I recently found May's Fashions via the Yelp app. It is walking distance to my work, and just a minor detour on my way home. I have taken two articles of clothing in for repairs recently here and have been very impressed by her work. The first was a pair of Lululemon shorts that I had been quoted $12 elsewhere for a new button and clasp. Yet another shop told me they couldn't do it at all. May quoted me $3-$4 and with a turnaround of a few days, which was perfect for my needs. The work looked great upon pickup! My second article was a button up-shirt that had a similar issue. Again, the work looks great and the price was excellent. Parking is strictly metered in the area, though there are some parking garages in the vicinity as well. A number of buses go by here, and it's only a block or two from Cartem's if that tickles your fancy! I would consider this place to be a hidden gem. The ladies that work here are nice to work with, have a very reasonable turn around and most importantly do excellent work. Highly recommended! read more

May is so awesome. Very affordable for alterations and very good work. On top of that she is so sweet! I wish I found her earlier, and I hope her business stays around for a long time. read more

Very rude I called to confirm the price before bringing my pants in Another Yelper said she paid seven dollars for a simple hem The lady didn't speak English too well when I asked her about the review I saw on Yelp she said "HUH?" I thought she didn't understand what I said but before I could repeat I was abruptly cut off she said I think you might have seen another place and hung up on me... read more

May is amazing! No nonsense good work authentic. Sorry glad she's made it through the pandemic.

Even after leaving my pants for a year and not having my receipt, the lovely and good-spirited Miriam Chik found them. To top it off, the invisible zipper was perfectly inset. (and the pants still fit :o)) Every challenging repair I've brought them, has been beautifully-finished. read more

I am so glad I found this place. It's so central and easy to get to, and the service is fantastic. I have gone to them for: -Fixing my shredded up silk peacoat pockets and they replaced them with a much more durable high quality fabric ($20) -Fixing holes in my sweater ($8) -I have also dropped off some drycleaning for dresses that they get done offsite ($8-15 per dress). The ladies are sweet, they do good work, and I am looking forward to visiting them again, perhaps for some tailoring. read more

I was writing some restaurant reviews because I was trying to keep track of how many I've eaten at in the last little while. The number of places were much more than I thought so I'm going to take a big break from eating out so much, and reviewing. I was wondering who I should review before taking a break here and May's Fashions comes to mind. You can't tell by the name but it's an alterations and dry cleaning drop-off place. I've brought my everyday clothing ex. pants and jeans in here for the alterations over the years and I just LOVE the sweet lady who works there. She is hard working, honest, and does a great job for a reasonable rate. If she doesn't think something needs altering, she won't even touch it. I've tried tipping her and she doesn't even accept. She is the type of person I wish were my mother or grandmother. You just don't find old-school, sincere sweetness and work ethic like that anymore. She seems to be always busy but the rare times I needed something quicker, she's helped me out. Other times, I tell her she can take as long as she wants. This is basic, non-pretentious service at its best. If you are the type of person who appreciates the people behind their business, you'll love this lady. There are many alteration places in town but I go back to her because she's just the best. read more

LOVE THIS PLACE! I have used them for taking in a lace bridesmaid dress, skirt waistbands and hemming jeans. She is always sweet, patient and friendly. The work is always fantastic. I recommend this place to everyone! read more

I found this place through the web. I went here last year to get a maxi dress taken up. It is a jersey fabric, and notoriously difficult material to hem. The lady did not pin the full circumference of the skirt, even after I suggested that she should. She only hemmed the front. When I went to collect my dress, the back was an inch shorter than the front. She had to re-hem it, but because of the material, the attempt to fix it was crude patch up. Luckily for me, the faulty sewing can only be seen if you're looking carefully at the bottom of my dress. I was not offered any discount for the poorly sewn garment. Instead, I was met with defiance and excuses that the material was to blame. No experience is the same, and in my case, I will not return or recommend this place. read more

So I was desperate to get a button sewn back into my vintage fur, and I didn't want to leave it in anyone's hands. After getting turned away by a tailor who needed me to leave it, I discovered May's. Again I didn't want to leave it and she was a bit irked I asked her to do it on the spot. I guess I am used to cobblers doing this but apparently tailors do not. I was prepared to pay about $20 for this to be done. She grabbed some thread, expertly sewed it in minutes and handed it back. She wouldn't accept payment but only asked that I give her more time next time. I was amazed, now that is fantastic service. It's no wonder this is a 5 star place. read more

extremely rude.. quite literally said she did not want to help me fix my clothing item just cause.. my last time she didn't even properly fix & then asked me to pay more than her quote. walked a block over to sun tailoring and the lady was so kind and happy to help me. would recommend going there instead after receiving fairly poor service at May's for my past few visits. will be switching over :/ read more

Those 2 ladies that man the place are super nice and just lovely to deal with! Prices are very reasonable compared with other alteration places in that area that tend to over-charge. Trust me on this one; you won't regret it! By the way I called ahead and found out they close at 6pm, not 5pm like it indicates on Yelp! read more

These women are great and very sweet. I bring all my alterations here and have been happy with the work.

Amazing service, good prices and a friendly owner make this the best shop in Vancouver for alterations. read more

May's Fashions - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Went here on the advice of Yelp. I had to have some alterations done and of course in a hurry :) She was able to accommodate and did an excellent job at a very reasonable price. Very knowledgable and excellent value for money. read more

My favorite sweater had a torn appliqué. Not a big deal but I wanted to make sure it was well taken care of and this place had the best ratings and was near gastown. I was in town for 4 months for work and it happened at the end of my trip. I figured I might as well hem the sleeves of a jacket too. The opening hours were incorrect on yelp so I had to twice figure out parking and go back. I learned to call first. I have a job that is 14 hour days so the only day I can drop off and pick up is Saturday. I dropped off on a Saturday and sadly had to work the following Saturday and could not return for my items until the following Saturday . I called to see if they were open and had no answer so mid afternoon took a chance and drove over. There was a sign in the window stating she was on vacation for a month!!!! When I dropped off two weeks prior she gave no indication she was closing shop!! I had to leave back to Los Angeles as my job was over a week before she returned. I had to ask a coworker to go pick up my things and pay to ship them to me. What a hassle ! What a small minded business owner! My coworker picks up the alterations the first day the shop reopened and the woman charged her double because she said my items had been there too long !!! Are you kidding me I almost had to forfeit $400.00 worth of clothing because you have no idea how to run a business and now you have the audacity to double charge me? I can't even rate the alterations because they were so basic I could have done them if I would have been at home with my machine. $45.00 to hem sleeves and stitch a patch read more

The reviews seemed great and walking distance to my work. I was very nervous to hand over my expensive nobody jeans but extremely satisfied with the outcome! My zip had snapped so she needed to replace it. This meant a lot of unstitching ect needed to happen. When I expressed my slight concern, she reassured me that the stitching will be just as I hand it over! And she was right! Brand new very sturdy zip, stitching was perfect just as before. Very very affordable. Very quick turn around time. Thank you!! I will be back :) Shannen read more

When I told a friend that I'd waited until 4 days before a wedding to get a dress hemmed, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. 'Have you ever been to a tailor in this city? You'll have to BEG for that timeline.' So that's what I prepared to do at May's. I'd barely stepped in the door when I started groveling. The seamstress carefully examined my silk dress, listened to my sob story about DESPERATELY needing it in 4 days, then asked if I had any shopping to do. Um, no, why? "Because you can pick it up in an hour. It will cost twelve dollars." Oh. When I did pick it up, the work was great, and it did indeed cost only twelve dollars (!!!). My only lament is that the dress was balled up and stuffed in a tiny bag, so it needed a good press before I could wear it. Not the end of the world, of course, and the seamstress' quick work meant I had plenty of time for ironing. read more

THE best place to take your clothes in for alterations and fitting...she will also have your drycleaning sent out and stands behind her work. I brought 5 pairs of pants in and she had them done for me that day. Fast service, always happy, always cheerful and is such a breath of fresh air to come to such an establishment. read more

The other reviews are right on the money. The owner is friendly in a way to you just don't find any more these days. Service was great. I will definitely return. Highly recommended. read more

May's Fashions is a business run on integrity and trust. I have been a customer of Miriam's for about a year now, and she is the best in Vancouver. The prices are fair, and her opinion is always on the money. If you are easily offended, then you might find her a bit abrasive: she will flat out tell you that she can't help you and will tell you to "not waste your money" (would you rather someone take your money and not do the job right?). Of course, Miriam will tell you why exactly something can't be done, or will offer alternative solutions. May's primary goal is customer satisfaction regarding her work as a seamstress. If you want a quote, always bring the item in with you (this is for your benefit). Miriam is extremely organized and trustworthy; not once has she forgotten an alteration or pick-up time. When she says "come by Friday", the garment will be ready when the shop opens. I've recommended her to friends, and everyone has had an excellent experience. read more

I have been here a few times to hem pants, fix a lining of a coat and other minor things. Miriam will provide suggestions and options for items you bring in for alteration and repair. The prices are reasonable. read more

They do not have a website and I do not have time to drop in for an inquiry, so decided to call them for a price quote for a simple hemmimg job. I planned to be very brief but the lady who answered the phone did not even give me a chance for me to say anything beyond hello, before quickly cutting me off, and rudely asking me to "hurry up" because she was busy. I understand she has work to do, but if she cannot even spare a 30 second phone call, how can she even cater to customers in person? Good historical reviews or not, but I will not bother with this place. Shameful first impression... read more

I have gotten many alterations done here over the years and basically, if it's a simple alteration, she can do it fine, but she isn't very consistent i.e. sometimes she (or the person working for her) doesn't measure that accurately or hasn't made "both sides" look the same, and I notice these things even if it's just a couple of millimeters, or sometimes it is bang on. The prices are always very low so I take my simple alterations here and anything more complicated, I don't risk it. read more

I found the woman to be very rude and short on the phone, I called to ask if they would be able to design a shirt for me if I brought in a picture and she said no I don't have time to do that anymore I'm to busy and when I was about to ask if she knew of anyone that could she immediately hung up on me read more

Just got my XXL duffle coat tailored to be a little slimmer on my frame. The old lady has some sass, and truly knows her stuff. Brutally honest, so they won't set themselves up for work that's impossible. read more

May is fantastic. I visit her shop every couple of months for alterations on new or upcycled clothing. She makes the best suggestions based on clothing style, body type, etc. Her pricing is very reasonable. Love to receive updates on her adorable sponsored kids abroad. I hope that she never retires! read more

After reading the great reviews (prior to Rodrigo's), I decided to go there on May 17 to have two buttons sewed onto the sleeves of my blazer. Although the service was nice at first (she became very rude on later visits), the result was not only poor but also dishonest because she lost one of my buttons but didn't even tell me. Out of the two loose navy corozo (a.k.a. vegetable ivory) buttons, I only had one of the original. Hence, I needed her to find another one to match. I also needed to have some of the other buttons reinforced. All together, it cost $5, which is reasonable, especially since she told me she would look for the replacement. After 10 days, I went back to pick up my blazer. I was disappointed to see that the button she replaced not only looked worn and made of plastic, but was not even the right thickness as my other buttons. Alas, I didn't care to make a big deal but thought it would have been better if she'd called me before hand to say she could not find a similar one. What's worse is that I didn't carefully check the other sleeve since I assumed she had sewed back the loose button I gave her. It wasn't until a few days later that I realized the other one is not the navy corozo one I gave her; instead, it is black plastic with black threads! I can't believe she didn't even tell me. Around a week later, I found time to go back to see if she still had my button and to give her a chance to tell her side of the story. I was very calm and avoided accusing her of lying and instead asked if she made an honest mistake by confusing black and navy. She was not surprised to hear about the missing button, which leads me to conclude she knew about it all along. Regardless, we could not find my original button in her store and then she became very defensive and changed the subject by complaining about how hard it would be to find matching buttons in the first place and that it would have taken her "an hour." She became even more defensive when I pointed out it would have been better if she had told me she didn't have time to search on day one and that now I'm missing more buttons than I originally came to her with. Eventually, another customer came in and she told me to leave and find six buttons and that she would reimburse the costs. I cautioned it might be costly but she said "money doesn't matter," which was ironic considering how rude her tone was at that point--apparently customer service doesn't matter either. Nevertheless, I left and planned to take her up on her offer. But I then realized I would also need to replace the centre two buttons on top of the six sleeve buttons, which would be quite expensive ($10-20, especially if bought online) considering they're corozo and not plastic. So, I didn't want to take advantage of her and went back a few days later and told her it would be cheaper if she just refunded me the original $5 I paid her. To my surprise, she refused and demanded I bring her replacement buttons and that "money doesn't matter" even if it cost more--which again, was very ironic considering how rude she was. When another customer came in, she even complained to him about me! Indeed, there are things more important than money, like honesty and respect! I rather lose $5 than have to deal with this type of person again. And even when disregarding the buttons themselves, her sewing job lacked attention to detail; the buttons were not aligned to their respective sleeve buttonholes and the rotation of the button was also significantly off. So, I wouldn't want any more of her service anyway. Overall, her dishonesty and rudeness are unfortunate and disappointing. I feel lucky to not have entrusted a more complex alteration to her and that my blazer wasn't damaged. If you do plan to roll the dice with her, I advice you to carefully check your clothes afterwards since you cannot rely on her to be honest and forthcoming with her mistakes. Also, be prepared for her to lash out at you and even to other customers if there are any issues. read more

Love this lady and her work. It's flawless and you can tell she puts a lot of pride into what she does. She also made suggestions for what I brought her that I would have never thought of which completely improved my clothes. She may be older but she clearly knows the current trends and styles. Can't say enough good things about her!!! read more

I will not be going back there, or wouldn't recommend this place. My skirt was ruined, she hemmed it way too short. It felt like the measurement wasn't taken probably, and rushed. Also the back was shorter, and I waited a week for it, just to be disappointed:( read more

I had three dresses shortened last summer, and they did a great job. Not only was the service fast and inexpensive, the ladies here gently steered me away from my original hem length, which would have been too short. Super happy with the work and their expertise! read more

This place is a real gem! The ladies are fantastic, do quality work in a quick time frame, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Any time I need a quick hem, stitches fixed, or want something to fit a little better, I take it directly to May's Fashions. read more

I felt very comfortable with the tailor here. She was confident in what she was doing, and delivered exactly as promised, when promised. One thing I particularly appreciated was that she was able to give an honest professional opinion when asked, but didn't come across as condescending. I will definitely be back; in fact I already have a few other items that I would like her to fix. read more

I first found this place when I was working nearby. What a find! I have referred so many people to Miriam (yes, that's her name - not May" and they too have raved about the service. At Christmas she even gave ME a little present - but will not accept even the smallest tip. Everything she does is top notch and if not, she'll re-do it. I am now moving to Toronto but just took in a pile of clothes I needed done - I will miss her! read more

Went in for a suit pants resizing. She gave me her advice and saved me money. Job well done.

She is very professional and the work is perfect. Prices are very reasonable and she always deliver on time. I would recommend her to anyone who need to repair clothing. read more

I never write reviews, but my experience with Miriam was so unlike most of the other reviewers that I felt compelled to this time. I dealt with Miriam exclusively. Her prices are reasonable, but my experience with her overall was so frustrating that I will be taking my business elsewhere. I brought in several suits, trousers, dress shirts, and about 15 ties to be tailored. This was my experience with Miriam's service: 1. Repeated delays. I took my items in around mid-November. Miriam said she would have everything finished by November 30. However, when I returned on November 30, she hadn't started at all - she had completely forgotten about my order. She told me to return about a week later. When I returned then, she had only finished the trousers and dress shirts. Her excuse was that other clients had given her work with short deadlines. This was disrespectful, as I needed my clothes urgently too, for work (I would have thought this would have been obvious from the items that I brought in). If she knew she wouldn't be able to finish everything on time, she should have asked me which items to prioritize. I would have told her to prioritize the suits. She finally finished my suits, trousers, and dress shirts on December 20, a full 20 later than what she had promised. See below for what happened with the ties. 2. Unskilled. I brought in two suits for tailoring. She took in the waists on both pairs of suit pants. This worked fine on one pair, but on the other pair, it made the seat area too tight. When I pointed this out, Miriam became defensive and said that the waists on the two pants were identical. She lined up the two pairs of pants, and asked me repeatedly to visually examine them and to say that they measured the same size. I didn't see the point in her doing that, because my complaint was that the seat area was too tight, not that the waist was too tight. She wouldn't relent until I put on the defective pair and asked if she thought the pants were too tight. At that point, she begrudgingly explained that the two pants were different cuts, and agreed to let out the seat at no extra cost. 3. Dishonest. When I went to pick up my items on December 20, Miriam told me that she had only finished 2 out of the 15 ties that I brought in. These were high quality ties passed onto me from a family member. They measured around 3.5" at the widest part of the tie, and I needed them narrowed to 2.75". I measured the first tie that she had purportedly tailored, using Miriam's own ruler. It measured around 3.25". Miriam went on a long rant about how this was normal, and that the interface in the tie was actually 2.75". She explained that I simply needed to fold in the sides of the tie a bit and press it with an iron. I asked whether this would be a permanent fix, or whether the tie would revert back to 3.25" over time (this obviously wasn't a permanent fix - I just wanted to see whether she would admit to her mistakes). Miriam didn't answer, but instead went about pressing the tie with an iron, and telling me that the tie now measured 2.75". When I measured the second tie, I found it was a full 3.5"! When I pointed this out, she conceded that she hadn't done any work on it because the material was difficult to handle. This was at odds with her initially saying that she had finished work on these two ties. I don't know whether she would have charged me for both ties if I hadn't measured them in front of her. I voiced my dissatisfaction, explained that I would need additional tailoring on the ties, and that I intended to take the ties back to my tailor in Calgary. At this point, she rudely said that that would make her so happy. She hastily tossed all my ties into a bag. No apologies, no admission of wrongdoing. The worst part is - when I took them to my tailor in Calgary, I found out that Miriam had already taken apart two of the other ties. My tailor in Calgary told me she had even cut some fabric from one of them. Miriam did not alert me to any of this, and the ties are currently still with the tailor. I don't know whether they can be salvaged. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with Miriam's service. I will not be returning here. read more

Went in to get some suit pants hemmed. Did a good job at a fair price. Not overly friendly when dealing with them....but no real complaints. I recommend them and would definitely use them again. read more

I've called to inquire if they do measurements for bridesmaid gown because I need to send this overseas to have it made, the only response I get was "Sorry, I'm busy!"- What the? I mean I was willing to pay for it but instead asking me more detail about what I need, that's the answer I got. What a customer service, I saw all the reviews here but I think they might have some changes with the company or something. To my disbelief I ask her again this time straight to the point that what she meant for they are busy, so they dont do it? She just said we are busy! I think this place need a major reconsideration of how they handle inquiry. Poor customer service can certainly put you off to have them in mind for other alteration service! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! read more