that I will never see that dress again. The worst part is despite his crappy customer service and organization, he actually does great work... good enough to have kept me coming back all these times even after all of the disappointments. I think I've finally had enough and will be looking for a new tailor, however. Only visit Mr. Carl if you've got plenty of patience and plenty of time to spare. I wouldn't recommend it. read more