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Idea: Alterations business

By Becky McCray

If you can sew, there is demand for alterations. As hand crafts of all sorts make a come-back, this is one opportunity you might not have thought of.

My local sew-er just told me she is swamped with business, always. People bring all sorts of clothing needing a hem, or sleeves shortened, or holes patched, to the dry cleaners. The cleaners hand the jobs over to her. She does no marketing, and has more demand than she can handle, from a town of 5000 people.

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Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
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September 13, 2010 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, ideas

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 26, 2010 at 9:16 pm

    I started alterations 7 years ago in my home after losing a job. A small ad and cards and flyers got me started. I just moved my business downtown and expect to do wonderfully. People I don’t know drop in all the time just to bless me for opening an alterations business in town.
    Anyone who can do a good job hemming and sewing on buttons can start a business. You can add more things as you learn them.

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  2. Becky McCray says

    September 26, 2010 at 9:21 pm

    Thanks for adding your experience.

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  3. Shar Roberts says

    February 13, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    I have been a seamstress all of my adult life. Now that my retirement is near. I will be opening an alterations business located on the same property that I live on. I also live near a small town under 10,000 so I am finding this post very encouraging.

    Thanks for the post

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