Isel’s Cleaners

When I told my sister I was driving to Devon to go to the tailor, she asked why I was going to a place 5 miles away when there is a tailor on nearly every block. Honestly, though, after having two items altered at Isel’s, a 20-​mile trip wouldn’t stop me. She is phenomenal and then some – a master of her craft.
My first visit sort of irritated me but in hindsight it was the first sign of her absolute perfectionism. I was on my way to the gym and had on the wrong undergarments for the type of alterations I was asking her to do. She pretty much told me a sports bra wouldn’t do and to go home and put on a decent bra. It was a vintage dress and if she was going to take it seriously, so was I. It needed to be taken in at several points, a daunting task based on the construction of the garment and the fact that it has not one but two linings. The precision and quality of work is unparalleled, expertly and brilliantly done; the dress fits like a dream and convinces me I want everything in my wardrobe to fit as well.
I later brought in a blouse from the 1940s, a lovely French alencon lace number. It always fit me but just barely and I figured it was worth asking if the sleeves could be taken out ¼ inch – it looked like there was enough of a seam allowance. She nailed it to perfection, not a single sign that it had been worked on.
If anyone reads all my reviews, it’s clear that I also love Davis Imperial Cleaners but Isel’s has bumped them down a notch. I’d trust either place with any tailoring job but Isel’s gets grabbed the upper hand by being so nice and also for costing a bit less than Davis.

Gave my winter coat. Was told it would be ready on Wednesday. It costs 4.95. Came back on Wednesday, still not ready. Came back on Thursday, it somehow became 16.00 and was told that it was my fault for not telling her the correct kind of jacket.
The coat never changed.

The service is excellent and speedy. The woman who runs the shop is extremely friendly and helpful, and I saw many customers come in with odd, small requests– for specially designed coin purses or curtains– and she makes them all! Highly recommended for quality of service and the positive, community atmosphere of her store.

I’ve lived in Rogers Park for ten years and have tried out many dry cleaners in the neighborhood and beyond. About two years ago I found Isel’s. I’ve dealt with Mary, the owner, her husband and her daughter, and they all go out of their way to help you. Once I’d dropped off some shirts of my son’s to have them washed when my son realized that he really needed of of the shirts that day. Of course the shirt was no longer on the premises but they moved heaven and earth for me to get it back, washed! I’ve never had any alterations done but have seen that Mary can create magic with a thread and needle, so if I should ever need that, this is the place where I’ll bring them.

This is the best place near Rogers Park and Edgewater to get Dry Cleaning and Alterations. The pricing is really fair and the people are very friendly. They get things done in a timely manner and they are always perfect, ALWAYS. They also speak Spanish which is a plus and makes me feel like back home.

The most horrible experience I ever had. I took a dress there for cleaning along worth other clothes. Although I had no issues with any of the other items that particular dress was returned to me dirty like it was and damaged. The decorative snake on it was removed. I took it back and was promised to have it ready in a week. A month later my dress was still not fixed or cleaned and when I just ask that lady to give it back she refused and I had to call the police to retrieve my property. I never saw anything like that in my life!!!

I love Mari’s shop! She is so friendly and always makes my day. She was particularly resourceful with how to tailor a bridesmaid dress I brought in that had a complicated structure.

I’ve taken several items here over the last couple of weeks and I am VERY pleased with the quality of the work and the exceptional customer service! The first time I had a few items to be repaired and a couple to hem. I had to try a few pieces on in the shop and there’s a small curtain area to do that. She even recommended the «right» length of a dress for me, saying my legs were good enough to go shorter than I had thought! I love when someone has an opinion! She also told me that she could take one of my items in but that it would probably be too tight because of how she would have to do it, so I appreciated her honesty. Prices were reasonable and it was all ready within a week. The highest price was around $ 20 for shortening the hem on a dress by several inches; everything else was just a few dollars each.
The second time I stopped by on my way home from work just to ask how much something would cost to be taken in and realized they closed a few minutes before I got there. The owner (?) saw me and told me to come in. I show her what I want done, she gives me a price ($ 16) then says «but if you just want something quick so you can wear it once or twice, I can do that no problem.» I say sure, because I want to wear it this weekend. She tells me to wait a second and she sews it up right there! She then flat out REFUSED to take a dime for it, telling me she knows I will be back and that this is only a temporary fix! AMAZING!
Customer service goes a long way with me, so I am definitely coming here for all of my alteration needs and referring my friends who live on the north side. I can’t speak for the dry cleaning service yet because I haven’t used it.

Isels cleaners is the best cleaning and tailoring shop in chicago. Courteous and friendly service, VERY reasonable prices. I got a suit tailored here for literally a quarter of the price of any other place that I called in Chicago and she didn’t absolutely fantastic job. She also fixed a shirt the way that takes longer, when I had told her not to worry about it because I was under a time crunch, and she did it without charging me extra. This seamstress/​owner is the doctor of clothes. I went from not really understanding why people go to tailors and drycleaners to going there on a biweekly basis. Highly recommended!!!

Finally! A good an reasonably priced dry cleaners by my house! Love this place and love the woman who works (owns?) the place. Went to a few dry cleaners in the area before trying this place … I’m glad I found my «Forever Dry Cleaner». :)

Mary is just awesome. I found Isel’s on Chicago Magazine Best of Chicago list, and went in with 4 new suits. Her meticulous alterations took one week and were very affordable. She cares about her customers and knows exactly how to do the work. I came back with a few other tailoring challenges, and those were also handled quickly and cost-​effectively. I will continue to drive well out of my way for her great service!