Apel’s New Day Tailor Shop

Old-​school work; good as new.
While everything about Apel’s Tailor shop on East 27^th Street screams old — from the 1990 calendars to the 1974 letters of sartorial merit to the antique sewing machines — he somehow manages to stay up-​to-​date on men’s clothing.
Brought in a few old suits that fashion had deemed embarrassingly large. Walked in for a one-​and-​a-​half hour fitting session in which jackets were pinned and pants darted. Only concern is to avoid stepping on the years of pins on the dressing room floor.
Alterations proceeded at a leisurely pace, but when complete, the suits fit sharply with new ten-​year leases on life.
Cash only; 50% deposit at fitting.

Apparently his business doesn’t do collared shirts. What kind of a tailor doesn’t do collared shirts?

I love Apel! He’s a very sweet old man who takes pride in his work. I’ve only been to him a handful of times, primarily to get my long jeans hemmed shorter. I’ve never brought dresses or anything though. He charges $ 15 to shorten, and $ 25 if you want to keep the original hem. However he’s so nice he will sometimes charge less. I guess it depends if he remembers you. Not sure. I also brought in a coat that just needed the belt loop stitched up. He did it for me right then and there since it took less than ten minutes and said I could pay whatever I wanted (I gave him $ 10). Yes his place looks really unorganized but I’ve never had a problem with getting my stuff back (Jean hemming takes a few days). Also I guess I have a soft spot for him, on Christmas Day last winter I could see from my apartment window that he was open and sewing away. So if you need something basic to fix definitely go to him!

Apel is fantastic. He’s fast, courteous, professional, charges less than any other tailor I’ve used and his work is second to none!

Apel is my neighborhood tailor, and I have no reason to try anyone else. His prices are reasonable and he does a great job every time. He’s a friendly turkish man who’s also great for a little chat.
Edit: One of apel’s customers left something at his shop, so he called all of the customers that stopped by today to check if they lost anything. class act

He is a tailor for MEN doesn’t like working with women’s dresses — just hems and sleeves.

I needed a pair of suit pants tapered and cuffed and went to Apel’s based on the stellar reviews here.
I changed into my pants and stood up to be pinned. «Too big» Apel says… ummm…yea that’s why I’m here. «Too much work, I don’t have time for this» he continues. He was polite about it but what good is a tailor if he won’t do more then a simple hem?
Also, I should note that this place is filthy and disorganized. Might be best that he wouldn’t accept my pants after all.

I bought a SF Candle Stick snapback. The snapback part of the hat was this gatorskin design that I thought was tacky. Wanted to swap it out with a regular plastic snap and 4 alteration shops said that they didn’t want to do it. Found this place in Kips Bay and this old man said he would do it. He did an awesome job and I gave him an extra $ 5 cause he offered while no one else did. That’s what I call customer service.

Besides an excellent job as well as turn around time on tailoring, Apel is an extremely professional gentleman that is truly dedicated to his craft. Called him late on a Saturday after buying a suit and he said come on in while most places aren’t open at such a time. I soon realized he lives right above the shop, so I’ve been able to coordinate with him very easily given my busy schedule. He will be my go to tailor from here on out. Thanks Apel.

Truly the best in NYC. Knows his stuff and to the point. His prices are fair and he is fast.

Before Apel, I had never had a tailor whom I was excited to visit. He is incredibly warm and friendly, and has a great sense of humor.
He does good work, and does it quickly if you need it quickly. He charges fair prices (and sometimes less!) and seems to keep his shop open ²⁴⁄₇. Highly recommended.

A very kind man who won’t charge too much. However, I’m hesitant to rely on him, as his techniques may be dated and I wouldn’t trust his work on anything more pressing then hemming.

Had him adjust sleeve length on a blazer. Did the job for a $ 20 job. Tried to take a suit dress in for some adjustments and he advised he doesn’t do ladies items.
So, if you’re doing basic stuff I feel like he can get the job done, but charges a premium to what you can get a few blocks down the street.
Ladies — I’d go elsewhere.

Apel did a great job tailoring my pants and blazers. I came in on a Tuesday and he was able to get all of the work done by the time I needed to leave NYC on Friday. Friendly, professional, and an overall good value.

Apel is truly one of a kind! His shop is a one man show and his knowledge and passion for what he does is very easy to see. He will happily give you advice on what type of fabrics to buy for certain projects and where to go for the best price. When I was looking for fabric to reline my coat, he went as far to offer to call over to a fabric store on my behalf!
He has on multiple occasions dropped what he was doing to fix ripped seams on my coat. He even offered to do it for free one time. His prices are beyond fair and quality is exceptional.
A visit to his shop is like going to a friend for advice/​help. He is always happy to help! I feel very lucky to have him in the neighborhood! It’s heartwarming that people like this still exist in NYC in this day and age!

Apel is my go-​to tailor. He’s friendly, patient, does a great job, and has reasonable prices. You can see the passion he has for his work just by talking to him, and I never worry about him messing something up. This man truly loves his work, and it shows. A++

Awesome tailor. Fixed my clothes on the spot, charged a reasonable price and displayed an overall extremely friendly and caring attitude.

I brought a suit in for some tailoring and was so happy with Apel’s work, that I brought in 4 more. He’s a natural and know just what to do. I will bring all my business to him from now on.
Also if you attend Baruch, he is literally around the corner.
Apel, you are the best!

Horrible tailor– will nickel and dime you all the way while doing a horrible job. Beware, if you aren’t satisfied with the job, he will charge you twice to fix it.
Got a simple hem job on my pants a few weeks ago ($ 25, already too expensive). he recommended a length to hem them, pinned the jeans, and said to come back in a week. After several delays (he is very old and forgets what days he promises to customers), I pick the pants up, and they’re much too long still.
So I tell Apel they’re still a bit long, and i’d like for him to take them in a bit more before I can wear them. He replies back that it’s another charge – yes, another $ 25 to fix his own mistake. I thought he was joking, but to my disappointment he wasn’t. I ended up having to pay $ 50 to hem a pair of pants. Avoid this place and go somewhere more reputable.
A side note – he’s also ruined a few pairs of my roomates girlfriends pants as well. Just don’t waste your time here. The other reviews are more generous because he’s a sweet old man, but he’s not very good and I think the old age has his perceptions a bit skewed on how to properly drape and hem clothing. Just save yourself the time and don’t go here. I’ve had at least 6 tailors in my life in all the places I’ve lived and he’s by far the worst. Beware.

Pros — Apel is one of the nicest and humblest people you will meet. There’s no denying his humility is one of the reason customers keep coming back. He did a great job altering a jacket I had, by shortening the sleeves and fixing a loose button, all at a reasonable price.
Cons — Later, Apel initially asked for two weeks to alter a pair of suit pants I brought in. He did a fine job with the length but I wasn’t really satisfied with the tapering he did. It simply wasn’t as tapered as I’d asked for and it took too long. I paid $ 45 to alter those pants and three weeks later, I had to bring them to another tailor who did a much better job at removing excess cloth.
Overall, I think Apel is a great guy but he might just have too much business on top of him to complete larger alterations in a timely and satisfactory manner.