American Valet Service

Great place. The owners and their family are always there and really make you feel like an appreciated customer. Would highly recommend if you live in upper NW!

I don’t usually post reviews on Unilocal but I was so frustrated by the service here that I couldn’t wait to post this. I dropped off two VERY expensive pairs of heels to have the heel tips replaced. They seemed nice enough so I was hopeful I’d be a returning customer. I came back a week later to pick up my heels and they asked for a ticket, which I don’t remember the guy ever giving me one. I had the business card he gave me but unfortunately that’s all I had from them. The lady was nice enough and grabbed a bag for me which I gladly paid for and left. For some reason I drove all the way home before I thought to check the bag to see if both pairs of heels were there. Just my luck they weren’t. So I turned around and came back. I told the man that I had two pairs in my order and he kept telling me I must be confused. Hello, I think I would know where I left my shoes. After a lot of eye rolling and huffing and puffing and a whole lot of RUDE comments he finally found my heels. I paid and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The worst customer service ever. I’ll never be going back. I suggest you learn how to interact with your customers better.

I go here for dry cleaning and laundering/​pressing of dress shirts, and I’ve found the service to be very good. They are very efficient, and everyone who I have dealt with have been very pleasant. They have it ready the next day no problem, maybe sooner should it be needed. Also the prices are quite good, and they have a student discount for dry cleaning.

so, this place is no longer awesome for dry cleaning. not sure what happened, but three of my things were destroyed at the same time. navy silk dress was destroyed, not sure of the chemicals used, but the dress is not almost gray with an extra stain?!, lavender blouse has a hole in it, and I guess they forgto to even dryclean my jacket.
sad, they did such good work before… well atleast I dont have to go all the way to Tenley to get my drycleaning.

Good dry cleaners. Honest owner also, as I came in to have my shoes shined (I believe $ 8 per pair), but instead directed me to the proper shoe cream and horsehair brush ($ 12 total) so that I could save money over the next few months rather than need to make repeated visits for each polish. There is easily enough shoe cream to last me for the next 3 months, polishing about once per week, whereas he could have just taken the $ 8 for only a one-​time polish so that I would have to keep coming back. I appreciated that he helped me out in the long-​term and that the money was not as important as making sure I got the best value for my purchase. I will continue to come here to buy polish, brushes, scuff cleaner, etc.

Great prompt dry cleaning service. Had to get something done in a rush and they were able to do it the same day. Have had shirts, pants and a jacket dry cleaned and have been very happy with the results.

Speedy, decently priced service!
Stopped by with my heavy coat needing a button put back on and others reinforced. Margaret helped sew the one button on and reenforced every single other button on my multiple-​button coat within 15 minutes and for ten dollars! I was expecting having to leave my coat for an extended time and much high price. Margaret even showed me how to do it myself if needed again. This place seemed to have a huge regular client base, as every client walking in the back door greeted Margaret by name.

I called ahead to ask if they would be able to replace a zipper on a duffle bag. The woman on the phone kindly explained that they certainly could and it would cost about $ 8 – 12. I took my duffle to the shop; the man at the counter was more interested in his TV than his customers. He told me they don’t replace zippers on duffle bags.

This is a review of the shoe repair only, not the dry cleaning. I took two pairs of shoes here to have the soles repaired. After one month, the sole (not the heel, the entire sole) fell off of one pair and the second pair was beginning to come off. I got a lot of attitude when I returned them and the second repair was very sloppy. I will NEVER be going back here again.

As one reviewer stated, the staff is hostile. But more significantly, the shoe repair work was shabby. I brought a shoe in to be repaired and rather than fix it properly, the sling back strap was carelessly glued to the rest of the shoe. When I tried it on, the strap broke again instantly. I took the shoe back to ask for a refund and the owner and staff refused to give me the full amount stating instead they did not believe they charged that much for such a bad job! Not only did they not repair the shoe but they were very rude and disrespectful as well.

Good service and very accommodating. Got a suit and 5 shirts cleaned from there and everything was ready next day.

Wonderful! Super old-​school, friendly neighborhood drycleaner. The owner started recognizing me on just my second visit. The cleaning is done on-​premises (I believe) and is done super quickly for a wonderful price. Been using them for two months now and haven’t been disappointed once.
The one caveat is that a woman who works there (I’m not sure if there’s more than one woman, but I’ve only seen one) isn’t as friendly when I interact with her as opposed to one of the brothers. But still, a quality drycleaning situation. I haven’t tried them for shoe repair yet.
Reasonable prices compared to some other places!

I love American valet they are very considerate and understanding people when you are in a hurry they are always there to help. The pricing is actually very reasonable compared to other dry cleaners in the area. The cashiers are pleasant and they know there customers by name. They have been in business 73 years and is family owned. They are human but if something goes wrong they have no problem fixing or paying for the mistake, they are the best dry cleaners in Washington and that is a fact!!! I highly recommend this place to everyone.

HOSTILE STAFF AND THEY DESTROY YOUR PROPERTY. DO NOT EVER COME HERE! CYNTHIA IS EXTREMELY RUDE AND UNSTABLE.
I came here this morning and was horrified by the experience I had there. I will never come here again and am warning you now about this place.
I went in last week to have my black high heels repaired. My pup had chewed the heels and left some damage. I asked CYNTHIA who works at the cashier if they could repair them and she said yes. When I came to pick them up this morning, the heals were still destroyed. All they had done was glue a new tip on each heal. Cynthia was at the register again and said the price was $ 35.
I explained to Cynthia that it seemed unfair to charge me for shoes that were not repaired, after I had clearly explained that I was paying for them to be repaired. She snatched them out of my hands and stashed them below the register. Cynthia told me to leave and then ignored me as she dealt with two additional customers. She said that they «don’t repair heals» and only do the «tip». I told her that I had had several boots here repaired in the past, and that shoe repair stores are often in the business of repairing shoes in their entirety. I explained that if she was unable to repair the shoes, then perhaps that information might have been logically helpful to provide when I had visited the store the week prior.
I still had a dress that was dry cleaned and I asked her twice if I could pay for it and leave. She then started yelling at me that she can’t be «snappy» because she is working alone. She helped two other men behind me as I stood there for almost twenty minutes.
Beyond the fact that AMERICAN VALET charges you for repairs that they assure you they will make but do not, they also tend to misplace people’s shoes. I have seen this happen twice. I understand that stores can be busy and that it is tricky to find a way to keep track of items. Having said that, screeching at your customers and snatching their property perhaps is not the best way to ameliorate the situation.
Until CYNTHIA is fired and learns some basic in customer service and adult behavior, I will be frequenting any one of the numerous shoe repair and dry cleaning establishments along Wisconsin Avenue.

Just getting out a sport coat that was repaired here and am depressed about the quality of the work. In fact, I’m remembering that most of the tailoring work here was shoddily done and seemingly half-​assed. Go someplace else for the tailoring.
I still stand by my original review of the cobbler though. That guy is good!

I love my shoes, but unfortunately, the more I love them, the more worn out they get. However, I do take good care of them, and ever since I moved here, I’ve been trying to find a place to repair them for a decent price and good service.
I’ve found that most places in DC charge you an arm and a leg, and the quality of the materials they were using wasn’t that great where I found myself having to get the heels replaced more often than usual.
When I got my new pumps with leather soles, I tried this place to add rubber to the soles after reading the reviews on Unilocal.They did an excellent job (very sturdy material and clean finish) with a short turnaround (it was ready in two days).
Since then, I’ve been back to replace the heels on my many boots (yay for boot season!), and each time I’ve been satisfied with the consistent quality of service and prices. Also, the gentleman at the front (Joe?) is always friendly, and he seems to be like that towards all the customers that stop by.
* They’re open M-​F 7:30am to 6:30pm, and on Sat 8am to 6pm.

I just found my shoe guy in Tenleytown at American Valet… I’m thrilled. I was about to throw out 3 pairs of shoes that I loved, but were completely worn out. Note — his services are not cheap, but they’re way more affordable than brand new designer shoes! I brought in three pair of pointy-​toe shoes — two pair leather boots and one pair of pumps that had all types of issues from heel-​to-​toe. The owner (Joe I believe) gave me an honest assessment, made recommendations, and gave me 10% off the top when all was said-​and-​done. I just got the shoes back and they’re like new — shiny and ready to be beaten up by yours truly once again!
Note — if you’re a first-​time customer, make sure Joe knows so he’ll take care of you.
He also does alterations and dry cleaning, so I look forward to utilizing more of their services in the near future!

Have you ever heard the phrase, «Taken to the Cleaners?» It was inspired by this place. My wife and I had a comforter cleaned and they charged us $ 30 more than what we were told over the phone. The curly haired owner in his fifties or sixties eventually relented but it was like pulling teeth to get him to do the right thing.
Before the comforter, I brought in my suit, a bunch of shirts and a few ties and it was around $ 50! If you have to go here, be sure you know the prices AHEAD of time.

The shoe repair was great and fairly reasonably priced at $ 11 a pair (something about the way I walk makes sidewalks eat my heels).
However, these people are not magicians and my heels certainly do not look brand new.
Had the person working the desk not given off the vibe that I was completely inconveniencing his viewing of «Family Feud» and had he not almost given me the wrong shoes (make sure you open that bag to check!), they would have received four stars. Too bad, so sad, do your job.

Two of my favorite pairs of black shoes were in serious need of repair. One pair needed to be completely re-​soled and the other just needed new heels. A friend had recommended American Valet so I decided to try them out. I also had some dry cleaning to be done so I figured I’d just drop everything off here and see how it turned out.
I stopped in with my stuff on Saturday and I just re-​collected my shoes and shirts yesterday. I was so pleased to find my shoes in a wearable state again! They were kind of expensive — but I figured it was still cheaper than going out and buying ONE pair for the same price when I can just fix TWO pairs that I already love. As the guy kept bringing my things to the counter, he knocked down the prices of my shoes and shirts because he saw how expensive it was getting. I think in all, he took $ 15 off of my total bill which I am ever so grateful for!
I definitely recommend AV if you need your shoes repaired — they will get the job done and it won’t cost you your arm AND your leg.