Minerva Tailors & Cleaners

Stay away!
Just opened my daughters christening dress that was cleaned and boxed.
One problem-​box was empty, stuffed with plastic bags.
CROOKS!

The women in the front desk is the most rudest person in customer services! She never put a smile on her face, so mean to customers. Never said «hi or thanks» to her customers. They can definitely improve their services in better ways. It’s not Angie, it’s the other woman. I assume she speaks Spanish!!! Avoid her!!! Never greet to her customers!!!

So I go to this place largely because they’re the closest to my apartment, and walking to the nearest Laundromat for drop off service is annoying. I do not often dry clean here, but when I have it’s been great, alterations always pretty cheap. They’re not necessarily my first choice in the neighborhood, but I’m lazy and it’s convenient, so there. I do utilize their drop-​off service probably once a week and never had an issue other than perhaps misplacing a few socks (which was probably my fault, let’s be real).
I go with Minerva because over the past few years I’ve developed a great rapport with the staff, they never mishandle dry cleaning, and wash-​and-​fold is as good as anywhere. Mind you though, this is not a freaking laundromat, it’s a dry cleaner — if you want your drop off service day-​of there’s a place further down Broadway toward Steinway that does same day. I recognize this and go to Minerva anyway.
That said, I have no idea what all of these negative reviewers are getting at. Angie is great, and really funny. She’s sweet and has never been mean or rude to me. She does have a «getting it done» attitude, but that’s because she works in a thankless, stressful wing of service industry. Maybe if she was rude to you it’s because you’re an entitled jerk?
PRO-​TIP: If people in the service industry are constantly rude to you, YOU’RE THE PROBLEM. Stop being a stereotypical, tone-​deaf, selfish /​entitled New Yorker and be kind to the people who effectively handle all of your menial bullshat. It’s not rewarding or fun work, so maybe leave a tip sometimes.
I have seen Angie deal with irate customers first hand, and it’s NEVER been Angie in the wrong, it’s always been the jerk customer who doesn’t understand how the world actually functions outside of their bizarre insulated bubbles between the financial district and Astoria.

Terrible customer service. Horrible people. Came in with an emergency problem on my only day off with my work pants that needed a simple patch for tomorrow by 2pm and george was unwilling to help and was uncaring. He also was going to charge me «at least $ 28» which I said was fine but not in time for getting back to work with them tomorrow by 2pm. I went to another tailor that is going to do it by noon in the upper west side who looked a lot busier and for $ 20. I understand that I was asking for a favor but not everyone has emergency situations and he should have been willing to do one more patch for a person in need.

I’m glad I found this place. Angie is always helpful and George is always busy sewing away. I see him working well past working hours. Turn around time on cleanings is always surprisingly fast and at the best rates in the neighborhood. Conveniently on my walk home from the train. I’m one happy customer. Thank you!

Absolutely no respect for the customer and horrible customer service!
I had dropped off a dress that needed the zipper fixed. At the time of drop off, I was asked when I would need the dress to which I confirmed I would need it the following Saturday as I was leaving for vacation on Sunday and needed the dress then. I was told that the dress would be ready, given an order receipt, and I went on my way.
When I returned the following Saturday afternoon to pick up the dress as discussed, I was rudely informed that the dress was not ready as the tailor had only checked the PREVIOUS night to see if he had an appropriate zipper available. The tailor did not apologize for not having the dress ready as initially promised. When I asked why I wasn’t at least contacted to be notified that the dress would not be ready as discussed, I was rudely told that the due date was NOT discussed or agreed upon. I explained that I needed the dress for trip I was leaving for the following day and that at least a discount on the price for fixing the zipper should be reduced since I was forced to go out and buy another dress. I was then yelled at for suggesting such a compromise and told that discounts have never been given in the many years Minerva has been opened.
I finally picked up the dress about 1.5 weeks AFTER it was supposed to be ready and the tailor completely ignored me until I asked for a discount again. After much screaming and yelling and complete denial on their part to agreeing on the initial pick up date for the dress, he finally lowered the price from $ 25 to $ 21…a whopping $ 4!!!
A simple acknowledgement of the mistake and an apology would have gone a long way in this situation. I will NEVER go back to Minerva for anything!

I have been a customer here for well over 25 years. So has my family and we have brought plenty of money into this business. The least they can have is courteous staff. The Indian girl has pure attitude for no reason. They don’t abide by next day delivery even two day delivery. Why bother. I stopped coming here in the first place years ago bc they raised their prices only to come back and give them one more chance. Total fail. Unbelievable! Everything is a bother to the Indian girl, Angela I believe is her name! Get rid of her it’s a sad shame you have lost me, my husband and family members for life!

Wow, I’ve read some of these reviews & they really don’t give the place or the customer service any justice. Personally, I find this place AMAZING! They know how I like my clothes done down to a tee. it’s quick & friendly service. I’ve been coming here for 5 years, I love the girls who work there, so charismatic :).
Hurts to see such bad reviews but to each their own, what can you do :(. Great service though, keep up the good work!

Yes they CAN press/​dry clean a shirt. but dont expect them to get stains out or give you your items back in the same condition all the time! I have lived in Astoria for 8+ yrs and early on, they ruined the buttons on a silk dress (oh, shell buttons during pressing «can get crushed.») is that normal?! quickly started going to Chic Taylor& Cleaners on 30^th. MUCH BETTER. however, i recently moved and Minerva was closer… they dry cleaned some stuff. but a recent stain on a silk top that dropped off the same day of the stain happening, not only did it not come out but, yup, they crushed my buttons again. the girl was nice about it. but un-​phased. She didn’t charge me. but wha??? Ugh, i gotta find another cleaner ASAP

NEVER AGAIN. Brought an expensive pair of light wool pants here to take off a water stain, told them it was a water stain, told them the pants were wool, these morons made the stain worse and then ironed the entire pants with water, completely ruining the fabric, the pants are nothing but burnt in water streaks now and completely unwearable.
I brought my pants to a high end dry cleaner in Manhattan and he basically said that the fabric was irreversibly damaged by these effen morons. Do not give them anything expensive, designer, silk or wool, the people who work here are completely incompetent and WILL RUIN your garment. I am reporting them to BBB.

The zipper of my jacket that I had dry cleaned here this spring was broken when I tried to wear it this winter. I hadn’t worn it since I picked it up from this place, so there is no way that I damaged it as I wore it.
It’s my fault for not checking after I picked it up but I never thought something like this would happen. They should have known the zipper is broke as they were putting the jacket in the plastic bag.
Now, I need to find a tailor and pay to fix the zipper.

These guys are great. Organized, computerized, take credit cards, deliver, remember how you like your shirts (I’m a light starch kinda guy vs regular or no).
The tailor George is a solid tailor (for old stuff who will tell you up front whether or not it’s worth making a change vs replacing items) for new stuff I’m sure he’d do a good job, too.
I’m taking the time to write this review because as I complemented the person at the register she told me she wished everyone was as kind… They apparently received a few bad reviews
It seems like the one off problems always take the time to review places. I live blocks away and got tired of trying other places — I broke down and signed up for Angie’s list and found this place (which btw don’t bother signing up for in Astoria they don’t have enough coverage).
People remember to review places good bad and ugly — I usually wait until I try a place a few times.
Anyway I’m getting off my soapbox and will continue to go to Minerva — my favorite cleaners so far in the Astoria /​LIC Area

AVOID laundry drop off is cheap but they dont get your clothes clean and for some reason theres always mysterious hair all over.
their dry clean doesnt even clean the spots they say they can get out.
Ive done tailoring with george and he is horrible with doing the job on time. he told me it would be ready thursday and it wasnt ready for another 2 weeks. he didnt hem at least 2 of my pants and some of the pants were hemmed way too short and ill have to get them redone.
customer service is bad
i got there at 5:02pm on saturday (they close at 5pm) they just looked at me and laughed through the window as i tried to open the door.
terrible will never take my business there again

I had a handful of decent experiences here — my clothing always was dry cleaned by the date they told me to return and the items were always clean and pressed nicely. Nothing was ever lost.
However, I recently took about six shirts there for dry cleaning. Not one… not two… but THREE of these shirts came back to me with holes in them. They’re clearly not the kind of holes you get when a shirt wears thin. They’re in random places on the garments (not places likely to be worn down from overuse) and look like they were caused by the material being pulled/​torn. I was luckily able to repair the tank on my own, or at least make it wearable again. However, the other two are a wool blend and completely beyond repair. There goes $ 100 down the drain. Oh, plus the $ 10 for having them cleaned, or should I say destroyed.
I was going to bring my expensive wool winter coat here for a cleaning before it’s time to wear it this season, but there is NO chance I’m risking it being damaged now. Time for me to find another local cleaner… it’s just a shame that the most convenient one is now off limits!

I haven’t tried the dry cleaning service yet but George the tailor is amazing! After losing a bit of weight over the last few months, I needed to get about 15 pieces of work clothes tailored and spread them out over a few places around Astoria as I needed them by the end of the week. George at Minerva ended up doing an impeccable rush job on my black suit jacket. The thing was difficult and had double vents, which essentially means the whole thing needed to be taken apart first.
The thing fits like a dream now and just in time for my flight the next morning. He did such a great job and in such a short time too. I’m forever grateful!

I have been going there for 2 years and have never had a big issue (just minor ones not worth mentioning) …but now they seem to have lost my clothes! I pray they find it and I change this review because it trully was my favorite «go-​to» clothes!
Just to see that the reviews below mine — also with 2 or less stars — have been found «useful» by other Unilocal users says a lot! :(:(I want my clothes back. Im so heartbroken over this!!!

I have never been there — this review is on behalf of my roommate, who just had his second terrible experience there. The first bad experience happened about a year ago when he dropped off a suit and was explicit about the date he needed it back, due to a job interview. The assured him it would be ready. He went to pick it up the day the morning of his interview and it was not there, so he was forced to go out and buy a new shirt and then borrow a suit from a friend.
Almost a year later he decided that perhaps it had been a one-​time issue, and that because it was so cheap and close to our apt, he would give them a second chance. He dropped things off to be cleaned Wednesday morning on his way to work and they told him that it would be ready late afternoon Friday. He just went out in the disgusting sleet/​snow to pick up his dry cleaning and once again, its is not ready. Not only do they not have his stuff (again), but they failed to even apologize.
Bottom line: The (relatively) inexpensive prices are not worth the shitty customer service and inability to deliver as promised.

The people that work here were always rude but I put up with it because they are right by my apartment and very convenient. However, in 2 weeks time the following happened, and I refuse to ever set foot in that place again:
— I dropped off a dress that I needed to have a button sewn back on and dry cleaned. The dress had a matching slip inside because it is see-​through. When I got the dress back, the slip was missing, which means I can never wear it again. So I spent $ 5(!) for the button + $ 8 for dry cleaning for something I can never wear. Not to mention the actual cost of the dress.
— My boyfriend brought in a pair of pants to be altered. They took his measurements, and they were supposed to be ready a week later. Well, one week later they called and said they lost the measurements, so he had to give them all over again, which delayed the pants another week from being finished.
When I went to pick up the pants, there were 2 girls working there. One was helping a customer and anther just standing there. She said «we’re closed». I looked at their clock and it said 7:01. What time do you close I asked. «7 — but that clock is slow». She refused to give me the pants, which had already been prepaid for by my boyfriend. All she literally had to do was press the button until the pants came around and hand them to me. But no, it was 7:01 already. To top it off, when I got home, I looked at my phone and the time said 7:00, which means THEIR clock was fast, and she basically lied to my face, as it was before 7pm when I got there.

excellent service and great staff! love it.

This is one of the worst dry cleaners in Astoria. I decided to use them because they are close to the subway, but they do a horrific job and are over priced. They charge over $ 10 for a cotton sundress, it takes them almost a week to get anything back, and half the time your clothes are still dirty. The cleaning solutions they use also smell. If you happen to get caught in the rain wearing something they dry cleaned, you will smell like a wet dog. I have just one word: horrible.