Pontes James Custom Tailoring

I went here to get a dress pulled in the back. Unfortunately due to the material, it was very difficult to do and I didn’t get the results I wanted after Joseph pinned it on me. He is very blunt and honest but I personally appreciated that. He told me that he personally didn’t think it would be worth it to do the work because he felt that it wouldn’t change the dress that much. Although I was disappointed, he referred me to another place down the street and said they may be able to try putting in a new zipper with a special machine that he didn’t have. I appreciated his honesty and not trying to convince me to get the work done just to get paid. The only reason for 1 less star is that the store could use some touch ups, its a little run down, but that wouldn’t keep me away if I needed something else worked on.

If you need to rent a tux for cheap, this is your place. I was invited to a gala a few days before the event and rented a last minute tux from here. Most places I looked at were offering it for $ 150+ and this place gave it to me for $ 135. It’s a bit of a whole in the wall and the guy who owns it is very blunt (but awesome). Highly recommend!

The Zeus of the emergency alteration Gods. So, so grateful.

He’s awesome! I am thankful that others customers’ high review of Joseph led me to the right place! I originally went to Pattrapon Bridal to alter my bridal gown in Kensington, and was extremely disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm, high church, and long turnaround time. Joseph, however, was very quick in measuring me out, giving me a reasonable quote, and altering my dress in just three days! He shortened the length around my train and made the waistline fit. He is very skillful and caring. We were so impressed that my fiancé bought his tux suit and rented his groomsmens’ suits from Joseph. We will go back over and over again, and recommend him highly! Apparently his father, James, used to own this tailoring shop since the 70s.

I came in one day when a button came off of my overcoat, and he fixed it for «name my price,» so I gave him $ 10 for being a good guy.
So I went back when I got a new suit recently. It only took a few days to get it tailored over the Thanksgiving holiday week, and didn’t cost too much. I had a suit jacket taken in a decent amount, and the new pants hemmed for a total of $ 80. I then took the pants back because we decided it would fit better to have them taken in at the waist and at the seat for another $ 20. Total spending of $ 100 to get a well-​fitted suit, and I’m not complaining.

Unilocal once again steered me in the right direction. I needed the zipper on my coat fixed before I head out into the cold this New Years. I walked into this shop, hoping I could get it done by Wednesday morning (note today is Monday). To my surprise, the shop owner fixed it right in front of me and only charged me $ 7.
He explained everything he was doing as he did it, which make me comfortable.
Just note, this isn’t actually facing Wisconsin. You’ll have to turn down Cheltenham to get to it.
Also, he prefers cash, but does accept your credit card on one of those old card imprint machines.

I’m ashamed that I haven’t reviewed this store earlier. I’ve been here numerous times for alterations before, and he’s always been very helpful and upfront about what can be done. He’s always delivered as promised, and does a great job explaining what needs to be done for my desired look.
He finished my pants for about $ 12/​pair. It was a shade higher than what I was used to paying, but the quality of service and the location makes it worth it.

I needed a bridesmaid dress altered and chose to try out Pontes James based on the previous Unilocal reviews. I needed the dress taken out and also hemmed. The tailor was honest with me and did not make false promises since letting out a dress can be a challenge. I thought he was perfectly friendly, and he called me in later the same day that I’d dropped off the dress, to come try it on again because he’d already worked in it. That was a pleasant surprise, since my job was not a rush.
I went back the next day and found the hems to be perfect, and he’d let out as much as possible. Although the dress is still snug, it’s much better and I felt he did the best job possible with what we had to work with. Additionally he cautioned me to be very careful with the «invisible zipper» since they are very fragile and easily broken. So I appreciated the added level of care, speediness, friendliness, and job well done. Would be 5 star if not for the fact that it was pricey! I suppose that’s par for the course in downtown Bethesda. I’d definitely go back for any future alterations I need.

I had to have a suit jacket taken in. He was friendly, fast, and modestly priced.

I brought the coat that he had the sleeves shortened to my current tailor and she made several remarks about it.
First off, one sleeve was ¾″ SHORTER than the other sleeve. Second, the thread thickness was not consistent with the rest of the jacket. She thinks that two threads should have been woven together to create a thicker thread, more consistent with the rest of the jacket. Lastly, the sleeves were stitched by two parallel lines that were not very parallel in several regions of the cuff. I knew the stitching was not perfect, but when she pointed out the fact that the sleeves aren’t even, I was furious. I always thought that the sleeves were uneven because I wasn’t wearing the coat completely centered on my body, but the measurements clearly showed one was ¾″ shorter than the other.
She was reluctant to fix it because that would mean making the sleeves even shorter to fix the unevenness and the shorter sleeve was already at an appropriate length, but I trust her enough that I let her give it a shot. This is a serious mistake for a $ 500 coat. She also charged me $ 5 less to fix the jacket than he charged to hem it.
Fortunately, my credit card company will chargeback the transaction because I sent in photos of the subpar stitching and have a written statement from my tailor contending the issues with his tailoring job. We’ll see how the coat looks when I get it back next week. Worst case scenario, a $ 500 jacket is ruined and he lost the 10 minutes of time he spent to work on this. What a joke.

I brought in two suits for tailoring on a Tuesday and requested one be ready by Thursday. The tailor called me Wednesday afternoon informing me both suits were finished. He did a great job. It was a great relief.

Well, the job was done in a timely manner and the clothes looked fine. I had to get the clothes done in the same day for a wedding as sort of a last minute idea.
The owner was rather impolite and unfriendly, and I felt uncomfortable the entire time there, sort of like he wanted to make a sale and then get me the heck out of there. He was also extremely rude on the phone, almost to the point of hostility.
I’m rather curious how he receives any return business, but maybe the quality of the jobs makes up for it (maybe…). 3 ½ stars for the tailor, 0 stars for the customer service.

Efficient, competitively priced, and good quality…
… if you happen to arrive at his shop when it’s actually open. This morning was the third time that I drove from College Park, MD to Bethesda during Mr. Pontes’s posted operating hours, only to find that the shop was closed.
The first time this happened, back in June, I figured it was a fluke. The next time I went, I played it safe (or so I thought) and went right in the middle of the day – but Mr. Pontes had left and posted a note that he wouldn’t be back for another hour and a half. Then, this morning, I arrived at 10am (since his hours posted on the door indicate that he opens at 8:30AM on Thursdays)… plus, I generally assumed that a business would be open by 10am on a weekday. I was disappointed to find that there was a note taped on the door saying that he wouldn’t open until 10:30AM. So, I sat down on the curb and waited for half an hour. And then another half hour.
And by 11am, he still had not showed. I left and unfortunately will probably never be back.
For the record, I tried to call yesterday (to verify that he’d be open today since, like I said, I have encountered these problems with him before) and again multiple times this morning, but he doesn’t have an answering machine either.
I love supporting small, independently-​owned businesses, but not when they don’t respect my time.

Does a great job! No fluff, honest feedback and will send you to another tailor if he thinks a better job can be done; for instance, a favorite dress in a unique melon color needed a zipper repaired. He did not have one but instead of turning me away, sad dress in hand, he called 2 fabric stores to see if they happened to have one in stock. Success!
Also, took my husbands 1k cashmere and wool overcoat (mentioning price because cutting up a Member’s Only jacket, even if a prized throwback, won’t break your heart and wallet if butchered…)to be fitted and it came out beautifully.
A bonus: our order was done ahead of schedule and he called to let us know. We prepaid so there was nothing in it for him other than great customer service.

J. Pontes tailoring is a great little gem in the heart of Bethesda. I took in a pair of jeans and a suit to get taken in and trimmed up a little bit. Not only did he take his time with me, but made sure I was really happy with the outcome. He turned around my items in half the time he originally quoted. I plan on going back there for many years and getting all of my tailoring needs from there.

Old fashioned tailor. The store isn’t the cleanest but who cares? I don’t. I brought in a dress Thursday afternoon. Machine-​sewn, off the rack dress. Needed 3 inches off the bottom, and an inch off each strap. I was prepared to pay hefty for it because I figured it would be complicated. He marked the measurements, quoted me $ 40! WOW! Great price!
I left my work number (as I work in Bethesda) and by Monday afternoon he was calling to tell me my dress was finished! I just picked it up, looked at the seams and I can hardly tell it was even altered! The seams are so tight and neat, the fabric looks as if it was made that way. He said the straps were a little more difficult but I can see no flaws in his handiwork!
I would give this guy a hundred stars if I could! Everyone who needs tailoring and alterations should definitely go see this guy!

Old school tailor who knows what he is doing. I brought in a pair of suit pants to have the waist taken in/​legs shortened. His turnaround time is quick and he explains exactly what he is going to do to make sure it’s what you want. I was late leaving work yesterday to pick them up and he unlocked the door for me 5min after closing. The pants feel great and I could not be more satisfied. This man is respectful, has great customer service skills, and is a genuinely friendly person — a rare combination in the DC Metro area. I will go back for any and all tailoring needs in the future.

I brought a suit jacket in yesterday afternoon to get the sleeves shortened. The owner explained his alteration plan (and the accompanying price of $ 35 — a steal!) as he made careful measurements. He also gave me some good suit shopping tricks, such as noting buttonhole placement on the vent at the wrist if I need to have the sleeves shortened. He called me at 8am today to tell me he was done fixing and pressing my jacket. Sub-​24 hour turnaround time!
His store might not be the neatest but I don’t mind, as his work is impressive. I highly recommend this place!
N.B. Don’t try to park at the CVS across the street, they tow walk-​offs…

I try to buy local when it comes to goods and services. I am a videographer and from time to time, for some weddings, I am required to wear a tuxedo. Mr. Pontes Senior used to rent tuxedos to me on a regular basis until there came when he suggested I should simply buy one from him. This I did for a reasonable cost and it has worked out just fine. I still go to the store for tailoring or the occasional suit rental. Recently, Mr. Pontes Junior tailored my son’s trousers for a prom and just a few weeks ago, he tailored my nephew’s suit for his senior prom, all for a very reasonable charge and surprisingly it was done in 24 hours. I will be back again when the need arises but in the mean time, I am beating the drum for Mr. Pontes, a small Bethesda tailor and Tuxedo Rental business that many in this area need. Oh, did I mention that his tuxedo rental is a fraction of the cost of the big stores? Need I mention names?

I always walked by this place right when the owner was closing for the day. At about the same time, I’d smack my forehead with a Homer Simpson-​like ‘doh!’ because yet again, I forgot to bring my pants to get shortened.
I’ve found the trick to the best tailor, is to find a guy/​or lady who does suits. If you have a gent who can take a piece of cloth and make a tux, you have found your tailor. None of this, ‘my dry cleaner can do it’ business… If you want it done right the first time, find a solid tailor.
And indeed thats what I found at James Pontes Custom Tailoring. I gave a couple pairs of Suit pants on a Wednesday evening and got them back the next morning.
While the state of the shop is a bit of a surprise when you first walk in, the tailoring is not. Perfectly done. Professional job. Highly recommended.