I was absolutely shocked to see bad reviews. I have been going to May for about 8 years. I have given her extremely difficult alterations that others have turned down, lined dresses with ruffles and unusual cuts in the design of the dress and she never fails. I think she is extremely skilled. I think what people view as rudeness is just a cultural difference, in my opinion. read more

I'm perfect quality fixes she was attentive, and elastic used was good quality. Timing perfect. I would definitely go again. Good prices

I wasn't expecting what kind of perfect work, but of course I questioned why the finish is bad like this once I pick up the dress. Owner(I guess?) go like it's hand sew it can't be perfect, then I complained I paid $55 for alteration, she said "I only charged you $10 for the straps" ????????? Ok then I was going to leave because this is what it is, it's not gonna bother me much. At the moment she said "I no like you, you don't come back again" OH MY GOD???????????? Guess what kind of stu*** a** is coming here again to PAY you for alteration???????? I won't write this bad review if she never say that sentence. Such horrible service AND ATTITUDE!!! read more

Sew Good Alterations - Strap - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Should've been named "Not Sew Good Alterations." Called earlier and the lady hardly spoke any English, so communication was strained. She wouldn't tell me the pricing of any jobs- patches/ hemming up pants/ etc. When I asked for an estimate, she yelled at me: "I don't have to tell you anything!" and hung up read more

I've been pleased with the stuff I've taken in to be altered. The lady is direct, no frilly customer service, small talk, smiles or anything like that, but she does a good job. The process is you drop your things, pay cash up front and come back a week later to pick it up. You can try stuff on in a dressing room and she will measure and pin the garment. I forgot I left stuff there and came back 3 weeks later and it was still there thankfully. She wasn't mean about it or anything. I don't go to get a lot of alterations so I'm not sure if the price is cheap or not. It was $20 to hem the brown floral dress in the photo bc she said it was hard fabric to work with and the hem is not straight across, it's tapered. There is free parking in the back but it's small so you should find street parking for your Tundra. read more

Sew Good Alterations - Stitching up close is legit! - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I was looking for a place to repair a broken zipper on one of my favorite shorts. I contacted a few shops via Yelp and phone and this was the cheapest. My shorts aren't worth a lot but I love them and was so sad when the zipper broke. Some quotes I received were close to $20 which was a bit high for a simple zipper replacement... Luckily I found this shop by searching on Yelp and called to get a quote - she told me it would be $12 and I didn't need to supply a zipper and I was sold! Dropped it off on a Saturday afternoon. My original pants had a metal zipper. Unfortunately the metal zippers she had were a bit too long so she suggested a plastic zipper and she could cut those to fit. I figured it would do the trick so I went for it. You drop off your item, pay in advance and pick it up in a week. The process is fast and easy. When I picked it up, the shorts looked as good as new! I've only worn it once so far but it looks perfect on. Would recommend for any sewing fix you might need! read more

Went in this morning to inquire about having my sons pants hemmed. Lady was very rude. I asked if they offer hemming & what was the price. Lady said, "WHAT?" I repeated myself. She responded with "yea. $12 but take a week." I said that was fine. *silence* I asked if my son should try his pants on so she could measure it. *silence* I asked again. She replied, "yea go." Just as I was closing the drapes for the dressing room she said, "who told you come here?! Why you come here?" I said, "no one told me. We live up the street." #supportsmalllocalbusiness she replied, "why you come here?" I finally said, "I don't HAVE to come here. I can take my business elsewhere." She said, "ok, up to you." Packed up and left. Horrible service. read more

She's really good ! May is a very good seamstress and her shop is easy to find. She expects payment when you see her These days I totally understand. I've had dresses, uniforms and coats altered to fit me and everything is precise. She is located on Lill read more

Such a reliable and old school alterations shop! Came here about a month before my wedding to do some of my dress alterations and she had them ready in 2 weeks. She did a wonderful job taking in part of my dress, as well as shortening the length. Her prices are very reasonable and she knows what she is doing. I will definitely be coming back here for future alterations! read more

Great prices and the tailor really knows what she is doing! She was a little curt when I first arrived (no greeting despite me greeting her first) but after a few clothing try-ons, she seemed a bit more responsive. Definitely not a small talk person but really good at her job nonetheless. I paid $30 for a bridesmaid dress alteration (zipper removal and reattachment), $10 for a dress alteration (just bringing in the sides) and $4 for a hole repair. They take cash only and these prices don't include tax! read more

Read all the good reviews about this place and my friend Terry recommend me to come here. Parking is only street to get here, so that's a hit or miss. I met May the owner, shes from hong kong so we spoke in cantonese-chinese. She's does all the orders herself because she doesn't trust anyone with her high standards. Her pricing is also very decent. She requires payment up front and gives you dates to pick up if the item isn't needed so soon. She will charge you more for faster service. I think she only takes Cash. I took my bridesmaid dress w/my shoes here to get hemmed and I trust her professional advice. She looked at my dress and with my shoes on and told me why it needed to be at this length. I picked my dress up and it is nicely done. I would recommend her to my friends. read more

Read all the good reviews went there and they were closed on vacation. I need to go back and see if they can do some alterations. Its a little hard to find, but they're right across the street of Honolulu Med Spa with an orange sign. There's parking in the back but only for two or three stalls. read more

Did an okay job with my wife's dress that needs alteration but the lady who does the alteration is very rude and unwelcoming. If you don't care about customer service, I guess it's an okay place. read more

I went there for a small rip in my new pants. They fixed it in less than five minutes for a very reasonable amount. Highly recommend!

I would give a zero if I could for her horrible service and terrible sewing job. Where are all these good reviews coming from? Her family members and relatives? That store doesn't deserve any star. When I first walked into that store, I could sense her attitude problem. I should've trusted my own intuition and just left, however, I didn't. She sighed during the fitting. I should be the one who needed to sigh. She was not only mean, and guess what? She also didn't know how to sew. Her sewing job wasn't that good and also didn't fix the problems. She did charge me quite a bit, so I asked her to redo some areas. It was about this time that she started to freak out. She started to complain how difficult the job was and wanted to charge more for a certain modification, but I refused. If she can't do the work, she should've let me know at the beginning. When I went back to pick up my clothes, she just dumped it on her table without the original bag I gave her. There was other customers around. She just didn't care. Didn't care about the clothes, didn't care about her customer and didn't care about her work. I knew at the time my clothes was probably ruined and I was right. When I checked her work, I noticed that thread were all bunched up. And, she couldn't even sew a straight line, neither vertical line nor a horizontal line. She just can't sew! She just can't sew! She needs to change her store name to 'Sew Bad'. read more

Went to this alteration place to hem a pants. The lady said to come back in a week and put a date on the receipt. I went back to pick up my pants and she said she forgot to do it, wasted time. Will not return to this place. Parking is bad. read more

May has helped me with pant hemming and sleeve shortening. She always does a great and excellent job. Five stars.

I have been using Sew Good since 1994 and they are just amazing. I will never trust another alteration and tailoring service. Nothing compares to the high quality work that they do. It doesn't matter if it is a simple hem or alteration to a drastic garment size change, they can do it all and with perfect tailoring. They are the only tailor that I know that can do what is called the "morning" cut hem alteration on slacks and automatically use premium hem tape on the back to allow the slacks to hang perfectly as give greater protection to the slacks. Once I took a tux jacket that was way to big and they were able to perfectly alter it down to the size needed. It look just as if I bought it in the correct size. I have also had them add other features to suits to make them look custom made when I actually bought them off the rack. Sew Good does alter for some of the luxury brands, so they know how to do anything from the basics to the highend. All there work has been perfect for me and I recommend them first to anyone needed alteration work. read more

My go to place for any alterations that I need. They get the job done so fast and perfectly done every time. This is a hidden jem for services that I need. Her prices are so reasonable that I feel bad at times! Thank you! read more

Nice lady but don't go there to sew your GI patches I picked up my daughters gi went home and opened it she had the patches upside down and ridiculously crooked! She also put them in the wrong location smh! Here's a pic of one of the patches lol how can you sew it that crooked unbelievable read more

Sew Good Alterations - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I had to have my uniform altered quickly. And called ahead to see if it could be hemmed up and mended. She said yes. When I brought it in and she had worked in it right away. It was less than 10 minutes and it was done. Thank you so much for the quick fix! You're awesome! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. The woman at this shop is totally mental. I had foot surgery scheduled at the hospital around the corner but thought I'd better p/u some dresses that were ready since I wasn't going to be in that area for a long while. My husband parked at her driveway since it was going to be quick. She started mouthing off about how we shouldn't park in her driveway but should park inside. Mind you she only had one compact stall in the back and its too small for our big truck. I grabbed my stuff not saying anything and hurried away back to the car and this crazy lady followed me out yelling at me that he should have just parked in the street or the sidewalk. I told her it's illegal to block the lane as there was no room to park and illegal to block the sidewalk as well. She tells me park in the back then and reminded her that she only had one stall anyway so what difference did that make. My husband was in the truck ready to drive out in case someone else wanted to come through. Crazy lady, stayed yelling at me, because he was in her driveway less than 5 minutes. I don't care if she's a good or bad seamstress. You don't chase after your customer to yell at them. Horrible human being. read more

Went to get my boho maxi dress altered, the owner had me try the dress on then started making adjustments before asking me what I would like. First, the style of the dress was meant to be loose on top she started pinning my straps then the length but when I tried to explain to her what I want it's as if I didn't know any better and was telling me "okay we do whatever you want"..."lets just cancel the order okay"?! I was confused and left she chased me to ask back all her pins. I didn't say anything I just politely gave them back. She is a rude grumpy chinese lady and if you don't agree with her she won't alter your clothes. Don't go to her alteration shop if you have a more stylish clothes she wouldn't know how to hem the dress without losing the style. read more

This is a great place for quality alterations at a reasonable price! The owner/seamstress is very talented--albeit, a bit curt--and has been able to satisfy all of my alteration needs thus far. This has included hemmings, hole/rip repairs, and even a blazer adjustment that now fits perfectly! She typically takes a week to do the work. One time, she missed a small repair on one of my dresses, but repaired it on the spot when I came back in. It was perfect! read more

Well priced & 1-day turnaround on pants hem for a nominal up charge. Will be returning to her for sure!

Loved it! !I needed seamstress to fix my suit pants for an event that was the next day. The lady was friendly and understanding Easy, fast, and same day service!! read more

$12 to shorten the sleeves of my sweater with a 7-day turnaround. She did a quality job, so it was worth the wait. In comparison, Silk Boutique on Pensacola charged only $9 with a 3-day turnaround time, but in truth both did a good job. Unless you are altering a bunch of cloths or are in a rush, let location and convenience make the decision for you. read more

Sew Good Alterations - It's on Liliha Street, Diamond Head side between L&L and McDonalds - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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BIZ HOURS Sun: CLOSED Mon - Tues: 9:30 am - 5 pm Wed: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm Thurs - Fri: 9:30 am - 5 pm Sat: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm PARKING BLOWS (BUT WORTH FINDING) Metered street parking is available up and down Liliha Street. Might be limited depending on what day/time you go. If all goes to shit, park at Foodland/McDonald's on School and Liliha St. and hoof it over (brief walk). HISTORY OF MAE/MAY Forgive me, blunt-FOB-Chinese-mother-grandmother-and-master-seamstress! I hafta go back and ask you how to correctly spell your first name (*1/14/14 - K, it says "May" on her biz card, so das how she rolls!). May is a sweet, blunt, older Chinese lady who, prior to opening up her own shop 6 years ago, worked for years at a local dry cleaning shop as a seamstress. Said dry cleaner chain got bought out and she lost her job. Now, thanks to sewing-declined folks, like myself, her biz has exponentially grown thanks to Yelp! CASH ONLY!!! No credit cards accepted. Doesn't look like personal checks are either. If you need an ATM, McDonald's has a Bank of Hawai'i one. HEMMING SOMETHING? If you want something hemmed, like, say a dress or pair of pants, she'll have you try it on (she has a private dressing room) and show it to her. That way, she can start pinning it, figure out how much (or little) you want it altered, and get your direct feedback about it. Thus, BE SURE TO BRING ALL NECESSARY FOOTWEAR, BRAS, ETC. FOR YOUR FITTING. A WEDDING DRESS, A PAIR OF PANTS, AND A WINTER JACKET Are all that brought me here. I can't sew for shit and I have no inclination to learn this dying art anytime soon. In early June 2013, my wedding dress - which is a bridesmaid's dress I bought for $115 from David's Bridal - had arrived and I was in dire need of a reasonably-priced shop to alter my dress. David's Bridal couldn't provide me an good estimate (could have been $60 or $100+ depending on how much altering was needed), so I decided to go local. Linh's has gotten crazy busy, so I went on Yelp and found May. :) I called, asked if she hemmed formal gowns, and informed me that, while she was busy, I should stop in and bring the dress, the heels I was going to wear, and whatever else was needed (for me, it was a strapless bra). On a random weekday at around 10:30 a.m., I found a parking spot on Liliha and came in to her shop with my 3 articles of clothing: wedding dress, pants, and winter jacket. First, May had me try on the wedding gown with my heels and spent some time having me turn around in quarter rotations in front of a full-length mirror while she pinned the bottom + figured out an appropriate hem. At several points, she had me review her pinning job and asked if I was fine with the length (what do I know about sewing? Jack and shit. Thus, I placed all of my trust in her hands). Lastly, she noticed that the zipper and fasteners on the back of the dress were flimsy and offered to reinforce them. Grand total: $60 May only charged me $3 to fix the puka near the belt loop on a pair of denim jeans. I also had a long Roxy winter jacket that had a big puka (hole) in the inner lining next to an armpit. When I showed it to her, she immediately took it from me, sat down at one of her machines, and fixed it for FREE! Who in the world does that nowadays?! I was in no rush for my jeans or wedding dress since my wedding was over 1.5 months away, so she scheduled a pick-up day one month later (fine with me!). Pick-up was easy: she had me try on the dress again with my heels, made me look at it in the mirror, and made sure everything was fine. Additionally, she had me walk around in my gown to make sure that none of it was being caught in my heels (nothing like a beautiful bride falling on her ass while walking down the aisle!). Having her made planning my own DIY, budget wedding all that much more pleasant, enjoyable, and hassle-free. Mahalo nui loa, May! :) REVIEW #252 read more

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Sew Good is soooo good. I was able to get my pants hemmed in 2 days. I waited last minute to get alterations and it was done fast with quality work. Highly recommend for all your alteration needs. read more

In preparation for a friends wedding I needed to find an alterations place that would be quick, as my procrastination to get my dress altered grew to epic proportions. I only had five days left! Agh! May's sew good on Liliha street popped up on my Yelp search and I headed over. Warning, parking really sucks in this area, there is only sparse meter stalls on the street that everyone in the world is waiting for. But May takes walk ins and she's reasonably priced for the quality, $16 to fix my dress? So cheap! She told me that she used to make wedding gowns in China and that she does all the referrals from luxury retailers like Armani and Gucci on Oahu. My dress turned out so beautifully I had May turn one of my old Banana Republic work dresses into a trendier sleeveless outfit. If you want a quality tailor that's reasonably priced, and has a quick turn around time, May is the one to see! read more

After visiting both Sew Good and Linh's Alterations and speaking with them directly, I decided to try here. Both were professional and informative but I chose here because it's just a few minutes away from my home. On 3/20/2013 I dropped off 2 shirts for alteration (L and XL). Unlike Linh's where they ask you to bring in a shirt that currently fits you, Sew Good had you wear the shirt and she strategically placed pins on how much to bring in and adjust. She mentioned she'll be cutting here and there and I requested to have the sleeve hem brought up as well, where I was advised it'll be an extra charge. No problem here because it's more work and time so it only makes sense to charge more. To be frank, both places were somewhat "cold" to me as they both admitted they are really busy. I heard that Linh's has contracts with several stores in Ala Moana Center so she gets quite a bit of business. Sew Good mentioned that her customers tell her they saw reviews on Yelp and because of her good work, her business has boomed. She gave me a slip to write my info and when realized I had a Chinese last name, we then started speaking in Cantonese and she was very nice to me. I was asked to pay in-full and to come back on 4/3/2013. I just picked up my shirts and tried them on right there. I was shocked on how well she brought in the shirts. However, one of the shirts was still a little big on me but I decided not to say anything. She nailed my mom's shirt so I was just pleased with that. When I first met her she advised me it might be cheaper to just buy a new one rather than pay to alter large shirts. Because one of them was given to me from my mom, it has sentimental value. I appreciated her opinion and won points for being frank. Before leaving, I mentioned to her that I have a whole bunch of long sleeve shirts needing adjustment as well. She mentioned again that she's very busy but I told her it's okay if she took 1 or 2 months to complete - - no rush on my part. Overall, very pleased with her work. NOTE: (1) Parking here is a pain. You either have to find meter street parking or park at Foodland / McDonald's and walk over here. (2) In getting price quotes, Sew Good's price came in slightly cheaper than Linh's. read more

Great job! Got pants and maxi dress hemmed $24 total (cheaper than most when I called around). Cash only was a bummer but thanks to Yelp tips, I was prepared...well, not prepared to pay up front but that's what she wanted me to do. I fronted $20 since that's all I had. Ready in a week. Parked in meter spot across the street both times. Lady is not the most personable one around, but she knows her needle and thread. Would return and would recommend to anyone needing a simple hem job. read more

This is my go to alternation shop. The shop owner is very sweet and does such a great job. Her turn around time is fast and she has done so much quality work on various clothing items for me. Just a heads up, it's cash only! read more

as good as it gets! So, I drive past this shop daily and had intentions to stop in and one day; the need for alterations presented itself and the rest is history. I have a Tommy Bahama 3 piece silk outfit and the skirt needed alterations (ok, I gained some weight; what can I say?) The skirt is a double layered skirt so precision is paramount. May (the owner seamstress) looked at the skirt and told me what she could do and that she would leave enough fabric to expand or reduce the waist as I need. She also told me the length was too long for my height and her method of alteration would cure that issue. Politely she said she was unable to complete it timely as she was getting ready for her vacation and if I could wait; she will do I upon her return. Sure as anything, she phone a day in advance of the promised completion date. I pick up my skirt and I'll be darned! It's a perfect fit including the length and you would never know it was altered. The best part? Her price! I would have to say it is better than reasonable and since, I've taken all my alterations to her whether it's to shorten, widen, repair a zipper.... you name it she's done it for me and her pricing has remained constant! Parking is an issue BUT; for her skill, pricing and friendliness overlook the parking issue and am even willing to walk a block to have May take care of my alteration needs. Regardless of where you're at; if you need alterations done from simple repairs to tailored alterations, May and Sew Good is the place for you! read more

May continues to do good work...I've been going for over a year now...and she's GREAT! Reasonable prices and quality work. I love the jeans from Uniqlo, but the waist is always too big for me...I just take them to May and she takes in the waist without compromising the look of the skinny leg jeans...she altered an expensive Johnny Was top for me and it came out perfect! I can wear it now! Looking for a great seamstress....check out Sew Good...the one on Liliha Street! read more

Not the cheapest but fair prices. This place has been very good to me for several years now. I feel bad because every time I come in I'm about to leave for a trip and I need my things in less than a week. Most of the time she doesn't charge me extra for faster service. And most of the time, she's done sooner than originally quoted! I probably wouldn't use her for advanced stitching where you're looking for an ultimate fit. For example, she only measures one side of your legs for hemming for pants, which is adequate. But a more prudent tailor would measure everything for an exact fit. So you pretty much have to know what you want coming in. Other than that she's perfect for a quick turn around and for basic tailoring needs. Which is why she gets 5 stars! She has never disappointed me and I know I'm gonna get great service every time! read more

This woman was beyond RUDE! All I asked is if she had a printed price list and she hit the roof! She started screaming at me and said, " NO PRICE LIST! JUST BRING IN AND I SEE!!!" Gosh, sorry I asked. I went there because I live up the street but next time I'll make the effort to drive elsewhere! She hemmed a pair of pants for me and she didn't even use the right color thread for the hem. UGH!! read more

On my first visit to ask Carolyn to help me tune-up my machine, she was very knowledgeable, absolutely delightful and just a wonderful resource for quilters in the area. I will be back for lessons, classes and gosh- just freindship. She is so welcoming and helpful. It took her less than 10 minutes to send me home with my machine running perfect! Thank You so much. read more

Small shop in liliha! The lady can get the work done for you and she does have great idea alternatives with clothing you want to fix. She helped me on my dress for a special occasion and in a one week time frame, the fitting and mistakes were resolved! I'm for sure coming back. Notes: No appointments needed, just walk in Make sure you go to this lady in advance (more like 2 weeks prior to be safe) read more

Owner did a great job. I brought in a scrub top that I wanted fitted. Told her how I wanted it and she delivered. She also hemmed scrub pants and it looks great. Very nice lady, good service and not far from where I live. I had seen another one with reviews just as good and slightly cheaper price but I decided to on this one because it was closer to me. Price isn't that much more. For what I wanted done she was $1-$2 more than the other. Also, bring CASH. I'm glad I found a tailor I'll be going to for my tailoring needs. read more