February 18, 2016
Maxamar Ultimate Cigars 3744 E. Chapman Ave., #E Orange, CA 92869 (714) 633-3000 Maxamar Ultimate Cigars is so unassuming from the outside. Tucked away in the corner of a strip mall, you’ll miss it if you aren’t looking for it. Even when you enter, you are greeted with a hodgepodge of recliners and chairs facing a big screen television. But the humble trappings are all forgotten when you enter the humidor. You enter into a humidor room that would be large for most any other store, and then realize that there is another room beyond the first. That room is perhaps four times larger than the first. For a cigar lover, it’s almost a religious experience. The selection is enormous, and the prices are very low compared to most other stores. By way of comparison, I had jotted down some cigar prices during a recent visit to the humidor at Total Wine and More. I would expect those prices to be lower than a dedicated cigar store since Total Wine is intended to be a discounter. However, the prices were all about the same; quite an accomplishment for a brick and mortar cigar store. Maxamar’s has also made itself a central location for cigar activities in Orange County. Get on the mailing list, and you will be notified of frequent cigar tastings and other activities. My only criticisms are that many of the cigars were not priced (I don’t want to have to ask, “how much is this cigar, how about this one, and this one?”), and the proprietor needs to spend a little time organizing the place. I’m OK with a little clutter and the feeling that I am searching for a cigar, but I physically could not get to some of the cigars that were blocked by another case. But these are minor points. If you are looking for a huge selection of cigars at great prices, you would do well to make the drive to Orange. For that huge selection, reasonable prices, and the feeling of a “cigar smoker’s heaven” that it engenders, Tustin Magazine names Maxamar […]
February 16, 2016
We love it when a little Mom and Pop operation rises to the top. Style Today Tailoring has distinguished itself as the best tailor shop in and around Tustin by, gasp, delivering a great product, on time and at a fair price. Style Today Tailoring can handle everything from wedding dress alterations to hemming jeans. As a bonus you receive personalized attention. Many customers have reported to us that they came in at the last minute with a tailoring emergency, and the great people there have risen to the occasion. I personally had the experience of going in to pick up $80 worth of alterations (my wife is on the short side so everything gets altered), only to find that I didn’t have my wallet. “No problem,” the owner, Tina Nguyen, said, “pay me the next time you are in.” That’s customer service. Style Today Tailoring is located in the center behind Ruby’s at Newport and Irvine. And speaking of Ruby’s, be sure to try the shrimp tacos the next time you are there. Delicious! Hari Seldon Tustin Magazine Secret Shopper August 22, 2009 Style Today Tailoring 13112 Newport Ave., #G Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 731-2889
February 16, 2016
Chase Cleaners When we went in search of Tustin’s best dry cleaner, there was no shortage of advice on who not to go to, based on war stories of lost and ruined clothes. When you consider the bags and bags of loose articles that are brought to a typical laundry, and realize that the vast majority of the time they somehow manage to get your clothes back to you, the service is actually pretty impressive. But it seems that dry cleaners are the absolute worst at owning up to a problem when they make a mistake. You are standing there with a receipt, proving that you did, in fact, drop off a designer suit two days earlier, but you are met with only a blank stare. Through the reports we received, we found one cleaner that apparently has a weird obsession with switching buttons. You take in your staid business suit with the black buttons, and get it back with butterfly buttons. Apparently what is happening is that the cleaner has a bad habit of melting buttons, and then attempts to correct the problem by replacing them. Unfortunately, perhaps because the buttons are melted beyond recognition, the buttons selected have no resemblance to the original buttons. However, when you point this out, the first line of defense is to try to persuade you that you must be mistaken — that when you brought it in your pink blouse really did have large red buttons that don’t fit through the button holes. One Tustin Dry Cleaner has managed to rise above the fray. Chase Cleaners in the Costco Center on Bryan received more positive feedback than any other cleaner, and that was confirmed by our own personal experience and testing. Chase Cleaners, formerly Martinizing, does a great job of cleaning (and not ruining) your clothes. As an added bonus, they add the little extras of replacing buttons for free and providing laundry bags. When we tested them by bringing in a pair of pants covered in cat hair, it came back without the cat hair. Most cleaners return it with the […]
February 16, 2016
didn’t think I had a need for a professional organizer, I just thought I lacked the will to clean. Boy, was I wrong. I thought I’d start with something simple like my walk-in closet. Professional Organizers Space Invaders After four frustrating hours of hanging sweaters a variety of ways and lining up shoes by heel, color, and style, I started my search for an expert. I just couldn’t get that professional look that I wanted. If I couldn’t make my own jeans look organized, how was I going to tackle the garage?! My search revealed many overpriced, snobby companies that made me feel like it wasn’t just my garage that needed organizing, but my whole life. I wasn’t looking for life coaching, or some convoluted, full feng shui remodel. I just wanted a clean garage. One company did not reveal their prices online, but told me over the phone that they had a six hour minimum. How much per hour? A cool $160. My garage was going to cost me just over $1000 after tip and perhaps lunch for the organizer. I didn’t know how long my garage was going to take, but what if I had a smaller size project as well? Would I have to find a different company then and let another group of people into my house? Continuing my search, I was turned down by multiple companies when I told them I had a pool table and part of a sectional couch. Apparently, organizing doesn’t include moderate lifting. I was just about to give up when I found Space Invaders Organization. I loved the irony of the name. They aren’t invading per se, but it can be an invasive process in the beginning, making you feel kind of vulnerable. After talking with them throughout the consultation, they made me feel totally normal and insisted that they had seen everything and that nothing surprised them. I wasn’t going to pay someone who belittled or judged me. They made me feel relaxed. Their prices were far more reasonable than what everyone else had quoted. They were professional and […]