Thorndale Cleaners & Tailors

Very few times in my life have I experienced this type of customer service based on my skin color. I am of Indian descent, but was born and raised in Long Island and have medium skin color (think tan). I brought in 8 articles of clothing to be dry cleaned because my boyfriend (who is Eastern European) has used this dry cleaner for many years.
Two articles of clothing required additional work. One jacket needed the pocket to be sewed, and the other needed the buttons to be replaced. The owner proceeded to make a phone call when I asked her how much it would cost to do the work. I thought she was checking the price.
Another white male customer came into the store and she got off the phone call, and all she said in my direction was «No.» She then started to take care of the male customer.
Needless to say, I was confused and asked her «No, what?» She then said that she wouldn’t take my clothes and that it was too stressful to answer how much it would cost to do the work, all whilst not looking at me. I then said, «You won’t take my clothes because I asked you the price?» And she replied, «You can take your clothes down the block.»
Down the block is a dry cleaners/​laundromat run by Hispanics. I can only imagine she thought that was appropriate because she thought I was Hispanic as well. I was close to tears because it was humiliating to be denied service, with someone else witnessing this no less, and on top of that my boyfriend had provided a lot of business to this place prior to this incident.
I would never be a customer to place that is that so disrespectful and racist. I gathered my clothes and did end up going down the block. Maybe it was a sign because the lady behind the counter of the other/​newer dry cleaner was a million times friendlier and the prices were cheaper than here! My boyfriend and I will NEVER be using this place again.

I called to ask if alterations can be ready within a certain amount of days but I was met with a rude tailor. I hope whomever she was attending to in person heard how rude she was. This is unacceptable and an easy way to potential clients.

She is overpriced, and twice now she hasn’t had my clothes ready on time … and I gave her four or five days to do the work. Both times I got no apology, just, «no, you come back tomorrow.» I also had her shorten the length of some t-​shirts and the amount she charged was outrageous. If you go to her for an alteration, ask her how much it’s going to cost first. She also opens too late in the morning for me to be able to drop anything off on the way to work. It’s as if she succeeds in spite of herself due to her proximity to the el. For me, there are too many other places in the neighborhood to warrant going back. If you’re just dry-​cleaning a suit, Smile/​Dove is much cheaper.

I was so excited to try this place after reading the amazing reviews. I needed to get a bridesmaid dress altered and went straight to Unilocal for suggestions. However, this was one of the worst experiences ever. The dress is a tight fitting dress, and I bought it a size bigger than my usual size so that I was sure it would fit me correctly. The initial time that I went there, I changed behind the extremely awkward curtain into my dress. She took one look at me and said «Oh that dress does not fit» and continued to talk about letting the dress out and making it look better (which is fine). She added up all my costs and gave me the price (which was nearly as much as I paid for this dress). I paid the money and left it there for two weeks for her to complete the alterations. When I came to pick it up, she handed it to me and told me to put it on. Once I was in it she pointed to my hips and my back and said «if you lose a couple of pounds, it will look much better». I’m sorry, I just paid a ridiculous amount of money for you to tell me to lose weight? That really does not make much sense. Then as I was quickly trying to leave so that I wouldn’t start crying in the store, she had the nerve to say «no seriously, do some exercising or something». I have honestly never really felt self conscious of my body, but this experience definitely made me feel that way. Also, the zipper hardly works now which is just the icing on the cake.

I brought in 4 of my favorite pieces of clothing that I had worn to pieces (seams came undone in places on each piece), and Thorndale Cleaners was able to rescue them for me! They were small repairs but they made a huge difference to me because now I can continue to wear these items into the ground … and bring them back to be rescued again!

I had a pair of jeans that ripped and thought there was no way they could be repaired, but they were! I have been taking clothes to be repaired or cleaned at this dry cleaners for a year and a half and she does a wonderful job. Her dog Toby is so cute and friendly as well.

I’ve been having Ms Kim do my alterations for years and I’ve never been disappointed.

Thorndale Cleaners is reasonably priced and my stuff also comes back better looking than before — perfectly ironed, steamed, folded, etc. I’m usually anxious when trying new cleaners due to problems ranging from over-​starching to new holes/​tears and shrinkage over the years, but the service has been excellent.
Edit: Cleaning is good, but tailoring is not recommended. I brought in a skirt with an unraveled hem, and it was restitched uneven, and when an very obvious contrast color. It originally had hidden stitching. Other small alterations were okay, but sewing skills doesn’t seem to be as good as other places.

I was inspired by the cute dog in the window to go in. We recently inherited an awesome winter coat from a neighbor for my 6 year old, but the zipper was funky. So I thought, hey! Cute dog, seemingly nice lady, I’ll give them my business. New zipper and dry cleaning for the coat, $ 25.00.
We pick it up last Wednesday, and he wears it with glee. It pops open from the bottom once, but I figure Meh, 6-​year-​old zipping skills. Then it pops open again. And then his kindergarten teacher asks us not to let him wear the coat because it won’t stay closed.
So I bring it back today, a mere one week later, expecting a «woah, I’m so sorry, let me fix that for you.» But no. Instead, she gets mad at ME, saying that I’m wrong, it’s a good zipper, see, it closes! And then she calls the cops who sit outside on me! I was friendly, polite and understanding especially because I had my children with me. The cops sided with me, but after she still refused to help, with a firm «no!» The officer told me to hire a lawyer and then leave. I am so humiliated! My eyes welled up with tears, and as I exited, I said «it’s not fair.» And then to the cop, «it’s bad business.» He asked me to leave, and said it was a civil matter now. I just am so humiliated and mad, and embarrassed!
All from a dry cleaner. It’s a shame, and indeed, VERY bad business. You do not call the cops on a customer because you refuse to do right by them!

I had a ceremony to attend and so of course I procrastinated and bought a suit last minute. I needed to get it tailored so I asked a good friend for a referral, and this wonderful location came up. The lady is extremely friendly, professional and passionate about her work. The finished product was amazing. I got the suit to her on a Tuesday evening and she was able to get me my suit by Saturday afternoon even though it was Christmas week. I needed my suit by Monday and she was able to get a procrastinator his suit by the appropriate time. She listens to your request and gives you good advise only of you need it, she is now my,“Go-to”, person for tailoring.

This is my very first Unilocal review. I was so overwhelmed by the thoughtful service at Thorndale Cleaners & Tailors that I felt the urge to write one.
Previous Unilocal reviews led me initially to Thorndale Cleaners. I am new to the neighborhood and needed a local dry cleaner.
Along with dropping off a few clothing items to have dry cleaned, I also asked to have a button sewed back onto a blouse. I could only find one button (out of two missing buttons) and asked her to just put one on and that I would come back with the second button once I found it. To make a long story short, she brilliantly found a way to add on the second button and tightened up my other buttons that were coming loose.
The owner is kind and thoughtful. I am so happy to have found a neighborhood dry cleaner that has excellent service with reasonable prices.

Wow, what can I say. This lady is awesome! I walked in like 5 minutes before she closed because I needed some buttons sewn on some pants. I asked if it was possible to pick them up tomorrow (She was was working on sewing someone else’s clothing) and she stopped what she was doing, told me she would do it quick and in 2 – 3 minutes she was done and did not charge me much. I was extremely happy and she did an amazing job! I can’t believe how fast she did it.
I played with her dog while she did it, it was farty and gassy but still cute little guy. I petted him and he was very friendly.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for a great cleaners in this part of Chicago!

I’ve needed this blouse repaired because it ripped. I was shocked at how well the rip was repaired. She did an amazing job and the bill was very easy on the wallet. I will absolutely return for every alteration I need.

This is the ultimate neighborhood cleaner & tailor which we all covet. Kim– the owner and mother to store mascot Toby– is very conscientious about her work and her customers. Unlike so many other establishments she will make special accommodations to the fullest extent of her ability. She’s friendly and her prices for alternations are exceptional. If she doesn’t get it right just let her know. I am new to Edgewater and wandered in to have some pants let out and was so taken aback by the service and prices that Thorndale now gets all of my business. You can’t go wrong folks.

I’ve been here several times without any problems. Most recently though, I’ve been pretty unhappy with the service.
About four months ago I brought in a pile of clothes for mending/​cleaning. One of these items was a fairly delicate 2 piece dress (a slip with a lace overlay) that I brought in just for cleaning. I didn’t notice at the time, but when warmer weather hit and I pulled the dress out, I realized that not only had she sewn the 2 pieces together without telling me, but she had sewn them with the lace overlay inside out.
I went back in and she took the stitching out and explained that she had sewn them together because it would be cheaper for it to count as one item for dry cleaning. I asked her why she didn’t tell me that and why my receipt, which I brought in with me, says that I was charged $ 18 for 2 dresses to be dry cleaned. She said that she didn’t know why it said that. (The receipt is really confusing, so honestly I have no idea how my charges were broken down, though the overall cost seemed reasonable for what I brought in.)
I also had a shirt with a lace hem that she had mended. After wearing it once the stitching immediately fell out again. I brought this shirt back in with the dress and told her what happened. She said there was a problem with the fabric, which was fraying. So I asked her why she charged me for it, if she knew there was a problem with the fabric such that she couldn’t fix it, and I asked to get my money back. She said that she wouldn’t return my money because it had been four months, and she didn’t know how many times I had worn the top. I can understand that, but at the same time, it is clearly a spring/​summer top, and she also acknowledged that there was a problem with the fabric, such that she shouldn’t have accepted the item for repair if she didn’t know how to fix it. To her credit, she said that she would re-​fix it right then. But at this point, I don’t really trust her with my stuff anymore, she has already told me that she can’t fix it, and I would rather take it somewhere else where they will take the time to re-​hem the fraying fabric before reattaching the lace.
At any rate, it’s not worth it to me to go back here when there are so many other options in the area. But, like I said, I never had any problems previously, so you will probably be fine.
TL;DR:
Here are my tips if you go here:
1) Don’t take any items here that are particularly valuable to you just in case.
2) At pick up double-​check all of your items in the store.
3) Bring in items in season, so that you can wear them immediately to make sure any mending holds up.
4) Ask for a clearly itemized receipt if you have a complicated order.

I had the sleeves shortened on two suit jackets here, after getting referral from a neighbor. The lady who did my tailoring was great. Nice, professional, and communicative to make sure she got the right length. Her fees were extremely reasonable and I’ll go back again!

I needed a button resewed onto a winter coat. I am sure that I could have done it myself, but I was much too lazy. I went to Thorndale Cleaners for the first time this morning, and I expected to drop off my coat and come back the next day or so.
When I walked in, I was greeted by the owner and a super friendly terrier. She asked if I could wait and only charged me a $ 1 for the service! While she worked, I petted the sweet dog. The little guy loves to lick your hands. Oh my gosh, SO CUTE! After two minutes, she was done.
I was really happy that I got my coat fixed quickly for a really great price and I got to pet a cute dog. Who doesn’t love that?
Update: I went there to get my jeans shortened (with original hem). It cost me $ 12. Toby the sweet terrier was there!

Always happy to visit just to see what Toby the dog is up to. You will not find a more conscientious shop-​dog than Toby. (And in cold weather, you’ll find him sporting some pretty sharp sweaters.) Everything I’ve brought here, whether for cleaning, repair, or tailoring, has been well-​handled and done on-​time. The very nice lady speaks English well enough, though I can imagine someone with lengthy, detailed instructions possibly having trouble here. As for me, though, I need the occasional zipper fixed or dress shirt cleaned, and this does well by me.

This place is great! The nice Korean lady speaks great English, so no worries on that front. I’ve found the prices to be immensely fair, even cheapish, especially on the dry cleaning side (3 pairs of pants and heavily stained jacket for under $ 30). All my alterations have looked extremely professional (by which, I mean they didn’t look like they’d been altered at all).
I also like that the lady in charge always remembers which clothes are mine, without my slip; it makes me feel special, somehow. She’s so nice that I can’t believe that the person with the one star review below didn’t provoke or misunderstand something. To address the other critique, I’ve undressed behind the curtain several times, and it’s no big deal. If you’re covered, why does it matter if it’s by a curtain or a steel door?
Anyway, both the attitude of the operator and the cost for service are MUCH better here than at Circle cleaners on Bryn Mawr. If you’re in the Edgewater area, this is a far better choice (the cleaners on Granville is also great, though there is a bit of a language barrier).
Lastly, she DOES take credit/​debit cards, which is helpful, and rare in my experience of dry cleaners.
Wheelchair accessibility review: Accessible through front door, and the owner/​operator always comes to open it for me, which is nice. HOWEVER, the dressing area that is behind the curtain is on a pedestal/​small step. If you can not get out of the chair or onto the step somehow, you will not be able to be covered by the curtain. Something to consider if you’re coming in for alterations.

I recently bought an adorable linen shirt on my first and only trip to Europe, and discovered that it had a hole in it upon my return to the US.
The hole was not on the seam, so I figured it’d be difficult to repair.
The woman working at Thorndale (owner?) was incredibly nice, and only charged me $ 2 for a repair that was complete in an HOUR. I’ve been ripped off by enough alterations people to know that was an awesome deal.
I will definitely be back (especially now that the same shirt’s strap came off, sigh).