Tiny Tailor’s Shop

I will not doubt her technical skill. But her attitude is rude, and her prices ridiculous (more than the cost of the item needing alteration itself). Beyond that, her negotiating tactics are dishonest – changing prices on a whim, coming dangerously close to extortion. I will never be returning to this establishment.

100% cash down up front.
Not cheap but well worth the price!
Ms. Lydia rescued my bridesmaid dress and although I was nervous for final result, it was being let out, lace reworked– it fit like a glove the day of the wedding and looked as if she never even made one change to the dress.
What I enjoyed most was talking with her during my fitting appointments. She likes the chit chat and I can’t wait to send her a thank you card with a picture of the finished dress.
She has a big heart, a dear soul and she’s very talented.

I went here to get a bridesmaids dress altered and Ms. Lydia did an amazing job with it. But the pay-​in-​full-​in-​cash-​up-​front policy isn’t my favorite, I’d much rather pay half before and half after.

Ms. Lydia is an artist. I’ve seen her do things with a needle and thread that blew my mind. My colleagues and I went to Ms. Lydia to have some things tailored prior to a photo shoot. It was our first time going to her, so we we’re sure what to expect. What we got exceeded our expectations. She is the real deal. Across the country there is a hunger for the quality of work that used to be done by the local butcher, cobbler, tailor etc. However, it isn’t just about the work; it is also about the connection between the craftsperson and her/​his customer. Ms. Lydia is an expert in both realms. Her shop does not look like some of the artisanal shops that are slowly cropping up, but that does not lessen her expertise and attentiveness to her customer’s needs. You can see some of the pieces she tailored at

I hate to give a small biz a terrible review, but thought a word of warning for the wary was important:
When we came, we needed a bridesmaid dress hemmed for an gal who had traveled internationally (and thus couldn’t get the dress until she arrived a week before the wedding). When we arrived, she got a 10 minute lecture about smoking (the purveyor had seen her smoke across the street) before we even got to the measurement part. Okay, fine. Great way to awkwardly start out with a new client. I asked for a quote on the hemming and she said, «I’ll take care of you.» Then, the seamstress took an extremely long time (over an hour) to pin the hem, pausing every other needle to sit back and chitchat. As an anxious bride trying to translate between two languages while getting this done expeditiously, this was certainly not my idea of a good time. We had to ask her on multiple occasions to re-​pin, as the lines were sloppy and it remained far too long for my petite bridesmaid.
Then, the ICING ON THE CAKE: she finally told us the price at the end, which was $ 125 cash for a week turnaround on a dress hem. We asked if we could have a moment to make a phone call and she knew that we were planning to look elsewhere — so she made a nasty face and said [paraphrase] «if you don’t pay now, I’m going to charge you $ 30 for spending an hour of my time on this.»
I was utterly shocked by the terrible service, the nasty attitude, and the outrageous price, but she knew we were over a barrel and took complete advantage of that fact. When we left, feeling completely shell-​shocked, we called David’s Bridal —– this was MORE THAN DOUBLE a Rush Hem cost for the exact same dress.
Shockingly (not), the dress was still too long when we picked it up before the wedding. But of course, we should have expected that — completely in alignment with everything we experienced: horrible customer service and the worst in quality.

Ms Lydia is funny! She always has some gems to drop on you! I didn’t agree with the price but she got my dressed right a few days early than the expected date. I will use her in the future.

Ms. Lydia’s services are worth every penny that you pay and every day that you wait. She’s old school… you come in and try on your garment, engage in some chit chat, she fits and pins it, you pay cash up front, and she tells you when you can pick up your items. She’s slow, but if you need the item by a specific date, let her know and she will work with you. I’ve taken several items to her over the past couple of years. I’ve walked out feeling like these items were made just to fit my body. For simple things like pants hems, I go elsewhere in the interest of convenience. However for quality alterations on quailty items Ms. Lydia is the only one I trust in Balitmore.

I’m just going to say it – Ms. Lydia is expensive as F**k. She will take your measurements and do all the tailor things with the needles and chalk and then she will tell you how much it costs. You will balk at first, you will feel slightly dizzy, you may feel the urge to laugh out load followed by the awkward moment when you realize that she’s not joking. And then she will ask for cash up front. There is no getting around this. I went to Ms. Lydia for my wedding alterations for my suit and paid $ 290 to get the shirt sleeves shortened, pant leg adjusted (not just the length, she did something that made that calf part a little tighter for a «modern» look), to get my suit jacket taken in and the sleeve length adjusted, and she adjusted the vest as well. Paying the $ 290 hurt but I looked and felt absolutely brilliant on my wedding day. When I put my suit on after everything was done and saw how it fit my body perfectly, that plus the general emotion of my wedding day actually caused me to tear up. Also, I came in about 10 days before my wedding and she was able to «rush» the job for me. If you want something minor like a sleeve length adjustment, then maybe going some place cheaper will be fine. However, if you want it done right, go to Ms. Lydia. Also, she’s great to talk to – very opinionated but you feel comfortable when you’re in her tiny shop – very much an «old school» mentality when it comes to customer service. I recommend this place very highly.

If you really need something altered, don’t trust this establishment. I don’t think there is any excuse for how completely unprofessional this operation is. I made an appointment with Ms. Lydia, came prepared to pay cash, and came promptly at my appointment time only to find the shop locked up and vacant. I never received any phone call or apology. It sounds like she is probably a good seamstress but for me there is no excuse for treating people with disrespect.

Miss Lydia has done good work for me in the past. She is expensive, but usually gets it right. She has now changed the way she does business. She has begun charging the full amount for the alterations before she begins the work, instead of simply requiring a healthy deposit. I should know better, but I paid her the full $ 290 in advance. It has now been three and a half months and I still don’t have my suits, despite multiple conversations with her.
Like I said, she does good work, but it has certainly not been worth the frustration nor the expense. Unreliable.
5÷23÷12 UPDATE:
After four months, I finally got my alterations. I got home and realized that Miss Lydia hadn’t finished the jacket; wide open seams with pins still present! Really? I called her and she said she would fix it. GEEZ!

We lived in New York City for 5 years and I could never find that perfect tailor. trust me, I tried. I had a suit tailored in NYC and they butchered it. To a point where I was ordering a new suit. We relocated to Baltimore and I brought this suit with me. I heard about Ms. Lyndia and went to her shop. wow. my suit fit like a glove after her! Amazing! Oh, and this was my wedding suit! She was fun to work with, flexible with us, and fixed a suit I thought I was going to throw away and it was my wedding suit. I just got off the phone with her and taking 3 more suits that I purchased to her.
A few things to note:
1. Real tailoring costs money. Be prepared to spend a decent amount for a truly custom tailoring job
2. She takes cash, up front
You will be pleased.

I wanted to take a few items here to get tailored, but because I live quite a distance away, I figured I should call first to get a rough estimate of the cost. I was told they do not give estimates over the phone, which is odd (I mean, how much price variation could there be to do a basic hem on a pair of jeans or skirt). The person taking the call was quite short and rude, seemed annoyed I would even ask, and could not wait to hang up the phone. I have no doubt based on the reviews on here that they probably do a good job, but I’m not impressed with their attitude and will definitely be taking my business elsewhere.

It’s true that alterations aren’t «cheap» but in general I’d say this tailor, though very very good, overcharges. Probably because she can, so more power to her, but I can’t afford to have anything tailored here again. My estimates come from many years of using tailors in NYC and other cities, so when I say this particular Baltimore tailor is too expensive, I mean it. On the hunt for a more reasonable place…

Lydia (the owner) took in a dress and a skirt for me for only $ 55. True, they were both cotton so it’s an easier material to work with but that’s reasonable for a quality job. I’m very pleased and will definitely return.
FYI– Tiny Tailor is cash only.

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about prices when they have their suits or dresses altered. «I paid $ 150 bucks for them to fix my pants and jacket!» Guess what? Alterations aren’t cheap. If you find a place that does cheap alterations, you’re probably getting what you pay for — ill-​fitting clothes that don’t look good. I’ve used Tiny Tailor with no complaints — yes, the one-​woman operation charges more than you might think alterations should cost (in reality, they’re competitive prices), but she knows how a suit should fit and will make your clothes look good. She’s also in the shop a lot — call before you show up to see if she’s open late, on the weekend, etc.