Store owner says response has been Sew Crazy

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2016 (3259 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sandra O’Neill is crazy about her business. So much so, her only regret is that she didn’t set up a commercial location years ago.

She’s the proud owner of Sew Crazy Services, located at 920 Sixth St. O’Neill has been in the industry for 15 years and realized it was time to branch out and expand her services.

“I’ve always loved the saying ‘do what you love and you’ll never have to work another day in your life.’ If you love what you do, then you don’t find yourself hating your job or life. Everyone wants to be happy and sewing makes me happy,” O’Neill said.

Sew Crazy Services opened at the beginning of August and provides the type of services you’d expect a seamstress shop would provide — everything from hemming and zipper replacement to repairs and alterations. They also specialize in military and police uniforms and heavy duty repairs on canvas, leather, tarps, etc.

“It’s fantastic. I’ve gotten such a positive response from everyone who’s been in the store and for the services that I provide,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said she enjoys the variety of work that comes through the door and that she loves helping people. The most unique project she has worked on was repairing a hair piece, but her favourite project so far was playing doctor to a little girl’s teddy bear, the simple, little fix left her and the little girl feeling very happy.

“Folks are coming in with quality garments or ones that they are in love with; they would much rather fix it than pitch it,” O’Neill said.

“With the economy as it is, families are often trying to save some money with the kids, so I’ve been able to fix things like hockey equipment, running shoes and snow pants to make them work for another year or give them more life so they can be passed down to another sibling. It’s not always that economical to throw it away and get a new one.”

To connect with Sew Crazy Services, call 204-727-2304 or follow them on Facebook.

Stylin’ in Vintage

After testing the waters on a retail store for a year, local business owner Adrienne Hiebert decided to change the focus of her venture and concentrate more on providing mobile services.

Hiebert closed the storefront shop for The Vintage Costume Company at 304 10th St. at the end of September, but is excited and as busy as ever with specialized events.

“We really took note of what our clients were wanting and what was most popular. The rentals and the retail section wasn’t as popular as our events, so we realized that we didn’t really need the retail space and decided to be more mobile. We now have a trailer and staff that travel, so we can pretty much pick up and go wherever. We’ll now rent a studio, when we need it and we don’t have the huge overhead,” Hiebert said.

The business provides a variety of services aimed at making parties and events that much more memorable. Hiebert and her team of professionals including hair and makeup stylists, a hostess and photographer can organize and plan a vintage event like no other. This includes costumes, design, props and decor, era-specific hair and makeup and a stylized photo shoot.

One of their most popular events is a Girls Night Out package, which clients book to celebrate birthdays, upcoming nuptials or just for the fun of it. Once the party goers pick an era, the Vintage Costume Company team does the rest.

“We dress you up in costumes, we do mini hair and makeup sessions, plus photo sessions. Then, you get to wear the costumes for the rest of your night out,” Hiebert said.

The company has costumes from every era, starting in the early 1900s. The most popular eras tend to be the Roaring ’20s and the 1950s.

As well, they have a variety of photo booths available for rent including rustic, classic, elegant and of course vintage. Photo booths provide extra entertainment for events and work well for corporate gatherings, Christmas parties, weddings, anniversaries and fundraisers.

In terms of fundraisers, The Vintage Costume Company is well-known for its involvement with the KidSport fundraising event called For the Love of Chocolate usually held in February. Hiebert said this year’s event is themed around the 1980s, which she’s very much looking forward to working on. It should be like, so totally gnarly.

Check vintagecostumes.ca or call Adrienne at 204-761-5988.

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Happy Thanksgiving …here’s hoping your belly is full, your heart is happy and that you have much to be thankful for!

» Wanda Kurchaba is a Brandon freelance writer and a communications and marketing specialist. This column on Westman’s business community appears each Saturday. Contact Wanda directly with any story ideas.

» kurch@wcgwave.ca