The Sewing & Haberdashery Shop & its Role on our High Street

As a Sew reader, chances are that at one time or another –or even on the regular – you’ve visited a local craft shop; one that stocks everything from fabrics, patterns, and all kinds of trims and haberdashery, to craft products devoted to knitting, papercrafts and other disciplines. You might have noticed us talking about Sew Saturday, as well. To tell you a little more about it, the concept is that for one day of the year – this year, Saturday 21st October – people who love to sew pop along to their local haberdashery and craft shop, for a special day of activities.

FOR OUR LOVE OF SHOPS
At this stage, you might be asking “Why?” – and the answer is a simple one. There’s no denying that some of our local towns or villages have changed over the last decade or so. Chances are, there are more chain restaurants and shops in your local town than before, and perhaps fewer independent businesses or market stalls. And then more of us are shopping online too, of course. That said, none of us are going to stop visiting our local towns anytime soon – pop along to any on a Saturday, and you’ll be hard pushed to find a parking space… Bringing it back to independent businesses, however – there’s been a growing realisation and recognition in our current climate, of the fantastic service that these shops offer to us, and it’s not to be sniffed at.

The Sew Saturday campaign was started back in 2015 by the Sew team, with the sole purpose of celebrating the many wonderful contributions that sewing and craft shops make to the high street, and how they enrich our enjoyment of the hobby that we love so much. Existing customers can attend a shop in their area to experience all that is on offer, plus get together with like-minded stitchers.These events also help inspire new people to come into the shop and potentially discover a new passion, even bringing with them the next generation of stitchers. The Sew Saturday event has grown year on year, and this has been heart-warming to see.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY
I remember a sentiment of our columnist Lauren Guthrie’s in one of her articles last year. It was about the sense of community she felt in her shop, and how great it was to not only enjoy that feeling herself, but be able to offer this to her customers. You might wonder ‘Am I in the sewing community?’ – by extension of being a stitcher, supporting local business, wearing handmade, gifting handmade, telling someone about your hobby, or reading a sewing book or magazine – then YES. If you do even one of these things, there’s no denying you’re part of the sewing community and helping it thrive. When you enter a sewing shop, one of the many things you can count on is expertise – but also, a friendly face. Ask the staff in your local craft shop, and they would be eager and happy to help with whatever you need to know. By nature of being a shop devoted to a hobby, the folks running it are passionate about what they stock, and interested in helping you with what you’re making. When you have a hobby, you want everyone else to enjoy it as much as you do and discover the magic that you get from it! Sewing shops – like other independent specialist stores – offer a unique retail experience, where the business-owners really believe in what they are offering.

I have asked many questions myself, to which the staff have always patiently advised on. “Will my fleece gilet need lining – what would happen if I didn’t? What’s the difference between these needles? What thread is best? Is this fabric suitable for my pattern? Help, my sewing machine is jamming!” Every time, I have left the shop feeling confident and informed, with no worries about stumbling upon anything. Often, it’s these kind of experiences that early on, can determine how you are going to take to a hobby. With a technique like sewing, this support network is vital – at least, it was for me – and will continue to be, I’m certain. And that’s not forgetting the amount of time and money that good advice has saved me!

SEEING IS BELIEVING
Chances are, you’re like me… When in a craft shop, my natural instinct is to feel the fabric. To me, this tactile element is so important, and seeing a fabric up close and alongside others lets you get a handle on the quality of the material, as well as its qualities. The same applies to tools, interfacings, waddings, fastenings and more… There’s nothing quite like examining the back of a packet for five minutes or squidging different waddings, to determine whether you’ve made the right choice. Or better still, asking for a second opinion…

Last year, Deputy Editor Melissa and I popped along to our local sewing shop, Franklins, in Colchester, Essex. We spent the afternoon making Buttons the cat, our Sew Saturday mascot, with a fantastic number of stitchers, and children too. I was so pleased to see the youngsters take to sewing, and loved seeing the satisfaction it gave them, plus chatting with other like-minded stitchers and the passionate, talented staff. To
me, one of the most patriotic things you can do is support local business and encourage the high street to not only remain, but flourish. I hope you might join us for this year’s Sew Saturday event on 21st October, it’s going to be a good’un!