Apthorp Cleaners

The staff are kind, funny, friendly and they do fantastic work. I’ve taken in difficult stains and they got them out. I’ve taken in unusual alterations and they made the garments look great. I’ve even taken in some difficult repairs and they fixed everything beautifully. This is a business I would happily recommend without reservation.

APTHORPE CLEANERS AMSTERDAM AVENUE MANHATTAN. STAY AWAY!
Never smiling or even saying «Hello!,» the owner, a gentleman perched on a chair behind his computer topped desk accepted designer dresses for cleaning. I waited for a slip which was not forthcoming. I then asked the man for a receipt and he said his computer was not in order and he would phone me that afternoon. I asked the price and he stated as the sign there stated $ 27.50 per each dress. He did not phone that afternoon. His wife phoned the next week and stated the dresses would be $ 87.50 each. I advised her not to clean them as I would not accept the $ 60.00 per dress increase. In error, one of the dresses was cleaned though I had clearly asked that they not be done. They (now one allegedly cleaned and one not) were now promised for a date certain last month. They were not delivered on time and could not be used as I wished. I phoned yesterday and they said they would deliver the one cleaned and the one dirty this morning. Both dresses were delivered and the one which was supposed to be cleaned and the one that was not were still in the same condition as they were when I dropped them at the store. I phoned and Debra was rude and demeaning and severed the conversation. As they alleged that they cleaned one dress, I proffered a $ 27.50 check to their driver — the exact amount whch the owner quoted to me. Though it was not fair nor was the service warranted!

Rudest employees who act like you’re bothering them by bringing in clothing to be mended.

Do not let the red ribbon fool you, this is no classy upscale cleaners. Yes the Upper West Side is devoid of a good cleaners, however Apthorp and Debra Kravet (owner) are not it. Debra is rude, nasty and arrogant. Ms Kravat admitted to me during a recent telephone call that «…I do not make money cleaning your shirts…» at which point I noticed that the quality of the cleaning had gone down (shirts were not packaged nicely, did not have a soft hand cared feel).
She continually left the cleaning bag separate from the box of shirts, in my big building the bag kept disappearing. So I asked her nicely several times to place the bag in the box, she refused.
I have heard similar stories from her other former customers, cleaning with bad attitude, stay away…

This cleaner does a nice job, but it’s not nice enough to justify the prices. Other reviewers have said they were pricey, but nothing prepared me for the bill I just received. For dry cleaning for 6 items (all very basic work clothes) my bill came to $ 134 — I actually choked when she told me how much I owed. I’m not even sure the clothes are worth that much collectively anymore. What’s worse is they were completely unapologetic and gave no indication of how much things would cost up front or else I would have taken my business elsewhere. They also tacked on fees for things that I was not informed would cost extra up front ($ 6 extra because a shirt had fancy buttons?!)
Take extremely high end clothing here that needs to be laundered by hand, but save yourself some $$ and don’t bring anything that needs a basic cleaning to this cleaners!

It took them 2 YEARS to clean my wedding dress — no exaggeration. I dropped the dress off shortly after my wedding in 2011, and didn’t hear back from Apthrop’s for 6 months. When I called back, «Larry» with Fashion Award Cleaners told me that it wasn’t ready yet. This happened 4 more times. Finally, 2 years, 2 drop-​bys, 4 phone calls and $ 800 later, the dress is done. Phew.
Apthorp was NOT apologetic about the long wait for the dress, either. Also, they only take cash or AmEx, so I had to carry around $ 800 in cash to pay them. I asked if I could write a check, but again they were unfriendly and unhelpful. Not great customer service.
It looks like other customers have given them good reviews for regular dry cleaning and tailoring, but my advice is to NOT get your wedding dress cleaned here.
Also — don’t give them your e-​mail address, or they will flood your inbox with useless news like «We’re open on Columbus Day!» Whoop-​dee-​doo.

Got my alterations back; they look awesome. I also forgot to mention that unlike every other dry cleaner I’ve ever been to, they staple the bottom of the garment bag so you can take your items on the subway without them getting messed up or stinking from nasty air. Thank you for thinking of the subway travelers, Apthorp Cleaners!

If you think of your clothing as an investment, these are the folks for you. Impeccable.

Had a vintage coat with thick, dense fabric and a fur collar repaired within 90 minutes for me on a cold day. Staff were friendly, helpful, and skilled, and remembered me when I came back for a seperate repair weeks later.

Was excited to support our local neighborhood cleaner, and was generally happy for first few months — expensive service, but seemed fine.
But recently have had a nightmare with my wife’s new Armani sequin top. She was v. careful with it, and reluctantly took it in for drycleaning when we found this local place billed as premium quality — it costs around $ 30 to clean a posh top like that, and our bills there are usually over $ 100 each time.
It came back with a large stain on the front, which wasn’t there when we took it in. When we pointed out the large stain on the front and complained (not sure how they would have expected us not to notice it) they said there was something like makeup on the inside which leached through when they tried to steam it off. They took it back and replaced the sequins with others, but it’s still v. noticeable. Will speak to them again about it, but so far disappointed.
Update ³⁄₁₂: We were given a claim form and told to provide a copy of the receipt. Who keeps receipts for clothes bought over a year ago. Anyway, my wife managed to track down a copy of it from the store (a minor miracle) and so we sent in the form with the receipt. To their credit, Debra, the owner brought us round a cheque in full with a nice card, saying she’d rather we didn’t wait until the insurance pays up. So have upgraded these guys from 2 to 4, and will continue to go there. But only for the good stuff, as it is pricey.

They pick up and deliver and their work is impeccable, definitely worth the price they charge for the quality, reliability, and convenience they provide.

Excellent experience! I had a delicate layered BCBG Maxazria gown that I needed altered before I left for a wedding that Friday. I came in on Monday and they said they could definitely get it done for me. Tailoring process was very efficient — they pinned it for me to try out twice. Then they basted the hem during the day and I was asked to come in for one final fitting that evening.
The dress was ready by Thursday and was packaged with extreme care. Not just regular hanger and plastic bag covering. it was in a clear garment bag and they actually made an inner form out of tissue paper to keep the dress true to shape! I was amazed!
The tailoring job was incredible and the service was excellent. Everyone was very friendly and accomodating. Debra is wonderful and communicated both by phone and email which is more convenient for me at work.
I will definitely be back for all my tailoring needs and recommend Apthorp to all my UWS friends!
I heard they also have tailor services that come to your apartment which I have not tried yet, but am very tempted to!