I called last minute hoping for a possible same-day alteration on a wrap dress I planned to wear to a holiday party that very evening. From the start, she was honest, professional, and refreshingly transparent. She didn't promise me the sun, moon, and stars -- instead, she clearly explained that with her current workload she couldn't guarantee anything, but if I was willing to come in, she would take a look and see if there was anything she could do to help. When I arrived, she had me try on the dress, and within minutes it was clear she was both experienced and highly knowledgeable. She immediately put me at ease by explaining that the dress wasn't as problematic as I thought and that the design was meant to drape a certain way. At the same time, she validated my concerns about the fit, managed my expectations beautifully, and presented thoughtful options -- including a couple that didn't even require her services. Ultimately, she suggested adding a discreet clasp to provide support and concealment without compromising the cut or flow of the dress. She completed it in under five minutes, using a transparent clasp and perfectly color-matched thread. The craftsmanship was seamless. She charged me a very nominal fee, and when I tried to tip her, she insisted it was too much and even handed a few dollars back. Talk about integrity -- fair, honest, and truly old-school. I absolutely loved the experience and will most definitely be back. read more

UPDATE! This business is CLOSED - per Alla today via message. Unclear how long. I had come by twice last week for a hemming, but both times was closed. What a sad loss for the community. I guess I will have to find another tailor elsewhere. read more

I love the work at A&I Friendly Tailor. She tailored my vintage early-'90s Calvin Klein jeans, which were a little too big on me. Denim can be very difficult to alter, especially when it comes to matching the original seaming, but she knew exactly what to do. She took them in along the inner leg seam, and now they fit like they were made for me! Her craftsmanship is incredible, and the result looks completely original. I truly don't think anyone else could have done a better job. She's a magic worker! read more

Had my tailoring done about a month ago, couldn't stop to think of other customer experiences. I've noticed the others had similar experiences; lady being rude, and even through her replies on yelp she's still being rude, not even I'll take note of this and improve for next time. In my experience she sealed a pocket through my bag by using patches I wanted sew on making it unusable. I take the bag back home assuming she didn't seal the pocket because that would just be crazy, but turns out I was being careless. The following day I come back to get it fix, and her reply was you should've told me you want the pocket not sealed, and one of her machines is old so she would have a harder time sewing the patches on the bag without sealing the pocket, would've been nice to tell me before hand. Call me in the wrong, but I think it's common sense to not seal a pocket let alone a big one for a daily use bag. Only costed me $7 bucks so I don't care much for a refund. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

Grumpy old Russian lady who would not even take a look at the work I needed done. Not sure where the "friendly" came from. But I'm sure she will do a good job on your wedding dress. read more

It was my first time here. I was looking for a place to get my bridesmaid's dress altered at the bottom for a decent price. After several quotes (one place was going to charge me $300!), this one popped up in my messages and Alla was quick to respond back to me. I went into her shop. It's tiny, cute and hidden. I wouldn't say she is warm and friendly when you first meet her, but rather someone who is busy at her shop, working on other customer's items and at the same time trying to be attentive to the people coming in to her shop. It's a lot to juggle so it's understandable. Just be patient with her and let her do her thing. She knows what she's doing. Total time it took: 25 min to try the dress on, have her mark it up. It was ready within a week. Total came down to $70 (depending how many layers there are). read more

A & I Friendly Tailor - Bridesmaid dress, before it was altered and cut. It was quite long. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Venice, California

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I like shopping small and supporting small businesses so it's tough to leave a less-than-stellar review. There are lots of great reviews here. The tailor likely does good work with the items she does tailor, but unfortunately, I can't speak to the work. She said she couldn't fix it and to just buy another, which is fine. I ended up leaving with my garment, again fine, but then she just had to add a last comment which was unnecessary. I was already walking out. I get it if my garment wasn't the most elaborate or expensive looking. It was sewn overseas and made to be let out to adjust for human errors in measuring, which of course there were I'm not a professional. I just need a few adjustments, but she was so mean about it. It really made me feel some type of way. If you come here for tailoring just be prepared that she may be mean. read more

Alla is awesome! She's so sweet and really helped me with a project I completely botched. I was almost ready to turn my piece of clothing into rags but she gave me a few different options. I gave her the reigns and she came back with a perfect solution for a really fair price. She saved the day! read more

I had two pairs of pants that needed to be shortened. I got a quote from Alla on Yelp. She responded really quickly and gave me an estimate. I went in on a Monday with a flexible, no rush request. She was so sweet and nice. She said I could pick it up Friday or Saturday, but ended up finishing on WEDNESDAY! Alla is amazing. It fitted perfectly, she's a pro. It costed $35 for both pairs. Also note that payment is cash. I'll be bringing more pieces back in the future! Thanks Alla!! read more

Really sweet woman! I needed measurements and she quickly accepted me without appointment. She only accepts cash. So have some cash with you! read more

What a disappointment. I had contacted the establishment about an hour earlier and she knew I was coming in for a few extremely simple alterations. I had my service dog with me and the woman looked at my dog and said she couldn't help me and I had to leave. Another customer was there that she was helping, but I would have happily waited. I feel this was blatant discrimination and illegal. She knew I was coming in as I had called twice. Unacceptable behavior. read more

Alla did such an amazing job tailoring my jeans and trousers--they fit perfectly, feel brand new and she got it done so fast. She's incredibly kind, patient, and made the whole process so easy. Great value and pricing too. Her work is top-notch, and I honestly wouldn't go anywhere else. The best in LA! Thank you Alla! read more

I was told to bring in my dress, and when it came time was told to actually bring it a month later. I called as instructed by communication via Yelp messages and was hung up on immediately after I told her that I was following up, stating she was busy. Pretty appalling way to treat customers. read more

Great service, reasonable prices, high quality work. Everything is done quickly and well. Highly recommend!

I cannot recommend A&I Friendly Tailor enough! Turnaround was super fast, the quality terrific, and pricing was reasonable. We will happily support this business! read more

I can't say this about many places or people for that matter, but have you ever met a business' proprietor and thought, "I would take a bullet for that person." Well, that is how I feel about Alla (or is it Alma? Crap!). She is warm, professional, and efficient in getting you fitted. Additionally her work is of the highest quality and her prices are insanely reasonable. I was worried about finding a new tailor on the westside (If you a short person like me, you understand the importance of this resource), but I am very pleased with my new find. read more

I've come here for several items from simple patches being sewn to uniforms, tailoring my work pants, but by far the reason I'm leaving this review was because I am by far and away pleased and impressed by the speed and quality of lining of my work jacket. I can't even seen the seam that was made to put my fleece lining in! Will come again and recommend in the future read more

A & I Friendly Tailor - Jacket - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Venice, California

I love Alla! She is the best... always fast, and does an amazing job! It's my third time here and I'll be back with more clothes in the near future. Great quality!! read more

It's ironic that her name is "friendly" tailor because she is the complete opposite. When I arrived, she acted like I was wasting her time with all her exasperated sighs anytime I answered a question. The worst part was that while I was on the stand as she pinned my dress, she kept hitting my dress because she was so irritated at having to alter it (she kept saying how difficult it would be and that it's not worth it for her to alter it). I only moved forward because I'd already been there for 20 minutes and didn't want to waste more time somewhere else. However, I will never come here again. I'd give 0 stars if possible . read more

I love A & I it is my favorite alteration shop and come here all the time. Alla is super sweet and professional and is in business 26 years this year. Totally recommend for all sewings and alteration jobs small and big. Gem!!! read more

A & I Friendly Tailor - Alla being socially distance responsible and shiny - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Venice, California

She is amazing!! I have taken all of my bridesmaid and guest dresses here for weddings, she does a perfect job! she also does a great job fitting any clothes I need taken in and hems! She's affordable and fast!! read more

She does really great work!! She's old school so make her happy and bring cash. She offers a fair price and her work is very good and detailed and professional. She has fixed all of my clothes perfectly and she works quickly!! I trust her with my most difficult tailoring needs. read more

I have a nice Vice I use for everything and anything and dust/water will ruin this nice tool in a short amount of time. I looked all over for a solution; but nothing exists, so I took my idea to Alla. Unlike most Tailors who only focus on clothes and would have told me to take a hike, she immediately started cutting and sewing and now I have an awesome fitting/looking cover for my Vice. She sewed Velcro on the base cover and the Vice cover, so it's super fast to take the cover off and put it back on. She's already working on some other projects non clothes related, so don't think of only getting your clothes tailored. She also makes CDC recommended Cotton masks that are super cheap, washable, comfortable and much more stylish than the paper disposable masks. The Kids size ones in my pictures was a box she made for the Children's hospital. Support your local Tailor during these trying times for small businesses. read more

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Have been going to Alla for the past 4 years and am always very happy with the results! She is very skilled and honest when she works with you, if there is something that won't work or she thinks she won't be able to do, she will never just take your money and do a poor job like many tailors so in LA. Her level of work speaks quality and I will continue coming back for more tailoring. Thank you Alla! read more

Brought in a large jacket to be shortened and Alla was the best--came in for a fitting and she was super thorough and knowledgable overall. She took her time and care and asked many questions. Was originally supposed to pick it up in a few weeks but she was able to complete it in a matter of a few days! Such a quality tailor and I am more than happy with the final result. Definitely not the cheapest out there but good to know that this is a quality tailor, not some riffraff hack job. Would recommend for sure, thank you! read more

These tailors are great. Reasonably priced, quick and very highly skilled. They tailored my sons suit, some slacks for me and altered a dress for my daughter. read more

5 stars!! Brought in a ripped perforated leather jacket and she did an amazing job! You can barely tell that it was ripped which is incredible for how large the rips were. She also repaired dress straps and a tear in my favorite sweat pants and did a wonderful job. Will definitely be coming back for all future alteration needs. Thank you!! read more

Took a light weight leather jacket in to have patches sewn on and the process was super easy. Dropped off late afternoon and received a call the next morning to let me know it was completed. Outstanding service and work. read more

I needed pants and shorts fixed for a vacation, she fixed three articles of clothing for me perfectly in a day!! Amazing service!! read more

Alla and Valentina did a great job with altering my dress last minute. They were professional, communicative, and delivered exactly what I wanted. Would highly recommend for any alterations/adjustments :) read more

A&I is my favorite tailor in town. Alla has consistently gone above and beyond to help me with bridesmaid dresses on multiple occasions. Every time I brought in a bridesmaid dress that needed alterations, Alla was incredibly accommodating and quick to get the job done. She were able to make adjustments to the dresses in record time, without sacrificing quality or attention to detail. I was particularly impressed by her ability to handle delicate fabrics and intricate designs with ease. Alla always took the time to understand exactly what I wanted, and offered helpful suggestions to ensure that the dresses looked their best. Overall, I would highly recommend Alla to anyone in need of a reliable and talented tailor. Her expertise and attention to detail are second to none, and her ability to work quickly without sacrificing quality is truly impressive. Thank you Alla for your exceptional work! read more

My old tailor was starting to lose it and had actually lost a brand new item of my clothing. Although he was kind & did not charge me, that was, sort of speak, the last straw which motivated to search out a new tailor. Exasperated, I turned to Yelp. Thank God for Alla. She reminds me of my grandma. My grandma sewed quickly, even created secret pockets on her clothing which kept her valuables safe as she traveled about town. She walked, bicycled, boogie boarded, camped and even back packed with us. She was well aware of elderly folks being vulnerable targets for thieves and wasn't about to become one of those targets if she could help it. Alla is a fast tailor too. She has honored my requests to have pockets sewn inside my clothing to keep my keys, parking meter coins & phone tucked away. She's repaired my shopping bag, hemmed a # of pants, pajamas, dresses, countless other items, she fixes them all. When she found something she couldn't fix, just a hop and a skip away, she sent me to the shoe repair, where he fixed it (rivet on my favorite animal handbag) in less than a hour. To this day, i am very grateful. The colorful spools of thread, helped me to associate brightly wound threads with yesteryears. Ages back when new crayons signaled the start of a new school year. It also brought back memories of the story in the Bible, of Joseph and his coat of many colors. As a loyal, satisfied & appreciative customer, I am very happy with Alla's work. She is cheerful & consistently gives from the goodness of her heart. read more

A & I Friendly Tailor - Colorful spools of thread - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Venice, California

First ever yelp review but this one had to happen. There is nothing friendly about the woman who runs this shop. She will jump down your throat as if your business is offending her. Incredibly rude and dismissive. I've never met anyone like this. Now normally when people ask me for recess on tailors I give them the best of the best, because I modify a lot of my clothes, but now included on the list is the one place they should NOT go. read more

Alla is simply amazing and does beautiful work. Thank you so much, I highly recommend, and I will come back. Thank you Alla!!

I called and tried to tell her what I needed and she rudely cut me off and said "If you want to come in, come in, I'm too busy now!" I think, she should rename the shop. read more

Hi, So tailoring as I understand it is having to hem pants or adjust dresses in smaller ways, it's also having bigger problems like having a dress that is very small or large for you and attempting to see if you can make it work. I was aware it was going to be a challenge to have the dress work, but I purchased it from eBay: the seller does not allow returns and it was greatly undersized. This business wasn't friendly in regards to what can be a sensitive issue: after I tried it on, they laughed and told me to get a larger size. For reference : the very next place I went to, the very next tailor, very quickly told me he could do it and would be happy to figure out a solution. Somewhat elitist and strange experience but what I can say is that they probably are very good at what they do, perhaps they didn't want to ruin the artistic expression of the dress; if your goal is that... perhaps this is the spot... read more

The sweetest! So glad I found this place. The woman is good at what she does and also has great turnaround time if you need something!

They wanted to charge $50 for a zipper to be replaced and were definitely not friendly

Her tailoring is sloppy and she is a very rude person. She ruined my dress and wouldn't refund me. I had to go elsewhere to get it fixed :( I really, really do not recommend this place. read more

Just picked up my pants from Alla. I had a similar job done and was charged almost double what Alla charged me, and the stitching started coming out after only a few months. Alla was quick, reasonably priced and a job well done. Highly recommend! read more