Public sewing lounges.
Long term readers of the 'get creative' magazine might remember the story of the Stitch Lounge in San Francisco, USA, that we reported on. Hailed as one of the first combined retail and sewing spaces, the business has now closed (though it retains an online presence) but the shift it represented - a new generation’s interest in sewing their own clothes - lives on. In Melbourne the arrival of Thread Den is testament to this fact.
The Thread Den is powered by four talented young women, Melissa Kramer, Erica Menting, Kylie Shepherd and Tennille Rohde. Sharing an interest in fashion, sewing, retro design and, apparently, entrepreneurship, the four opened the doors to their upstairs shop and sewing lounge in November 2007 and interest in and patronage for the venture has been outstanding.
“When I met Kylie we were both trying to get our own labels off the ground,” says Melissa. “We soon saw a gap in the market, a place where emerging fashion designers could sell their clothes and a place where budding sewers, and designers for that matter, could work and learn.”
Inside, the Thread Den all is light and airy. Racks of clothes in the main showroom are surrounded by pieces of 1950s and 60s furniture. A sideboard that your grandmother would once have kept her sherry glasses in becomes a sales counter; a mirror-topped standing ashtray is the perfect spot for business cards.
“We received a grant from the City of Melbourne to help fit out the space in a 50s style and we’ll continue to improve and expand on this over time,” says Melissa.
Original clothing and accessories by some of the owners plus other independent designers are for sale as are vintage patterns and haberdashery (fabric by the roll or in remnant pieces) buttons, zippers and knitting needles. New textiles by new local designers are also being introduced.
“Our initial philosophy centred around providing a studio space for people requiring assistance with sewing, those who needed to hire machines and those who wanted someone on hand to help,” says Melissa.
Today the sewing schedule offered by Thread Den is extensive. Recently they even added a men-only class. Topics covered stretch from knitting and crochet lessons to making tote bags and aprons, even millinery. Melissa says that would-be teachers are “always dropping by” and the girls are always open to suggestions when it comes to new lesson plans.
Hourly sewing machine hire includes any staff assistance you may need with the operation of machines and no bookings are necessary.
Eight machines and two overlockers are available, complemented by two giant cutting tables. Once a fortnight late night sewing sessions are held - from 6pm onwards - and the entire lounge can be booked for groups or specialist lessons.
“The community support for us has been surprising,” says Erica. “There’s a great design culture in North Melbourne and everyone looks out for each other. Word of mouth has really helped build the business.”
Local businesses got behind the ladies of the Thread Den recently when they staged their first ever fashion parade as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. ‘57 Chevy’ was the name of the show which took place in the laneway outside their premises and attracted assistance from local cafes, hairdressers and more.
“All the models and dancers were volunteers and we finished off with a 1950s themed cocktail party,” says Erica.
All four owners of the Thread Den are keen to expand the business and they are already giving back to the community with the launch of Biddy Bags (www.biddybags.com.au [biddybags.com.au]), a non-profit social enterprise “connecting socially isolated mature-aged ladies through craft, economic participation and social networking”.
“I guess some people might have seen this business as a gamble because it’s so unusual,” says Melissa, “but I think we recognised our own desires and we knew so many people like us, hankering for a space such as this. It wasn’t too much of a risk.”
Find out more
Thread Den
Level 1, 16 Errol St, North Melbourne
(enter via Webbs Lane)
Postal Address:
Thread Den, PO Box 639, North Melbourne, VIC 3057, Australia.
Tel: (03) 9329 5305
www.threadden.com [threadden.com]
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