Shaun Y.
Yelp
San Francisco is full of entrepreneurs, but few are cut from the same cloth as Ryan and Erik. In a town of hoodies, tech swag and sneakers, they have built something special at 1 Columbus, one precise pant rise and terrific trouser break at a time.
I knew Ryan's work before I knew his name; I had seen customers being fitted in his tailored suits at Taylor Stitch, but he had since left. After a few phone calls, I found him - and his new outfit, Tailors' Keep.
What followed was a six-month courtship of the perfect three-piece suit for my wedding. It had its ups (e.g. masterful lining work with a difficult fabric; a magician's adjustments to pre-wedding weight fluctuations, Ryan's beautiful work on pocket squares) and downs (e.g. my selected fabric going out of stock as seasons changed). Throughout, Ryan was thoughtful, supportive and steadfast.
There are many positive experiences that I could call up, but here are three to mention about working with Ryan:
1) seeing him as stoked by a bolt of pinstripe fabric that he secured on a factory visit as when he cracked the code on how to get my vest to lay perfectly under my suit jacket. In other words, his joy for his trade is evident in each moment.
2) his integrity is omnipresent, whether it's making sure that the collar shows just-so above your suit jacket or that your fiancé/family feels acknowledged during the process. As I tried on the suit, he once brought my fiancé over to show her exactly where, how and why the seat of my suit pants needed to be altered. It was his job, he said, to not only reveal the nuances of what I could see, but also what I couldn't.
3) his word. I was lucky to find Tailors' Keep early, when it was at its other location and just getting going. At the time, I was in between jobs and trying to find a way to still swing the bespoke suit I had imagined on my wedding day. Ryan kept to the price range we agreed upon, guiding me even as we made changes along the way. This meant so much, especially as Tailors' Keep has become more known and outfits some famous customers. Regardless, Ryan shows a lot of honor in his work, right down to the stamp of my name/the date on the inside of my suit jacket.
Believe it or not, this essay could be longer. So just visit Ryan and Erik. They do exquisite work and you walk away standing a bit taller and prouder in their creations. They'll keep your measurements on file and current so you can continue to grow with and go to them. That's my plan.