Guilty Surprise

This past Sunday the Man and I were sitting in a restaurant having brunch talking about my new shop away from home and the work load I have had of late. To my surprise the Man said to me, “You have been working so hard, around the clock, you should take some money and buy something for yourself, something you have been wanting for a long time. I am not talking about just a few dollars for clothes buying either.” I ask him what it would be. He informed me that I have been wanting a laptop and it would and could be handy for the operation of this business venture and that is what I should look into buying. My jaw dropped, “Really I asked we have the monies for that?” Things have been a little tight for the past year and a half. But now that I am in total control and all the alterations and repairs of the http://drycleaningstationcolumbus.com and monies collected are coming my way this means bigger checks, for the percentage with the deal worked out has also increased. This is exciting, for you know I have had this desire for a very, very long time to be a shop owner. Christmas is also just around the corner along with a wedding the same month in California. The income increase is coming just in time. When the Man throws you a bone like this, you have to jump on it or it may not materialize and the thought just tossed aside. Off to the store we headed after our delectable brunch. The only glitch, he persuaded me not to buy the tablet laptop I have desired, he didn’t feel I would get enough use at of it, plus the retailer we visited doesn’t even stock it for me to take a look at. (They use this laptop on Project Runway for designing and editing it is so sweet.) “Just hook up the corel pen tablet you have if you want to draw.” the Man said.  The Man knows very little about these things. I wanted a laptop so I said okay you are probably right. I am here to say though within the next few years I will have one. Getting my feet wet first with the typical laptop without the bells and whistles. So home we went with this purchase paid for with cash, again a surprise to me. Our finances must be getting better. Before I went to bed that evening it occurred to me what we had done. OMG I said out loud, we need to return this I have made a promise of monies to someone else I have forgotten about. So I picked up the phone the next day and apologized for my forgetfulness and spoke to the Man that evening but both agreed it was a purchased well deserved and the monies promised would be found and sent on its’ way shortly. Whew! This is my nature at times, Guilt from pleasure. Like when I bought a Coach purse I felt I deserved then became guilt ridden for spending $400 on just a purse. I was convinced to keep this purchase as well.

In the end it truly is the recognition of the hard work and long hours spent trying to make this living with my talents, that is Rewarding, not the material things it can bring me. They are nice to have though and the thought of others wanting them for me even nicer.

A big Thank You to all I Love and Cherish.

A Hard Change

Say hello to Sophia. Sophia is on the left. Sophia was a lovely Greek lady who for 17 years did the fitting and repairs for the http://drycleaningstationcolumbus.com. What the majority of the clientele at said cleaners did not realize is that Sophia did not do their alterations she simply did the fittings. Even before I had the pleasure to fill in for Sophia 2.5 years ago while she took a month leave to visit her homeland of Greece, (something I as an American probably would not be able to convince my employer to allow me to do, and still have a job waiting upon my return,) there were others before me who did the bulk of the alterations, not Sophia. As the days go by and more and more customers come to the realization that Sophia’s familiar face is no longer staring out from the make shift sewing area they become worried, first question, “is Sophia on vacation again?” when they are informed she no longer works at the cleaners they ask about her health, then when the customer is informed that she chose to move on they are often puzzled with a disbelief. Some want her phone# others an address so they can reach out. The ones who really get upset I am often told she did not have a good relationship with the customer at all. A daily, weekly, yearly dose of a familiar face can and does hit hard when you all of a sudden realize what at times you may have felt about this person who may have frustrated you with their slow ways on the computer making you late for work or even just keeping you to long somewhere you had little time for. I ask you,who really enjoys going to drop off their clothes at the cleaners? This is one task I tend to put off never getting the cleaning done and I visit a dry cleaners daily. People are and will be upset for a short time but it is becoming harder daily to stand and work in the same area Sophia use to house, these customers are making me want to cry. My days have become easier, and I no longer find my time wasted trying to pick up the alterations needing altered from Sophia or kept for over an hour helping her out when I should and could have been back in my workroom sewing. There were issues often created that the clients seemed to put up with while they grinned and bared the experience of their repairs not finished, that is repairs not alterations. The freebies have found themselves a long the wayside as well. This may sadden a few too.

I only want good things for Sophia and it was her decision and her decision alone to leave the Dry Cleaning Station after 17 years on the job. (I know an owner of a cafe who plans on contacting Sophia to make her Baklava so she can sell it.) I could have been the one searching for a new contract for alterations had she excepted the same deal offered to me, I was prepared if this had ended up being the case, I, as you know am no stranger to job loss. 11 years of loyalty did not keep my previous job from going bankrupt, too bad there couldn’t have been a bail out offered for retailers to keep their doors open. What a thought. Would the tax payers have minded helping out so I could have kept the job? I do believe they would have. As it is said Time heals all wounds and the clients in the end will grow to trust and love me too, for the quality you were receiving will still be given. Guess what it was me doing your sewing all along for the past 2 years.

I am Mrs Tailor experienced in Alterations for 30 years.  Let Me Sew For You!!!

Time Flies

I can not believe how busy I have been. Every day up at 6:30 the coffee is ready and to the workroom I head, I flip a few switches and the familiar hum of the sewing machine begins. I tap my  foot on the pedal while listening to the boiler iron pop  as it is heating. The news is playing on the flat screen as I wait for my favorite time of TV to get the scoop from GMA.I hope the 2 and a half hours I have will be sufficient for the items left to alter from last nights batch of http://drycleaningstationcolumbus.com/ and http://alterations-station.net/  garments. I looked to see when I last blogged and to my disbelief it was approximately 3 weeks ago. I have had a plenty to blog about just lacked the time. Soldier Son has returned home for a 2 week leave from Afghanistan. Two weekends before last, I stayed up till 2:00am making cupcakes for a client who paid me for doing so. Pics later ( no time now to upload photos). Last weekend I worked on getting the shop away from home sorted and cleaned to be ready for me to work daily out of it. My shop is located with in the dry cleaners I have been doing alterations for the past two years. This wasn't to take place till the beginning of November but the owner of the Dry Cleaning Station became impatient and wanted to move forward. For the past month the Alteration Station slammed me with the overload of work he had due to one of his employees being out of the country for a month. She has now returned and the part timers he hired will now be left in the dust including me. One fat paycheck from him and now poof like always used, abused and tossed aside. I guess as a business owner you must do whatever it takes to get the jobs done on a timely basis even at the expense of others livelihood. I am excited to be fully in charge of my own destiny now thanks to the owner of the http://drycleaningstationcolubus.com/ I will do everything in my power to grow the alterations side of the business and win over the existing customers who grew fond of the previous fitter of the past 17 years. As I say she was just the fitter and the past 2 years I endured her lack of experience and crazy behaviour. Now whatever goes awry will be my responsibility and blame, so I better cross my Ts' and dot my Is' and always fit with clarity so there are no misunderstandings. This is and always has been my belief in the dealings of an accurate outcome. Come one come all for there is a new sheriff in town, or should I say Tailor waiting to make your garments fit perfectly.