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A Stitch In Time

November 4th, 2009 at 02:01 am

I may have mentioned that I do sewing and alterations as a little home business. It was a big home business at one time, I did complete wedding parties, but it was usually an "also". I did it along with working other jobs, sometimes a couple of them. Well, business has been pretty great lately. People are fixing things, rather than replacing them. Good for me, and good for their pocketbooks, I'm sure. I am sometimes puzzled tho, every once in a while, I end up with an item that no one ever picks up. A few times, the owner has passed away before they got back to me, or the phone number they gave me was changed, or they just ignore my messages for, forever. I'm never sure how aggressive I should get about trying to find people to return items to. Sometimes, I see them other places, and slip it into the conversation, some of them I had never heard of before, they got my number from a friend, I have actually left items on the doorstep, and figured if I got paid it would be a bonus. Most times I do get paid, and only once in 20+ years has anyone ever given me a bad check. I was just thinking about this today, when DD#2 brought home a pair of jeans from her friends brother, that needs a zipper. The brother was going to throw them away, and what do you know, DD#2 has been paying more attention than I thought. "OH NO," she says "my Mom can fix them!" I had to laugh at that, she has complained long and loudly, in the past, about my thrifty habits. She called it cheap, I called it thrifty. So, if the item has been around here for more than 2 years, of if I can't even recall who gave it to me, it will eventually find it's way to the thrift store. So far, I haven't ever had anyone call about something that I re-donated (is that a word?)

4 Responses to “A Stitch In Time”

  1. lizajane Says:
    1257304224

    Maybe have them sign something saying that if they haven't picked it up within X months of you notifying them that it's ready, it will be donated to charity. Isn't that what dry cleaners do?

  2. wowitsawonderfullife Says:
    1257351562

    Man, I wish you were in my community. I'd send you lots of business!

  3. ceejay74 Says:
    1257353266

    It's a good skill to have! My partner has been able to stretch her unemployment for a full year mostly by taking in sewing. It's not steady employment so unemployment just deducts that from her weekly check, but she is still eligible.

    Speaking of thrift stores, she spent a long time doing a couch cover--not her area of expertise, but she thought it went well and she was paid well too. A few months later she saw the couch--cover and all--at the local thrift store! She felt slightly insulted/afraid she'd done a bad job, but I told her that maybe the customer just decided the color wasn't the problem and that she wanted a whole new couch! Someone is getting a beautiful handmade cover at a steal when they buy that couch!

  4. Mooshocker Says:
    1257358356

    I too suggest having your attorney draw up a very simple contract stating that all items left with you for xyz amount of time will be donated to xyz charity. I know it sounds silly, but in this litigious society, it never hurts to obtain professional assistance. God bless and keep up the great service.

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