Without A Trace Weavers

These folks are seriously talented! I’ve sent them torn suit pants, snags of all sorts. But this last fix was amazing. Brand new tie. First time out it snags! $ 150 down the drain. I kept it for months then decided to see if they might be able to repair it. You won’t be disappointed.

I have to reduce my two stars to one since Michael is a lunatic both in the way he responds to customers and social media savy. My latest tirade voice mail from him accusing me of fraying the weave on the edges to enhance the photo is actually the result of me wearing the pants two times with a suit jacket of course to cover the «Weave», I was never directed to a website to review what it would look like so that is also inaccurate. Word of advice to Michael «hire a social media coach or make sure with 100% certainty that you never have a negative review so you don’t have to call customers and berate them. This seems to be a recurring theme in your reviews so I would think at some point you would learn a lesson.

Please, please, PLEASE do not go here! I cannot stress this enough and I would give 0 stars if I could.
I took a beautiful brown Veda leather jacket to get cleaned here. They originally said 2 – 3 weeks to clean it. I said that was fine and asked for it to be cleaned and waterproofed. After 3 ½ weeks, I called to check the status. They said it would be ready at the end of the week. Friday of that week, I called AGAIN and they said it would be in next Friday. I was a little annoyed, but dealt with it (this was now 5 weeks after the original 2 – 3 week quote). I went in the following Friday and asked for my jacket. What they brought out was so far from my jacket I burst into tears right in the store. It was the wrong color (how does this even happen?) and instead of the beautiful, buttery soft leather it once was, it was rough and plasticky. I was so incredibly disappointed. They said they could fix it and that it would be ready for pick-​up the following week. So I let them try to fix it and called back the following week. Whomever answered the phone was so rude and told me that I was wrong to thing it would be ready in one week. Ummm, excuse me?! When it finally WAS ready 2 weeks later, it was still not the right color nor texture. My $ 1000 leather jacket was officially ruined. While they didn’t charge me for destroying it, they didn’t offer to replace it either! (not like they could; this style of jacket hasn’t been sold for 2 years!)
Please, do NOT take anything here. The person I spoke with on the phone was so rude (as others have mentioned) and they DESTROYED my beautiful jacket! I am so sad that I took it there and I wish I would have done more research. (speaking of — anyone know of a GOOD leather cleaner in Chicago!?)

If I could give this business no stars I would. I brought in a suit jacket to have the ripped fabric around a button repaired. I was told I would see the outline because it would be a patch and I signed off on that, So, I picked up the jacket and first of all it wasn’t pressed and the fabric is puckering… It is a much larger patch than it needs to be. We called the owner of the shop and this man knows nothing about customer service. All he did was yell and say that I was shown a picture of what it would look like. Well, that absolutely never happened!!! He actually called me a liar! I’m not sure how this man does business like that… but we were in a «shouting» match for 20 minutes on the phone because all he did was yell and talk over us and never let us finish a sentence. It is an expensive suit with an expensive «repair» that cannot be worn again.

We use to live in Chicago, but didn’t get a chance to bring some ripped suits in before we moved to Tampa, Florida. So once one more suit ripped I knew I had to contact Without a Trace Weavers. After pleasant emailing about the suits, I ended up sending 3 Hugo Boss suits, coat and pants, with ripped up elbows for reweaving. We were kept in the loop about the process and contacted about how much it would cost. It took 3 – 4 weeks and $ 300 to complete and now my husband has 3 suits back in commission. Much less expensive than 3 brand new suits. I can only tell where the patch is if I look really close. I highly recommend them for business suit repair and will definitely use them again in the future!

If I could give this place a million stars I would!!!
I had a Gucci purse that needed some deep cleaning. I sent it in to Gucci and 3 months later I received the bag back. Unfortunately it had a letter attached to it stating that they were unable to clean my bag. Ummm WHAT!!! Thanks for keeping it for 3 months and then telling me via letter that you did absolutely nothing. A little bit of googling and a few personal recommendations later I decided to bring it to Without A Trace. I just got it back a couple hours ago and I am still in awe. Truly unbelievable. It looks just like the day I purchased it. Maybe even better if thats possible. $ 55 dollars is an absolute bargain for what they did!
Thank you Without A Trace!!!

I’ve brought a handful of designer handbags to Without A Trace for repairs and cleaning and have never been disappointed! They completely restored a Marc Jacobs Stella bag that I have used near-​daily for work over the last decade and have also done a great job with handle/​zipper repair and cleanup of several of my Prada and Kate Spades. At this point, I would not take my bags anywhere else in Chicago for a tune up!

My experience with Michael, the owner, was fantastic. I had stored my fur at Chicago Fur Outlet, which was owned by a shady sketch-​ball who wouldn’t give me my furs back. When the Fur Outlet went out of business (surprise, surprise), Michael was able to track down my fur and have it sent to my house. He was so helpful and polite, and I’m endlessly grateful I got my grandmother’s fur coat back. Super big thanks to Without a Trace!

GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, DO NOT HESITATE. Well, I must admit that I was very concerned after reading all of the negative reviews but was also not ready to throw my shearling coat into the garbage after McElroy furs in Winnetka told me that their expensive cleaning could not even get out the large stain on the front of my coat. So with trepidation I brought my coat into this store in addition to my husband’s leather coat which had a tear. Michael, the owner, was a lovely person to deal with and completely honest throughout the transaction. He quoted me immediately and was positive that both articles could be fixed to be more than wearable. I was thrilled when I came to pick up my coats after getting a prompt phone call that they were ready. My shearling was incredible and I found it amazing that this furrier in Winnetka had given up on my coat which is also where the coat was purchased (curious what that is about.) The coat was beautiful, looked brand new and my husband’s coat was fixed without any real marks. I can only rave about my experience and makes me wonder about the motivation behind some people who use Unilocal to create negative press.

If I could give zero stars I would. I needed a Michael Kors black label suade knee length coat repaired (tear in the back). I dropped off my coat and was expecting a quote back as they were going to ‘send it out’. Never heard anything. 3 weeks later I stop back in and learn my phone number was taken down wrong on the original receipt. Now that we fixed that, I spoke to the outsourced man that was going to find replacement panels for the back of the coat (apparently replacement was the only way to fix) and that I would receive a call when the ‘matching panels’ were to come in for my approval. No call. No sample panels. Nothing. Fast forward another 3 weeks. You’d think they would keep their clientele up to speed on what was happeneing over the lapsed time. Now I was mad, I’ll admit, but I am in retail, high touch retail, and am an executive so I get how important it is to follow up with your clientele. So, I call Without a Trace and asked where my coat is and why I haven’t heard anything… the guy on the phone laughed and said he’d get back to me. Then I get an angry call from the outsourced guy who said my coat has apparently been shipped all over the US and back again and he was unable to locate replacement panels and now that I was mad due to thier serious lack of follow-​up, he said he’s done with my coat and that the money he spent trying to fix it is lost and that I could pick up my coat the following Monday.
Here’s the clincher — he asked me why I needed my coat back since summer was coming and I shared I was going to Europe and that I needed it. BUT SERIOUSLY, is that the point? You have no knowlege on kind customer service and you laugh in my face that I want my own coat back.
Final note: found a leather guy in NY. Repair complete within a week with new panels. Coat is gorgeous.
Buyers beware. This local Mom/​Pop shop is not to be trusted.

If I could give a negative review, I would. After leaving my review on Unilocal,Michael got in contact with me and said I should send it back, which I did. After receiving the jacket, he rang me up only to insult me.
He constantly called me a liar, he assumed that because I had trouble paying I was trying to scam him, he said that it looked like I lived in a sewer… just a very nasty person. Whenever I tried to speak, he would speak over me for 2 minutes calling me a liar and insulting me.
Now, I have emails from Michael in 2008 where he admits that the work was not done, because I «held a gun to his head» by asking him to have it done before he went on vacation, so I could receive it while I was still living where I was. However on the phone conversation he called me a liar, despite him admitting he didn’t finish the work!
What’s funny, is he said it is $ 85 for cleaning and refinishing. When we tried to break down the costs, that is one charge he tried to dismiss, and I was like well wait, that is one of the things that was clearly not done! So then he got defensive, mentioning that I paid for it after being told it wasn’t going to work! He may have said it wouldn’t work that well, but it appeared that NOTHING had been done! Why charge me $ 85 if it is going to have no effect at all?
I don’t know how this man is still in business. I tried to be civil the whole time (until the end where I couldn’t take his insults any more and lashed back), yet I was called dummy, stupid, dickhead, a liar, that I lived in a sewer, a scammer and probably other things I don’t remember.
End result? Work was never done and he is refusing to do the work. I’ve been scammed out of almost $ 500. Small claims is the only option here.
Thank god for things like Unilocal.I hope I can inform as many people as possible and avoid them getting similarly treated from Michael.

Very satisfied with the «patches» repaired on the back of my wool herring bone «Eisenhower» jacket. I would certainly take, when needed, other repairs to Without a Trace Weavers.
Thank you for prompt, courteous service as well as excellent workmanship.
JT

I find hard to believe the hostile reviews for this company. I have had zippers replaced on several coats, the lining of a leather coat, ditto and a repair to a fine wool sport jacket. In all cases, I never had a problem. I don’t think I have ever payed in advance nor had an unpleasant word. In each case, when the item was ready, I received a polite phone call and I went to pick it up. All in all, every transaction was exactly what it was supposed to be. I feel lucky to have the outlet or store in my neighborhood.

I have two custom-​made suits that are in perfect condition… perfect, that is, except for the pants from each suit having worn out from years of thigh-​on-​thigh brutality, rendering each suit virtually unwearable. I asked three different tailors about repairs and each one said essentially the same thing: the best they could do would be to stitch or patch up the problem areas, it would be a temporary fix (at best), the repairs would be costly and would look as though they had been repaired. One of the tailors recommended that the better solution would be to re-​weave the material, not stitch or patch it; he mentioned «Without a Trace» by name as the best (and possibly only) re-​weaving specialist in the city to get the job done.
I brought the two suits to the Gold Coast branch early in the week and met with Michael (who I believe is a manager). He said the pants could be repaired and gave me the option of having material taken from the cuffs of the pants or from the inside of each jacket (with a new lining sewn in to replace it). I chose the latter, however it would apparently take at least 2 weeks to complete the work. I needed both suits urgently (read: desperately) for a trip out of town the coming weekend; Michael was kind enough to accommodate the request.
The suits were ready for pick-​up in advance of my trip (as promised) at the north side branch, which was necessary to ensure that I would have them in time; it’s easily accessible by car and public transportation, so it wasn’t much of an issue for me. The repairs to the pants were done seamlessly and each pair looked brand new; the only change to the suit jackets was a new lining inside that flows well with the rest of the inner lining. The repairs were not cheap but it’s up to the individual to decide whether it pays to salvage the item; in my case, it was still cheaper to pay for the repairs and come away with 2 previously unwearable, now brand new custom-​made suits, rather than buy 2 new lesser-​quality suits.
Overall, I definitely got my money’s worth from «Without a Trace;» the quality of the workmanship was impeccable and the customer service was outstanding every step of the way. I can confidently recommend their services and will be bringing them more items for repair in the future.

WOW, my expensive Italian suit Jacket is even better than I ever thought possible! The moths got to it and left several large holes.
After you guys fixed it, my wife and I had to look so hard to find where the area was that it was nearly invisible.
I heard you guys were great, but fantastic is more like it. Perhaps I should say, MIRACLE WORKERS!
Thanks!
Chuck G.

I have been doing business with Michael since he opened his doors… The work that Without a Trace does is second to none… They are ALWAYS up front & honest regarding the results of a garment in need of weaving… I have NEVER had an issue with them & my customers are always THRILLED with the results!! I I would recommend Without a Trace to anyone in need of reweaving.

WOW. It seems «Michael E» is attacking all former customers! I received a crazy message yesterday as well. I am truly worried about my personal information on the ticket from my service (a pinky nail size hole that I paid $ 80+ dollars for and took exactly 24 days from when I dropped it off, I have the invoice), and his mental health.
I will be much more careful in the future!

Generally, after services are rendered and payment exchanged, I consider my transaction with a place of business to have concluded. Such is not the case at Without a Trace Weavers. No less than 15 months after picking up my sweater from the reweaver, I received this charming message from Unilocal user «Michael E.» (
) who I can only assume to be the business’s owner referenced in my initial review below:
«leaves a sweater for 9 months and is a liar about our hours sad person you must bring things in for cleaning and repairs and leave them there for months your a liar and a joke pathetic person 9 months your sweater sat in our store with no response and credit card decline please we dont need to be your storage company also our hours are m-​f 930 – 545 sat 9 – 3 funny you had no problem droping your garment off for repair fast forward several week what a joke you are jon»
Issues related to grammar, sentence structure, and capitalization aside, this message makes the man that left me a voicemail last year seem like the very picture of sanity. In my defense, although the sweater was likely left at the store for somewhere in the neighborhood of three or four months, it was certainly not nine months. Also, I pay my credit card bill in full each month and, if I recall, the business took payment when I picked up the garment, so I’m not exactly sure where Michael is going with the «credit card decline» line of reasoning.
To the credit of Without a Trace, I’m pleased to see they have changed their hours of operation during the more than one year since I was their customer. The additional business hours will surely enable even more people to be the victim of the owner’s abuse, and hopefully Without a Trace can rack up a few more one-​star Unilocal reviews.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that «Michael E.» has been Unilocaling since June 2011. This being the first day of June 2011 and having received his message this morning, I can only surmise that the business owner’s account was activated for the sole purpose of harassing his former customers. Not very community minded!

It’s like an oil change for a car — but this is a tune up for designer bags!
So heres the thing. I would be lying if I said I wanted to spend $ 110 getting two of my favorite purses cleaned. I didn’t. But when you own designer items and use them often, its worth it to have a professional do their maintenance so they continue to look brand new.
I walked by this shop on the way to work every day, but was never really sure what is was (so i checked out Unilocal!). I decided to give it a try.
I brought in a winter white Coach bag that had gotten salsa spilled on it at a party (FAIL), and my $ 700 Burberry bag that was just loved and used everyday until it was filthy. He took my items, said he would do his best by hand, and give me a call.
About a week later he called and said they were ready. I was SHOCKED and so impressed when I got them back. They literally looked brand new. He isn’t the most social guy, but he definitely knows his business and how to fix things I never would. I was happy to pay $ 55 a purse to pristine items in return.
I will definitely be back. Just look at it this way — if you invested a significant amount of money in a designer leather piece, what is $ 55 for maintenance?

My favorite purse needed the entire lining replaced, and I did not know who would do something like that, and then I found Without A Trace. Not only did they replace the lining with better fabric than it had before, they even replaced the cell phone and zipper pockets that were on the interior originally, including the designer tag. I also had them fix a front zipper that was tearing out. On a whim, I asked if they were able to more securely attach the strap holders, which had stretched out with use, and they did a better job than I could have wished for. The straps are now stronger than when I bought the purse.
The only down-​side I could complain about would be how expensive they are ($ 190 for all of the above), but I guess you get what you pay for. Without A Trace is the top of the line when it comes to repairing your leathers and fabrics that you love.