Tell us about your business and how you help/serve your clients. I run a sewing school for children and adults ages 6 and up, where students learn to create all kinds of fun, hands-on projects, everything from a personalized tote bag on day one (to carry all their sewing things) to stuffed animals, pajamas, dresses, gowns, T-shirts, sweatshirts embroidered with flowers, animals, or their own name, blankets, and quilts. Every student leaves with something they made themselves, and that sense of pride is really what it’s all about. I also offer alteration services for the community. This is my 20th year sharing my love of sewing in Marblehead, and I’m just as excited about it as I was on day one.
What inspired you to start your business? I was invited to teach sewing at Tower’s Summer Camp, and the moment I saw how much the kids lit up, I knew I had found something special. The camp loaned me their machines, and in 2006 I opened my school at 22 Commercial Street. My very first students were a Girl Scout troop, and we were off and running. I started with after-school classes, then added a Summer SEWing FUN Program that ends each week with a Fashion FUNway (our own little runway show). We’ve displayed student creations at the Marblehead Arts Festival for years and have even brought home a few awards. Watching kids walk that runway with something they made with their own hands, there’s really nothing like it.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in running a business? Business, like life, is always changing, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you have to be willing to reinvent yourself. I’ve adapted and recreated my programs more times than I can count, and I’ve learned never to give up, even when things get hard. What keeps me going is simple: the look on a student’s face the moment they finish their project. That joy never gets old, and it reminds me why I do this every single day.
What do you love most about Marblehead? I love the small-town, tight-knit feeling that Marblehead has always had. I grew up here…Devereaux School, Gerry School, the Jr. High, MHS, and I raised all three of my children here. At some point I searched across the country looking at other places to live, and I came back knowing: there is nowhere else like Marblehead. Home really is where the heart is.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? After 20 years of teaching, I’m still genuinely surprised and delighted every single time a student finishes a project. People might expect that to wear off, it never has. I think that’s because sewing gives kids (and adults) a kind of confidence you can’t get from a screen. They made something real, with their hands, and they get to wear it or use it or give it as a gift. That never gets old for me.
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Nancy E. Easterbrooks, Owner
24 Bessom St, #1, Marblehead
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