Cynthia’s Tailor Shop

Cynthia is my go-​to tailor shop since moving to Chapel Hill. I’ve taken her pretty simple things, such as taking in skirts, altering hems on dresses, and the like. Nothing crazy complicated, so I can’t speak to that. She does a good job, is friendly upon drop off and pick up, and the pricing has always been fair (in my opinion). Only complaint is that sometimes she does not call me to let me know my items are ready, and I have to follow up with her. Not a deal breaker! She is conveniently located in University Mall, no longer at her University Square location.

Devastating experience! I tried this shop during U Mall’s summer days since they had a promo for $ 10 pants alterations. Turns out, the was applicable to hems only and excluded wide leg pants… No discussion other than to argue in an aggressive and actually nasty fashion. Interesting to learn when I picked up my pants with a $ 38 bill! But… It gets worse as she completely ruined my brand new Orla Kiely pants!
The hems do not line up all the way down the sides, loose stitching that will undoubtedly pull and need to be repaired by someone qualified throughout. Waist band is completely uneven and under seams are totally exposed in areas… As if the bait and switch on the price and very rude treatment by the owner and her daughter were not enough, my adorable and imported summer ‘must have’ look like a pair of $ 4 pants from who knows where. I strongly advise others against bringing anything you care about here, let along a quality/​high end item!

By far the best tailor in the entire triangle, and I have tried them all. I have a lot of high end vintage and designer clothes that I collect, and Cynthia is the ONLY tailor I feel I can trust with fine clothing. Plus: she has a GREAT eye!!! She advised me on length for jeans and also jacket sleeves and it made all the difference. I have taken many of my vintage dresses to her — the quality of her alterations is so good that you cannot tell they have been altered and it looks like they were made that way to begin with. Many of the top rated tailors in the area cannot hold a candle to her. She is also a super nice, honest person and a joy to work with.

Well, I haven’t gotten my clothing back yet, but I found Cynthia to be very friendly & warm. I took some jeans to be taken in and some pants to be hemmed. I’ll let you know how it goes, but her prices were reasonable and I’m optimistic!
Update: husband’s pants turned out nicely, and she did a really nice job on my jeans! I had never had jeans taken in before, but now they fit like a dream. I’ll be back here!

Cynthia is wonderful. Came here from a recommendation from a friend, and I couldn’t be happier. Had my bridesmaid dress altered here, and the price was very reasonable.
A week before the wedding, I tried on the dress again, and the zipper in the back completely separated (the dress has a lot of fabric and it was a hidden zipper). I took the dress in on Monday and by Thursday it was completely fixed. She didn’t even charge me the full price for the repair, as she was worried that something she had initially done might have been part of the problem, which I don’t think was the case at all.
In sum, go here if you need a tailor! Great choice for Chapel Hill/​Durham/​really anywhere.

I was a fan of Cynthia for years and sent tons of people to her, even though her shop is not on my beaten path. HOWEVER, I recently clearly asked for something to be ready by Thursday, and even called the day before to say I’d actually come FRIDAY. When I called on Friday on my way up the hill, she matter of factly told me it was not ready. She did not offer much of an apology, and didn’t seem to care that she’d not followed through and caused me an extra trip in the 95 degree heat with two little kids. She seems to have lost her friendly side. I am so sad, but NOT GOING BACK.

She did an ok job with my dress. If you want friendly service don’t go here. I like to support local businesses but her attitude is not cool.

Cynthia’s is a little hole-​in-​the-​wall tailoring shop in University Square. You might have a little trouble finding it, but it’s fairly well worth the effort.
All the usual services are offered, nothing crazy or special. Alterations usually take a week, but Cynthia is willing to rush them if you absolutely need it. The pricing, likewise, is reasonable if not great.
Make sure you come in the middle of the day; the shop’s hours are significantly less than normal business hours (close at 4:00 PM at the latest).