This is the post that no business owner ever wants to write.
After a year-long struggle to keep Sew L.A. going, I have decided to close the
classroom & shop at the end of October 2015. Our classes are scheduled
through October 31, and all of our teachers are staying to see this through. We
are all hoping to go out with a bang and a party!
Before getting into the details, let’s talk
gift certificates. We have taken them off the site so they are no longer
available, but if you have one please use it before the end of October. If you
have one and don’t plan to use it, consider donating it
back to the shop (so we can track it) - this will help keep our sales up so we
can exit gracefully. Reducing our liability will be a great way to do this, and
you can also help by attending our Very Loud Auction after our last classes.
At our teacher meeting this past Sunday, I went over some of the
key reasons for closing, both business related and personal. On the business
side, our market has definitely changed and we found that out a little too late
to maneuver the shift effectively. When Sew L.A. started, we were the only
classroom on this side of the city that offered quality classes, and this
synced up with the market willing to pay for information from professionals.
Now, anything you want to search for is available on the internet (regardless
of quality) and there are several online learning websites that offer a high
quality experience for a fraction of what we charge for in-person classes. I
started Sew L.A. in 2007 for a few reasons - one being I believe that in-person
is the best way to learn, but I cannot deny that online reaches a huge audience
and AS ALWAYS the market follows the demand.
There are a few other reasons I started Sew L.A. - I had been
making corsets in my studio for years, and was looking for more of a community
instead of working solo every day. I had discovered a love for teaching that
needed to be shared. And ultimately, I was looking for work that would allow me
to someday afford a family. When I was pregnant for Lux in 2012, all of that
seemed possible - the shop was doing well and we were able to cover the costs
of moving to our current location, along with stocking it and staffing it.
We had great years in 2012 and 2013. I had a rough time finding
care for Lux that we could afford until he was 11 months old - he was my first,
and I had NO IDEA what a problem quality care would turn out to be (I’ll
save the Saga of the Wait Lists for another time). The shift in the market
started at the end of 2013 for us, when I had one day a week of care for Lux
and actually needed to be back at the shop full time. The cost of replacing
myself had just gone up and no one realized it at the time.
We had to close our retail shop this past April because a fabric
inventory is one of the most difficult to support in retail. Our venders know
this, and even give us 60 days to pay invoices because the majority of the
stock moves SO SLOWLY. I had a large sum of money tied up in the shop that was
needed to pay teachers. Our classes have always done well, and our retail shop
has never quite paid for itself - so the decision seemed perfect. In reality,
the loss of visibility and the lack of funds for re-working the website just
hastened the decision to close altogether.
The current truth is that I personally cannot devote the
attention to Sew L.A. that I once could because I have a wonderful 2 1/2 year
old that I’m taking care of. My passion is teaching, and because of the
daycare available to me and my husband’s schedule I cannot teach evenings and
weekends - which is when we have our classes. Therefore, I’m
still paying people to replace me in my business even now when I have four days
a week to be here and working.
This leads directly to what running Sew L.A. has cost me
personally. I take great pride in being a person who does what they say they
will do, and I certainly don’t use the word ‘humbled’
lightly - these past two years have humbled me on several levels. Learning that
sometimes I cannot fix it, no matter how hard I work - learning that sometimes
the appearance of expertise is more valued than actual expertise - not being
able to honor financial commitments - juggling creditors - feeling envy and
jealousy instead of happiness at the success of others - the list goes on. I
was becoming a person I did not want to be.
Sew L.A. was started with a loan from the VEDC, and I took out
and paid off three other loans during the course of our existence, but since I
had no other source of income, much of the shop’s expenses were put on two business
credit cards and this is what I’ll be carrying with me after closing
(not a small amount). I could file for bankruptcy, but in that event my
wonderful staff and amazing landlord (my actual priorities) would be pretty low
on the list. So even after the doors close and everyone has been paid I’ll
still be in debt, with a toddler, with no degree and outdated bookkeeping
skills. Unfortunately, this is a very common situation for people who close
businesses to be in - I am far from alone. That doesn’t make
it any easier, and it doesn’t make it right. I haven't paid myself in two years, and now I need to take care of my family.
I once made the mistake of telling a friend, while childless,
that owning a small business was just like having a kid (I have since
apologized profusely). But I can say for sure that it is like having a kid in
that no one can tell you what it’s like beforehand, and no on who hasn’t
gone through it can really comment on the perks and difficulties. And even then
the experience is different for everyone!
I prefer to end on a high note and think about all the lives we
have touched, all the people and kids we have inspired, and all the fantastic
sewing there is in the world because of our classes. It has been my privilege
to work with AMAZING, TALENTED and CREATIVE people over the past 8 years, and
if you’d like to continue working with these people after October
here is some contact info:
Rebecca Prange, Teacher: rebeccaprange@mac.com
For my own self, I will continue to promote quality learning
however I can. I’m all for mad creativity and winging
it, but I really do feel that having a solid base of skills can only help you
be madly creative and wing it. That’s how we have operated for our whole
run, and I don’t intend to stop now. One student
recently asked in one of Rebecca’s lessons “How
come I learn SO much in my classes here?” and the answer is we know that
learning well takes time and we have always tried to give you that time in
classes and lessons to absorb the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’.
Which is actually rare in this world that gives results more weight than
process.
I will be continuing the Sew L.A. website with our patterns and
kits and this here blog, and even though I’ll miss all my peeps and the pretty
fabric (oh, the fabric…) I am trying to be ready for the Next
Thing.
Love,
Shaerie
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