Looking to make a “welcoming space of creativity” that fills the local void left after fabrics and craft giant Joann closed, the head of the Redding Fashion Alliance said her nonprofit group is preparing to move back to its prior home downtown sporting a new look.
When it opens later this summer in the high-visibility spot near the Cascade Theatre, the sewing nonprofits’ storefront will spotlight its new Fashion Fabric Boutique. That store will have about 300 bolts of fashion and upholstery fabrics, said Abigail Young, the group’s executive director.
Along with selling fabric to the public, the boutique at 1698 Market St. will also offer sewing classes, drop-in space and sewing equipment rented by the hour for community sewers.
The group will continue to operate a second location, the Atelier at 1760 Market St., where sewing creatives can rent studio space longer-term to work on and sell their handcrafted items.
“Once I came I on, I kind of wanted to find us a way to grow us a bit more” after the COVID pandemic hurt sales and sent the sewing nonprofit to temporarily relocate to two other nearby locations over the past few years, said Young.
As time moved on and Joann went out of business, Young said, “There was still such a need for fabric here in town — notions, accessories, tools.”
With more than 55 sewing “makers and designers in the local Redding area, we felt like there was this need to fill that gap for the designers so they don’t have to go outside of the region to get it,” she said.
The RFA was able to restock its fabric inventory with donations from the public and have aligned with fabric wholesale companies that will supply specialty fabrics by special order. There will also be a consignment service, so designers can sell fabrics and textiles that they’ve created themselves, said Young.
While a wide array of fabrics are available to purchase online, Young said, “buying online is one of those tricky things. It would be easy to get simple things, but when it really comes down to the color or texture, it’s really hard to get an accurate take on that over a digital screen.”
Young added that shipping costs and other realities can also factor in.
“There’s been countless times I’ve bought fabric (online) thinking it was one color that came back not that color,” said Young, who is a designer herself, specializing making custom theatrical costumes and couture wear.
Also, she said, due to the RFA’s nonprofit status, “all the profits we do make are poured back into the students, poured back into the mentors, poured back into the designers for events so that we can grow our community more.”
One designer affiliated with the RFA creates custom-made swimwear, while another makes bridal gowns and another takes “last of its kind,” limited edition fabrics to make unique clothing pieces. They’ve also had people lead classes on how to weave and print their own fabrics, Young said.
The RFA is partially funded by the McConnell Foundation and is associated with the Redding Arts and Cultural District, she said.
Had Joann fabrics not closed in May, Young said, the RFA probably would not have sought to open a retail fabric shop of its own.
“It would have been hard to compare or compete with Joann’s,” she said. “It’s nice to see the community kind of come together and fill that void.”
Also, she said, there could be other opportunities down the line.
Recently the major makers of delicate paper sewing patterns, including legacy companies Butterick, McCalls, Simplicity and Vogue, were sold to a liquidator in the wake of industry changes including tariffs on goods from China and softening demand, according to trade group reports.
“So it’s going to be hard to find patterns, too. So that’s also going to be kind of another niche for designers who … make their own patterns and they will be able to sell them at our place,” said Young.
“It’s going to open up more opportunities in the fashion world that’s not just designer sewing.”
Michele Chandler covers public safety, dining and whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Keep calm and sew on: Redding group aims to fill void after Joann’s shutdown
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
