Sharon Carlquist, who has worked on the Metro-North Railroad for 31 years, bounded into Grand Central Terminal on a recent morning, fresh off the 8:55 from Harrison. She needed a pair of pants resized. Enter Joseph Cirillo, the railroad’s in-house tailor.
“I call him the nip-and-tuck guy,” Ms. Carlquist said as Mr. Cirillo, kneeling, examined her hems. “If your zipper breaks on the train, you can run up here to get a new one. One time I leaned over and ripped my pants open. Fifteen minutes, he sewed up the crotch of my pants, and I went immediately to my next train.”
Mr. Cirillo, a native of Italy, has overseen the uniforms of Metro-North conductors and station agents for two decades, working out of a small, nondescript shop in the upper reaches of Grand Central. His services, which range from custom-fitting suit jackets to fixing buttons between trains, are a standard perk for the railroad’s employees.
On Friday, however, Mr. Cirillo, 70, will retire. Many of his 800 customers are not happy about it.
“Everyone is trying to get everything they can before Joe leaves,” Ms. Carlquist said. “We don’t know what will happen after that.”
Mr. Cirillo, who was wearing shirt sleeves, brown leather tassel loafers and an expertly knotted blue patterned tie, smiled at the compliment.
