1 /5 Mary McMannis: Disappointing Experience with Vintage Flag Repair
I recently brought a vintage American flag—over 50 years old and very delicate—to Tad More Tailoring for a repair. The flag had three small holes, and I clearly explained its age and fragility to the employee assisting me. I showed her the areas that needed mending and asked if they could handle the work. She assured me they could but did not go into any detail about how the repairs would be made.
In hindsight, I wish I had asked more questions, because the final result was quite disappointing. While I expected patches to be used, I did not expect one of them to be placed directly over a portion of a star—without being cut to match the shape or design. This made the repair look visibly tacky and careless, which felt particularly disrespectful given the flag’s significance and history.
When I expressed my dissatisfaction, the employee said she would check with the "people in the back." She later returned and told me they believed the work looked great and that the repair was acceptable because the patch was on the "back side" of the flag. I explained that the American flag doesn’t have a front or back—it’s meant to be respected in its entirety.
They did offer me a refund, but nothing to account for the time or effort required to undo their work and seek out someone else to do it correctly. I asked to speak with the owner, and while she did leave me a voicemail, I responded via text (as her message allowed) with photos and a polite request that she compensate me in an amount she felt was appropriate for the poor service and inconvenience. I never received a reply.
What’s most frustrating is that this isn’t my first negative experience with Tad More. A previous alteration on a brand-new dress went so poorly it became unwearable, and I ended up throwing it away after receiving a refund. I had hoped that incident was a fluke, but sadly, this second experience suggests otherwise.
While I wouldn’t say you should avoid Tad More entirely, I would strongly recommend being very specific about your expectations and getting detailed information about how your items will be handled. And if something goes wrong, don’t expect a proactive or particularly empathetic response from the business. It’s unfortunate, especially when dealing with irreplaceable items like a vintage flag.
