I am writing this review a few years late but I need to share my experience with Barbara because she and her business deserve to be recognized. I was desperately looking for a last minute alteration for a bridesmaid dress before getting on a plane the next night for a wedding. The first seamstress completely missed different areas on the dress. I had a friend pick it up for me and I didn't realize until the night before my trip... YIKES I was in the midst of leaving a very tearful voicemail at Simply Barbara after hours (around 9pm) hoping for a call back the next day when instead, someone picked up the phone. I explained the situation through tears and Barbara helped calm me on the phone and told me she was still in the shop working on her daughter's wedding gown, but if I could come now she would see what she could do. I arrived sometime around 9:30pm. Barbara was so patient and comforting and did the alterations that night while I sat on the floor watching her and sharing stories about our lives. When it came time to pay, I was ready to pay any amount because that's what she deserved. Instead, she charged me even less than the first seamstress. I will never forget her kindness. Thank you Barbara!! read more

If you have a piece of everyday clothing that you'd like altered and don't have an event that you need the clothing item for, then I think Simply Barbara's is a fine place to go--Barbara knows what she is doing and does a good job with alterations. However, I would not recommend coming here for wedding-related alterations, or for any situation where you need the garment by a specific date. I brought my bridesmaid dress to Barbara and found the process to be more cumbersome than necessary, especially in comparison to previous experiences having bridesmaid dresses altered. While friendly, Barbara is not very organized, and in my experience runs 30 minutes behind schedule or takes personal calls during your appointment time. I came in for a mid-way appointment--at Barbara's request--to check the progress of the dress. When I arrived, Barbara seemed surprised to see me, even though she checked her books and confirmed that I did have an appointment. What was worse, the dress had not been touched at all--it was exactly the same as it was when I dropped it off 3 weeks prior. This left me feeling less than confident that my dress would be ready in time. She also requires lots of follow-up from the client, as she doesn't seem to remember conversations or dates that were agreed upon (we had the same conversation 3 times in one day, twice by phone and once in person, regarding the pickup date and time of my dress). I figured two months was plenty of time to hem the dress and shorten the straps (and Barbara confirmed this in my initial appointment) but it ended up feeling like things were down to the wire for no reason other than the lack of preparation and organization from Barbara. The process was unnecessarily stressful, and I will be looking elsewhere for alterations in the future. read more

I really don't like leaving negative reviews but I went to Barbara for a consultation on my wedding dress and it was such an awful experience, very unprofessional and rude. I came in and I mentioned to her what areas didn't fit me properly and she said she could work with the dress. Afterwards she began to hang up my dress so I mentioned to her shouldn't I try it on so you can pin it etc. Then she said oh yes try it on. I tried on my dress and she was on the phone for a few minutes talking to a customer and left me waiting and seemed very distracted, this stressed me out because the first 15 minutes of the consultation are free, but after 15 minutes she charges you $15 per every 15 minutes so I didn't want to get over charged. Anyways she comes back and starts pinning my dress which was okay. When it came to the back part of my dress it was a little tight on me and I asked her can we fix the back, and she goes on to respond in a very rude manner what did I tell you when you walked in. I was really thrown off by her response, I actually own a small business and I would never talk to customers this way. I responded and said I don't know much about tailoring or wedding dresses so I may have the same questions more than once, I hope that's okay. She responded and said it's not about tailoring etc it's just that I know if I can work with something or not. I then said well again like I mentioned I don't know anything about tailoring so I hope I could ask the same questions more than once and that be okay, she then said it was okay if I did. However this interaction left me feeling very uncomfortable and like I was being talked down too. Wedding planning is already stressful and a lot for most people and all I was expecting was some kindness and respect which I did not get here. read more

This is my exact review from Google, but it is still relevant so I will be reposting here! -------------------- I cannot recommend Ms. Barbara enough! She's kind, professional, personable, dilligent... the list goes on. She had to do extra alterations on my skirts because I lost weight after she took the measurements and I am I so thankful I went to her. I look so great in my skirts as they are great for this hotter weather. Thank you madame for being you! I will 100% be back whether for more alterations or just for a chat. Stay blessed! read more

Love, love, love Ms. Barbara! She does amazing work. I have never been disappointed. She did a bridesmaid dress for me, my wedding dress and my son's suit. All of them fit perfectly. She has also done a few small jobs like replace/change buttons, fix seams and lengthen pants. Her prices are reasonable for the quality of work she does. I would have paid more if necessary. Her turn around time is great. She delivered the final product right on time or slightly early. Thank you Ms. Barbara! read more

Absolutely love her, and can't recommend her enough. Great service, quick turnaround, hard worker, affordable prices, and amazing talent when it comes to her skills as a tailor. She will settle for no less than perfection. She did a rush order for me on an elegant ballgown dress, and it came out absolutely perfect. We were looking for a new tailor, and found it in her. read more

I took my wedding dress to Barbara to be bustled and have the cups sewn in. She did fabulous work, had a quick turnaround time, and extremely reasonably priced. I will definitely use Barbara for all of my tailoring needs from now on! read more

I hate writing negative reviews but I hate getting rudely chastised even more... which is what happened here. I went to pick up my item at the date/time I was told to and it was not ready. I asked when the order would be ready and was assured the next day by 4 pm. I show up at 5 and not only is it still not ready, I was rudely told that it was impossible and she had way too much work to do to get to my small order. The tone was super disrespectful. Not sure why she took my order in originally, and then proceeded to tell me to return. read more

Barbara was a life saver!! I recently had a wedding to go to with Kelly and needed to get my pants hemed and taken in a bit. After going to a well know tailor in Quincy Center and being told that he wouldn't be able to have my pant's ready in time I stopped into Barbara's shop. From the get go she was amazing. Did I mention that I needed this pants hemed in 4 days? Because I did, or else I was showing up to the wedding sans pants. Barbara assured me that she would be able to do it in time, even told me that they would be ready in 2 days!! I was expecting a large rush fee but when I asked how much it would be she said "only ten extra dollars my dear". Barbara was truly my angel that week!! Oh, and side note... I happened to walk in on the day of the week that Barbara is closed, yet she was in and the door was unlock and I didn't see the sign... instead of turning me away she offer to take my business! Have I mentioned that Barbara is a life saver!? Because she is!! When I went back in two days to get my pants, Barbara had them all ready for me. I tried them on and they fit like a glove!! All and all, everything only came to $30 (including the rush fee)!! read more

Barbara was fast and efficient, I needed some pants hemmed over a weekend, and she was able to finish it in 3 days. It seems there are set prices for items, which is good (i.e., you can call up and ask how much it would cost to hem a pair of pants and she'll give you a straight answer), though it would be nice to see a website or just posted in writing somewhere, though I"m sure for more complicated items, it'd be hard to give a firm price. My pants were $12 for hemming +$3 for the lining, which seems affordable. She was straight business at first, no small talk, and didnt share any of her own insights (e.g., asking me where I wanted the hem to fall, and when I wasnt sure, she didnt really explain her own thoughts as to the different cuts)...but when I came back to pick them up, I made a comment on something she was passionate about, and she became alot more personable and we just chatted for 20+mins. I'd definitely recommend Barbara, she's experienced, efficient, and affordable...only negative was, for my pick up appt, I was the first appt of the day, and she arrived 10 minutes late, so I was locked out, standing in the cold for awhile....luckily the library isnt too far away. read more

Barbara is the best, I can't say that enough. I was rushed to a wedding and the company that sent my suit got my measures wrong (surprise surprise). With a couple of days only to get my suit fixed I rushed to Barbara after reading the reviews on Yelp. After I got late fortunately she was kind enough to give me a few minutes before closing her place, and agreed to fix my suit (keep in mind that a late fee may apply, you're going to make her extra hours for delay your things). But it was totally worth it. I'm planning to keep visiting her whenever I have another quick fix that needs to be done. read more

Barbara is not a people person. She scolded another customer and me for being five minutes late for our appointments. And this, after I called her moments before to tell her I was parking!! Funny she scheduled two people for the same time - how did SHE expect to be on time for both of us? She took my $20 deposit and gave me quite a runaround about when my dress would be ready. She gave me a "try on" date before the final date in case we needed to make further alterations. When I went to pick it up I was happy with the way the dress looked but she insisted it wasn't finished and wanted to keep the dress and charge me more. I told her I wanted the dress the way it was and she wanted to charge me more for the dress being done early!! I did not have the cash to pay the balance since she never mentioned that's the only form of payment she accepts. I told her to forget it and I walked out. She called me two minutes later and said I should pick up my dress and my deposit. When I went back to get the dress she gave me a hassle about not having my original slip even though she clearly remembered me. Then she wanted to charge me the full balance even though she had said earlier she would give me my deposit back. She interjected some religious mumbo jumbo about how the "good Lord takes care of losers and he takes care" of her, too. I left with my dress and my young son who was with me and was appalled by her behavior (!!!) and walked out without getting my deposit back. Turns out a close friend of mine also had a less than pleasant experience with "Barbara" when she had two pairs of jeans hemmed. She was rude to my friend, too. The work is decent but her pricing is crazy and she has an atrocious approach at how she treats customers. Overall, it's a very shady operation. I won't be going back nor recommending Barbara. My son, at age was shocked at how she spoke to me. read more

Recently I brought a bridesmaid gown in for Barbara to alter. The dress was pretty ill-fitting prior to alterations, which was frustrating since it was a rather expensive Alfred Angelo gown. Barbara initially was going to fix it one way but changed her mind because she didnt like how it was coming out. In the end, she did a lot of work and my dress fit perfectly. I paid $50 for the alterations and after mentioning it to the other bridesmaids, was told that was a bargain. I would definitely use Barbara again should I need alterations. read more

This was a tough review to write, as I had a very mixed experience with Barbara. I came to Barabara to get a lined bridesmaid dress hemmed. The cost was reasonable, and she did a good job on the work itself. HOWEVER. As I was leaving after picking up my dress, I wished her a "Happy Holidays" (as one does nowadays, because you never want to assume a person's religious affiliation), and she proceeded to basically trap me in her store for the next 45 minutes preaching to me about her religion and how I should "read the book," and going on a truly bizarre rant about how the chemicals in food were killing us (?). The actual business transaction took less than 10 minutes, but in the end it took almost an hour to get out of the shop because she seemed determined to convert me. Overall, I suppose I would recommend her for work, but AVOID CONVERSATION IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, or at least just pretend to be an avid Christian. Four stars for the work, and 0 stars for the customer service and preaching. read more

Didn't even get inside. Walked from school over to get a dress altered and saw they took a lunch break. Waited until about 1:45 to make sure they would be done and the door said open, however the door was locked. Called three times as well as knocked and nothing. Terrible way to run a business. As a Quincy resident it bums me out knowing the easiest place to go is crazy unreliable. Don't say you take walk ins if you don't! read more

I cannot recommend Simply Barbara more thoroughly or more highly. Barbara is a consummate professional, while at the same time retaining her compassion and her wicked sense of humor. Her work is exquisite. I had a silver silk suit made for my daughter's wedding. All fully lined. It fits beautifully. Barbara works so well that it only took three fittings for perfection. If you are looking for anything from minor alterations to a handmade wedding outfit...there is no better seamstress on the South Shore than Barbara. read more

Barbara is a superior seamstress and excels at her craft. She altered a wedding dress that had been purchased and altered elsewhere at a shop in Quincy that did a very poor bodice fitting even though it was a simple design. She was clear that several fittings would be needed to make sure it was well done and she charged a fair price. She also altered a MOB dress that she observed had a too-heavy zipper that caused the sheer fabric at the end to bunch so an unsightly puff occurred right on the butt and since it was a slip dress with a short jacket, it was not possible to hide it (this was apparently the result of using a zipper from a standard roll and not one suited to the dress). She offered me the option of putting in another zipper or removing it completely as the dress could then just slip on; it was perfect. I would not hesitate to use her again. read more

Love love LOVE her such a sweet amazing woman. Brought in a dress I needed hemmed I'm a rush for NYE she was willing to see me last minute and even came in on a day she isn't usually in so I could pick it up and make sure it was done in time. The dress was heavy and detailed and she did an amazing job and we had some great conversation. It's like talking to ur mom or gma I loved it. Oh ps she had it ready early for me and the price was GREAT. (I did get a ticket though parking on the street lol so watch out for those 15 minute parking meters ) read more

"The customer service is awful, you call to make a appointment to have something hemmed and she corrected me on my sewing terms like 3 times with attitude back and I am so mad. Worst attitude you could've imagined, DONT COME" read more

Up front, I should say that when I went to Simply Barbara, it was the first time I've ever been to a tailor to have alterations done, so I have nothing to compare it to :-) Overall, I had a great experience. It's a small place with one person working there - Barbara. I went in with a suit I'd bought on super-discount at Filene's Basement that was basically a size too big. She took in the seam/zipper on the skirt, moved the button on the jacket, took in the rear seam on the jacket, and adjusted the seams on either side of the jacket to make it fit. The total came to $100, which some may consider expensive, but considering how many adjustments she had to make, I thought it was worth it - especially considering how cheap I got the suit for in the first place! Timewise it took just under 2 weeks, with an appointment after 1 week to double check that everything would fit the way she was going. There are signs in the shop saying she can usually do rush jobs, but it would cost more. Overall, I had a good experience and would definitely go back. Barbara was very nice and seemed very competent, and I would encourage others to stop by! read more

Barbara is a lifesaver!!! 4 days before the wedding I was in, I decided to try on my dress one last time... Apparently all the beer and food from the cookouts this summer have added a few pounds, so my once perfect fitting dress was a tad tight!! It was to the point I was afraid that the zipper may bust open! Panicking I called Barbara the next day and told her I needed to have my dress let out and have it the very next day. She was the nicest lady EVER! Had me try it on and said I just needed a half inch let out on each side so it fit comfortably. I paid a rush charge but it was worth every penny! I came in once the next day after she let it out to make sure it fit, then she put the finishing touches on it and had it to me that evening!! Best part was my dress looked absolutley perfect, like it was never altered!! I will use Barbara every time I need tailoring from now on! read more

I had a horrible experience here and would not recommend this place to others. I needed a dress altered and taken in - it took TWO weeks (or I was going to be charged with a rush fee) and when it was finally done it was just awful. The dress was now cutting into my armpits extremely uncomfortably, and the top was just as big and loose as it was when I brought it in - you could see right down to my belly button! Barbara was clearly very frustrated that I was not happy with the work and kept telling me that it was fine, and there was nothing else that could be done to fix it, AND that I must still pay for it. I finally got fed up and decided to leave and find a different tailor to fix the job - which I did - Danny's in Braintree/Quincy is amazing! read more

It is always so refreshing to find a merchant with good old fashioned work ethic. At Simply Barbara, she will take the time to discuss your options for the best value and outcome and take meticulous care to produce results she takes pride in. I brought in a bulky coat with a complex pattern to be tailored. When I got it back the pattern fit together perfectly and the fit was just right. She made several adjustments for a very reasonable price. I will definitely be back. read more

Simply Barbara is excellent! I highly recommend her! Not only is she very personable, but she is very prompt and accommodating. I arrived at Simply Barbara in need of alterations. I had two suits, and both the trousers and jackets needed work. I should mention, that I visited Simply Barbara after having tried another tailor/seamstress who was not open. After searching for another tailor/seamstress close by, I found Simply Barbara, and she helped me right away. I think it may have been divine! With both suits, Barbara accurately assessed what needed to be done. She fully explained the work that was going to be conducted, and made certain that I was going to be getting what I wanted. Further, I informed Barbara that I needed the suits (at least one) soon for an upcoming job interview. She had them both to me very quickly. I am so impressed with the work! My wife was really impressed as well and wishes that we had found Simply Barbara sooner. My interview went great, and I am waiting to hear of the next step. One way or the other, I felt awesome in my suit during the interview because of the work Simply Barbara did. Joey V. read more

I first went to Barbara several years ago, though I do not recall the first article she worked on. She has altered brides maid dresses, formal dress, suits (skirt, slacks and jackets) and replaced lining in several pairs of slacks. My fiance has also used her for a few articles, including suits. I have gone to other places for alterations and if to compare I believe Barbara is good at what she does, fair in price and if needed quickly she will accommodate. I also enjoy her as a person which makes the experience all the better. I have recommended her to friends and will continue to do so. read more

I went to Simply Barbara to have a knee-length, strapless cocktail dress made for a social event I was attending. The dress came out very beautiful. I provided my own material and total cost for it all was around $300-350. ( I don't remember the exact price) It seemed a little high to make a dress, but alas I wanted something that would be tailored to my body. I wanted to wear the dress again for a wedding I was attending about 5 months later only I wanted a couple alterations made to change the cut of the dress on the bottom. Wasn't much work involved-just cutting, taking off some material and sewing some hems. (I should prefice this by saying that I am handy and knowledgable enough with a needle and thread-but had no initiative to make my own dress. With that said, I had a good appreciation for the kind of work that goes into and what DOES NOT go into making a dress). After all was said and done, she wanted to charge me over $250 to alter the dress. I was dumbfounded when she gave me the cost. I told her that I might as well have just had a new dress made..or just bought a brand new one at the store...because obviously the cost to alter it was almost as high as it was to make it. She tried to justify her pricing but nothing made sense. She asked me what I thought was fair-and I told her that 150-175 was acceptable for this work. She proceeded to try to insult me by saying "Well, if $150 is all you can afford, then just write out the check and leave." Wishing to be done with this horrible experience, I just gave in and wrote her a check for the price she requested and asked for my dress back. (which by the way was only 3/4 done). She insisted she finish it and I picked up the dress 3 days later. Like I said, I understand the work that goes into sewing, being an avid seamstress myself and having made my own curtains and clothes before-but to expect over $250 for altering a dress is insane. You're not performing surgery-you're sewing!! Will never recommend her or use her again. read more

I went to Simply Barbara with several pants and suit jackets for tailoring - adjusting the length of the sleeves and the pants. Like Julie T., I went in for a fitting after one week and received my garments back in two weeks. I was very impressed not only with the quality of the final work, but with Barbara's meticulousness and attention to detail throughout the process. I will be going to her again and would recommend her to anyone. read more

Worst retail/service ever experienced. A portion of horrific things from Barbara: Insulted [multiple times] my wife's choice of color, when my wife requested to bring her dress elsewhere was told either she finishes the dress [at full cost] or she would cut off any of her [minimal] changes she had made [which she proceeded to do while my wife was attempting to get her to stop, was late on all stages of working with us, threatened to sue us after we got the police involved [she was using the scissors she was holding to attempt to force the dress from my wife's hands]. Our end resolution was to pay full price to her for an unfinished job, just so we could get away from her. Paying to get away from her was the best use of our money. read more

Wanted my pants tailored. She was hard to understand because she didnt speak too much. She told me something weird was going on with my butt. She offered a suggestion but seemed wayyy NOT confident like she was trying to figure this pants thing out for the first time. Just going by the vibe she was throwing at me i decided to not have her do anything with the butt issue. So all i needed was a hem. I wen to pick up my pants and was late for my appointment which i didnt think i had for a hem. There was one other person in there with an open dressing room. She made me wait 15 minutes i tried on the pants length was good but the stitching was pretty noticeable sitting two inches above the bottom o the pant leg. I figured you shouldnt see it at all or very little or at least have the stitching sit closer to the bottom of the pants. She was just extremely awkward to talk to and didnt seem too confident with mens pants. It cost me 20 dollars for a hem to be picked up in two days... Not sure how that compares to other places for a rush job. read more

I went to Barbara because she is local to my house, and had some positive reviews here. I brought in my bridesmaids dress for alterations, i needed the top let out and the hem brought up. Her quote was $85, which i thought was high, but i agreed to pay it anyway. She did the measurments so fast and whipped me around and pinned and what not...it felt incredibly rushed, but again, i went with the flow, because i assumed she knew what she was doing. I had to come back EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY in May. She was so rude to me everytime i went in there, and the last fitting i put the dress on and she hadn't put in the cups that we had discussed the first time i went in there, and subsequently put them in for every fitting..she just "forgot" to sew them in, and at that point the top was too tight to fit them in, without her having to let it out all over again. She blamed me for not reminding her....AND that final time i was in there, i was visibly upset, and when i came out of the fitting room to ask her why she hadn't put them in, some random other customer said that i had been rude since i walked in...I HADN'T EVEN OPENNED MY MOUTH SINCE I GOT THERE...I couldn't believe it, honestly. I picked up the dress, it was ill-fitting, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time before my brother's wedding to have it fixed, and I didn't want her touching my dress anymore. As a side note, every single time I was in there (4 total) somebody was complaining about something she had done, or she was rushing to fix something she had screwed up. I would avoid her like the plague...too expensive, terrible craftsmanship, and horrible HORRIBLE attitude. read more