Seamstress kept residents in stitches

Article content

PARIS — A downtown Paris shop will close its doors for the final time on Saturday.

Cheryl’s Sewing Room has been the go-to place for a lot of people in need of alternations to shirts, pants, uniforms, suits and prom dresses for the past 14 years. But at noon on Saturday, proprietor Cheryl Taylor will have completed her last order and will shut the business for good.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Seamstress kept residents in stitches Back to video

“It’s time,” said Taylor, a mother of five, a grandmother of eight and a great grandmother of one. “I’m going to be 66 in July and this has been a very busy store.

“There are people coming in and out all the time and I’m thinking that it’s time to slow down a bit.”

Born and raised in Brantford, Taylor spent time in the real estate trade, where she worked as a secretary, before going into sewing in the mid-1990s. A graduate of North Park Collegiate, Taylor won a sewing award in 1971.

She rented space in her sister-in-law’s home before deciding , in 2005, to open her shop at 35 Grand River St. N. in Paris.

Taylor’s connection to sewing goes back to the days when she was a child and started practising on her grandmother’s treadle.

The Brantford resident said she enjoyed every minute of her time operating her business.

“I’ve done a lot of different things for a lot of different customers, including the fire department and the OPP — putting badges on uniforms, alterations,” she said. “And I’ve also done a lot of prom dresses over the years.

“It was kind of fun to do a young girl’s Grade 8 prom dress and then see her a couple of years later and doing her high school prom dress.”

Taylor also has done work for the Paris Mounties hockey team. And she also attracted customers from across Brant County.

“I’ve managed to attract a lot of customers over the years and most of them have come to me by way of reference,” she said. “The only advertising I ever did was in the Paris high school yearbook and in the Paris theatre programs.

“I really didn’t have to do anything more than that to attract customers.”

After she closes her shop, Taylor said she plans to work part-time at her daughter’s day-care centre and looks forward to spending more time volunteering.

“I really want to thank all of my customers who supported me all these years,” Taylor said.. “This was something I had always wanted to do and with their support I was able to do it.”

She gives special thanks to John Grantham, of John M. Hall, The House of Quality Linens, at 43 Grand River St. N.  for being a good business neighbour over the years. Grantham always made sure the sidewalk in front of the Sewing Room was cleared of snow, said Taylor.

She said she leaves the business with no regrets.

But she said she often thinks she should have adopted a different name when she first opened.

“I’ve often wondered if I should have called it Taylor the Tailor,” she said with a laugh.

Vball@postmedia.com

twitter.com/EXPVBall