Fast forward 8-ish years, and we realized we both were living in Manitoba now, and that one of my roommates at the time had gone to university with her. Of course, I was super excited to see Anna again after all those years, and it was wonderful to have her over to catch up one afternoon at our apartment.
Anna's always been a crafty lady, and she's good at what she does, too. I admire her desire to re-design or re-purpose older clothing items to create something unique and relevant. (Side note - You should ask her about her wedding dress. Seriously. I love the sweet, thoughtful story behind her dress.)
(Unrelated side note - I know her as Anna, but apparently everyone calls her Anna-Marie. Hopefully she's cool with me still calling her Anna. If not, I'll have to make the switch, I suppose.) ;)
Want to know how Anna got her home business started, or know more about who she is and what she loves to do? Click on the "Read more" link to find out for yourself!
Reclaim Mending. Find me online at reclaimmending.com or on Facebook and Instagram!
What specific skills/services/products/expertise do you provide?
I provide clothing repairs and alteration services. I'll mend almost anything, and I love helping people make their clothes work for them. I'm all about making clothes last so we all can consume less, and love the clothes we have.
How + why + when did you get started? Did someone teach you, or are you self-taught? What other key elements help to tell your story?
Sewing has always been a big part of my life. One of my earliest childhood memories is of sitting on the kitchen floor at my grandmother's feet while she taught me to sew. She loved fashion, and made her own clothes all her life. Having grown up in poverty in Russia and becoming a refugee, she was always mindful of how she could make things last longer. She mended our clothes and altered them as we grew. This, and my own personal aptitude set me on a life-long love affair with sewing and mending. About two years ago, I was starting to burn out from an amazing and fulfilling job at a non-profit. One evening, I was talking with some friends and the topic of "what would you do if you could do anything" came up. My answer was that I would mend people's clothes. My friend turned to me and said, "Well, why don't you?" So I did. I officially started Reclaim Mending last year.
What do you love about what you do?
I love the problem solving involved in mending. I love figuring out how best to repair something, and successfully doing so! It's such satisfying work. I also love fighting the fast fashion industry, which has been a passion of mine since high school. The opportunity to help people break away from fast fashion to something more sustainable gives me life!
What is your favourite medium to work with? Why are you drawn to it?
Obviously I love fabric! I think I love a good suiting wool the most.
Greatest accomplishments?
I think my greatest accomplishment so far is just getting all this going. It's been tiring and I have self doubts all the time but I am so proud of what I have been able to build so far. I think it's such an accomplishment to take the risk to try something new and exciting!
Biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge is owning and operating a small business! I do not necessarily have a good head for business, so figuring all that out has been a struggle!
Who is your biggest supporter?
My partner, for sure. But I also get amazing support from all my friends and family.
What are some of your short-term goals?
My main short term goal is to increase my workload! I would also like to start remaking old wedding dresses into more modern styles.
Long-term goals?
My biggest pie-in-the-sky long-term goal would be to (along with others) open a Remakery, where people could come bring almost anything that needs repair! We could offer mending and alterations but also small appliance repair and shoe repair. Anything we could find artisans for! I want to be a part of changing how we as a population consume, and help send us down a path of living more simply and more sustainably.
Wise advice for any beginners out there?
Take deep breaths.
Any last things about you or your small business that you'd like to share? (Really, anything at all. Like, you could tell us about your cat, or what you ate for breakfast this morning, or about why you don't like your lawn mower, or what you planted in your garden this year, or what time you normally go to bed, or...)
I also teach sewing lessons! It's such a fun experience, helping people build their own skills so they can be empowered to do their own mending and sewing work.