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November 2024 by m kay st pierre
Excellent service. Visiting from Alaska and was shopping for a cashmere over coat. They took my number and said if they received any in they woukd call...
Dave called, actually called! Yes! They had one in the size i needed. They held it 3 days until i could get back.
Customer service like the good ole days. Thank you Dave
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October 2024 by H Nagahata
All people who love hats will enjoy this lovely shop.
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September 2024 by MBJ
Every well dressed or want to well-dressed gentleman must visit this establishment.
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September 2024 by Mark LaLonde
Finally found myself in Portland and Helmer’s was my first stop. Wow! Fabulous selection of hats, outstanding service and the staff have great product knowledge. Well worth a visit. And yes, I did buy a hat.
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September 2024 by Mike Fulton
What a great shop. The sales person, Dave, was very attentive and helpful. The personal attention is rare and was greatly appreciated.
The selection of interesting and unique items was really nice to see. Tons of beautiful hats and other items for dressing nicely.
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August 2024 by rowshan reordan
Beware if you are a gender neutral shopper.
We visited the store to purchase hats and Gail, the older sales lady, who was not even helping us laughed at my husband when he was trying on traditionally women gendered hats. It was unprofessional and shocking for a store person in downtown Portland.
The only reason I am giving 3 stars instead of 1 is that the sales person helping us, Dave, was super friendly and supportive and tried to make the experience safe and friendly for us, especially after Gail’s horrid and unprofessional behavior.
I recommend that Gail get some serious customer service training or maybe it’s time for her to retire.
Again, thank you Dave for being so kind, accepting and professional.
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July 2024 by Parker Harris
What a special experience. Amazing hats, boots, and men’s accessories. The finest hat collection I’ve ever seen. The only thing finer than their products is the service. First class!
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July 2024 by James Fowler
In a world and time of fast fashion, fads, estranged internet commerce, and poor quality; John Helmer’s is a vestige of a bygone era and a beacon of how things ought to be. The products are all of the highest quality and the service is gracious and expert. The prices are more than fair.
The shop is a reflection of the staff and Mr. Helmer himself — beautifully dressed, impeccably tasteful, genuinely graceful, kind and warm without a trace of stodginess or arrogance. The clothes are a connoisseur’s delight — well cut from fine fabrics, responsibly sourced, both fashionable and timeless.
I could not recommend John’s more highly for shirts, suits, jackets, woolens, hats, etc. The difference in the entire experience — from browsing to shopping, measuring, and proudly wearing — is palpable. I don’t think I’ll ever buy another suit or sport coat anywhere else.
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July 2024 by Thomas Lee
I can't say enough good things about this shop and its high quality inventory of suits, dress shirts, shoes, and more. But what I really want to highlight is the exceptional service I received from Dave. He is a true professional in every sense of the word: attentive yet not intrusive, classy yet not patronizing, proactive yet not pushy. Although I was buying a last minute suit off the rack for a very important occasion, he somehow found me a suit that wasn't just adequate, but ideal. Thanks to him, a potentially nerve-wracking experience became entirely positive. In short, Dave is the man!
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May 2024 by Jeff N
Quality doesn’t come cheap, but great selection and lots of old school cool.
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May 2024 by Yascha Noonberg
The best place in town to pick up a hat and some classy clothes.
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February 2024 by Sabrina H.
My son turned 11 and really wanted a top hat. I wanted to buy one that would last. We first tried another store - thank heavens they were closed Mondays! I had never been to John Helmer, seeing as I am a single mom. The minute we walked in it felt like a step into a different dimension, one where you shopped from a local store that knew just what you needed. The first hats we tried weren't quite right, and the salesman never tried to push us to buy - in fact, he took several hats off because he said they weren't "it." We finally found THE hat. A black Italian number with an amazing ribbon band. The sales person then offered to steam and brush the hat before we took it home! While we were there we went to look at ties. The man came up with the hat, so I asked how he ties his neckties. The salesman not only showed us his basic tie (which was not so basic!), but then showed how he comes up with his own knots, depending on the tie and his mood. What?! I didn't know you could do that! We were never shuffled off or given less than stellar service, even with me (this was during the ice storm this Jan) looking a little worse for the wear, and their customer being 11.
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February 2024 by Jeff R.
A wonderful place to shop with old timey customer service in an atmosphere of yesteryear.
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February 2024 by river w
I went to John Helmer after trying on some suits at Nordstrom’s and the experience was night and day. Nordstroms was not only more expensive for an off the rack suit but also very much a similar experience to a car dealership, pushy sales people who are trying to sell you on a product you’re not 100% confident in. John and his amazing team are friendly, competent and genuinely invested in your wants and needs in the suit you’re going to be not only buying but wearing and they want you comfortable and happy in it! John was invested in what I needed my suit for which is for my wedding but I explained to him I’m looking for something that is versatile and not something I’d wear once. On top of that he didn’t try to get me to purchase right then and there. He encouraged me to think about the fabrics we looked at and come back with my fiancée because it would be great for the both of us to be involved in my custom suit for our big day.John and his amazing team have earned themselves a new life long customer who will only be buying suits from here on out and will be recommending all my friends and family to come here for any of their tailored needs.
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February 2024 by Andrew Wong
Great customer service and high quality hats for all occasions! The store in itself has a lot of history and has been family owned for over a hundred years!
