Some might say that sewing is a lost art. When a zipper fails, a button is lost or a hem falls, it’s time to throw away the offending garment, right? Wrong. That’s when you pay a visit to The Sewing Room at 27 Genesee St. in Greene, where owner Deb Eggleston and her small staff of seamstresses are ready and waiting to make your clothes good as new.
As I learned during my recent visit to the downtown Greene shop, mending and alterations are only a portion of what they do. If it can be sewn, Deb has probably done it. And we’re talking everything from making gowns and curtains to stitching lawnmower bags, banners and a top for a jeep.
The shop even has a contract with The Raymond Corporation to make carrier bags in which safety and training information is distributed to new customers. Those bags, handcrafted in Greene, find their way all over the country.
When I asked Deb what the craziest thing she’d ever sewn was, she laughed and handed me the picture of a young weightlifter. Apparently he’d come to The Sewing Room to have his competition attire, ahem, fitted.
With the current state of the economy, she told me, more people are reworking rather than replacing their wardrobes. That means an influx in the number of people needing The Sewing Room’s services. This year, she’s replaced more zippers than ever before, she said, handing me a seam ripper. Then she put me to work removing one of those zippers that needed to be replaced.
While needlework is the mainstay of the business, Deb has also branched out. She takes in dry cleaning and sells a variety of gift items. Her downtown storefront also serves as the headquarters of the Greater Greene Chamber of Commerce, of which she and her husband Joe are co-executive directors.
Recognizing her own dependence on local customers, it’s no wonder Deb believes strongly in supporting other members of the local business community. Most of the fabric and thread she uses, and even her sewing machines, are purchased from other Greene-area merchants.
Many of the gift items she stocks are made locally as well. Perhaps the most popular are the handmade goat milk soap and candles produced by Canterbury Cabin, which lend their pleasant fragrance to the entire shop.
Deb has recently added hand sewn items by two local women on consignment, and is contributing some of her own work as well. Right now that includes table toppers, cloth napkins and children’s clothing, but she promises that more are on the way.
After running a home based business for a number of years, Deb opened the shop about a year and a half ago. At first, she thought she wouldn’t be able to afford to employ any help. But she quickly realized that she couldn’t afford not to.
And given the surprising amount of foot traffic, even on a Wednesday afternoon, I can see why. There was a steady flow of dry cleaning and sewing customers, as well as others in just to browse the gift items on display. The phone rang off the hook with people inquiring about services and making appointments for fittings. Without the two employees, of which she is very proud, there is no way Deb would have time to sew.
And with people like me populating the area, it’s no wonder her services are in such demand. I’ll admit I can sew on a button and stitch a hem. But only if I absolutely have to. I’d be hard-pressed to find a needle and thread in my house without investing some serious time searching.
But after my afternoon with Deb, I realized there may be hope for me yet. Deb herself didn’t start sewing until she was in her late 20s when her grandmother, a seamstress, decided it was time to pass down her trade.
She recognizes that I’m not the only one who doesn’t know the right end of a needle from the wrong, and is starting to give sewing lessons out of the shop. She currently has a couple of “guinea pigs,” two young girls who are learning to love sewing. Once she has the kinks worked out, so to speak, she’ll consider taking on additional students. I’m hoping she’ll reserve a spot for me.