If you are an avid reader of my mind, you know I am a sucker for Bravoleb’s merchandise. I’ve made the pilgrimage to Envy and bought my fair share of Loverboy. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised and ordered from Craig Conover’s Sewing Down South. However, there has been a recent order where, as a customer, I was left wanting more.
Craig Conover has made a niche for himself
All right, my first order from Sewing Down South was a success. In April 2024, I took the plunge and decided to order a “What’s wrong with my sewing” t-shirt since my sister and I repeat that sentiment to one another often. I bought two, one in Sandstone and one in Orchid. The process itself was smooth. The delivery took five days to arrive from start to finish. To say I was impressed would be a bit of an understatement. The t-shirts were also a surprise for my sister, who had just had major surgery. We proudly wore the garments all around Los Angeles. And I even got a few compliments.
On top of the quick delivery, the pricing was on point. For two Sewing Down South cotton t-shirt, I paid $69.95. I also paid for the route protection, which was $1.95. One day after placing my order, I received a “thank you” email from the company. It read “I just wanted to send a quick note to thank you for your business, and recent purchase from Sewing Down South. It’s been a long road to get here, and while we are still growing, it means the absolute world to me to have your support. I can’t wait to get your order to you and hope you love it as much as I loved creating it. Keep Stitchin’, Craig.” Now I know the Southern Charm star didn’t write it himself, but the afterthought was nice.
My second experience with Craig Conover’s Sewing Down South
Now, I’ve made it a mission to try to stay neutral in the breakup between Paige DeSorbo and Craig. So when he dropped his newest Siren line of merchandise for Sewing Down South, I was hooked (pun intended). It was as if Craig brainstormed what Millennial girls would buy and landed on mermaids. Honestly, he was a dolphin and rainbow away from channeling Lisa Frank. But I was here for the new drop. I once again ordered two t-shirts, which had two mermaids on the back and looked pretty darn cute.
I even decided to treat myself to a sky blue long-sleeved version, which would be great for those New Jersey summer days. The pricing was still comparable. And when I went to check out, I saw the cart had added the shipping protection again. I say added in loose terms because it didn’t seem like I had the option. I’ve just recently gone to the site again to check, and it looks like it is automatically added on. Coincidentally, I completed my second order around the same time as the 2024 order. I received my confirmation email and waited. I continued to wait. And then I waited some more.
I hope Craig Conover reads this Sewing Down South review
As I’ve noted before, my first order took only five days to arrive. By day five on this order, I received an update telling me my shirts had just been shipped. The USPS site showed this to be untrue, as it sat at the post office waiting for the creation of a label. By now, my 2025 order was on day eight. I went on the USPS tracking site to be told it would be delivered on May 12. Finally, an endgame. But May 12 came and went, and still I had not received my order. And that was when I finally reached out to Sewing Down South Customer Service.
I was given a reply that they had reached out to their rep and were waiting for an answer. Then I was told to also do a missing search claim with USPS. I emailed the next day asking for an update, to which I was told it would be 3-5 days before any news, and I could try and submit a claim with the order protection I ordered, but most likely it wouldn’t be accepted since the package was labeled as “still in transit.”
The Sewing Down South package drama conclusion
I was frustrated, to say the least. After emailing again for an update, asking how Sewing Down South could help further, I was met with this reply: “We offer 3rd party insurance (which you purchased) as a way to safeguard your purchase, as we are not responsible for the package once it leaves our warehouse.” The agent added that “Issues do arise from time to time with shipping. This happens far more often than you would think, typically from a lazy work who put the package in the wrong location or bin.”
Luckily, USPS came through and got in touch to say that they had, in fact, found my package. My main gripe here is that I felt Sewing Down South washed their hands of my package as soon as it (slowly) left their warehouse. Craig and his team tried to pass the blame onto the USPS and clearly had no desire to help their worried customer. In my last email to the agent, I wrote, “USPS did find the package. And while I appreciate the correspondence, I hope in the future Sewing Down South will be a bit more helpful and caring toward the customer. In your reply, you noted this happens often, and once it left the warehouse, it wasn’t your problem. This type of response left me feeling disregarded and anxious …
As a fan of Craig and Southern Charm, I enjoyed the idea of ordering from his company, but now I will have second thoughts about returning. Thanks again.” Needless to say, I did not get a response. I never had any issues with Loverboy; I’m just saying.
