While I wish I could give them another 5-star review, unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about them.
I first used them about eight years ago, when I belonged to a motorcycle organization, and needed to have several patches sewn on a leather vest. Another member recommended Rockway Tailoring, and I was happy with the price and quality of the work.
More recently, I was looking to have two favorite pairs of jeans mended, after they got caught on a nail in my doorway (which I finally hammered in, lol). I'd used a sewing place in Coventry in the past, but was unhappy with quality of the work, so I looked around for someplace else. One place I called in North Kingstown was highly rated, but had a two-week turnaround time.
Then, I remembered Rockway Tailoring. Although no one had reviewed them on Yelp prior to me, they did receive several 5-star ratings on Google. Even better, they were local. So, I stopped by after work with the jeans and reviewed the work to be done with a red-haired man who appeared to be in his late 30s.
The man was upfront about managing expectations, explaining that the repairs would not be invisible, which I understand. I had a total of three repairs on two jeans. Two of the repairs were fairly straightforward. One of the repairs was a bit more complicated, and the man offered two repair options. It became clear that one of those options was superior, so that's the option I chose.
Usually, when I have mixed feelings when reviewing a business, I like to start with the positives of my experience. First, Rockway has a faster-than-average turnaround time for this type of business (one week, as opposed to two weeks). Second, it's a family-run business that has operated since 1885, according to a sign out front, so that says a lot. Third, they are open on Saturdays, which is convenient for those of us who work during the week.
As for the actual repairs on my jeans, overall, the quality of the stitching was much better than the last place I used to repair torn clothing.
I was happy with one of the three repairs: re-doing loose stitching on the back pockets of the darker pair of jeans. The stitching was a contrasting color, and I could not tell a repair had been done.
The second repair was for a very small hole, from a nail, in the front thigh area of the darker pair of jeans. Pre-repair, it didn't look bad at all, but I was afraid the hole would get larger. Unfortunately, the repair is now much more noticeable. So, I wish I'd just left the hole - holes in jeans are in style now anyways.
But, the third repair I was disappointed in, because they did NOT repair it according to the option I chose. I had a tear in the middle of a rear pocket, and instead of using a patch inside the pocket - the method I chose - they made a seam out of the tear line, which deformed and puckered the pocket. Besides being odd in appearance, that type of repair is not likely to last as long, I was told. So, it baffles me why they repaired it that way - communication breakdown on their end.
I wasn't expecting perfection, since the torn areas were not on a seam, but I was expecting better, based on their experience. I guess I just caught them on a bad day or something. read more