by Dave DeMars
news@thenewsleaders.com
Cindy Battleson can explain what exactly it is that makes Rapids Alterations & Repair in Sauk Rapids such a success.
“We take your good clothes and we make them better,” Battleson said. “Even if it’s brand new, like a uniform or a bridal gown, we can make it fit better and look better.”
The seamstress and owner of Rapids Alterations & Repair bought the business about five years ago and is the fourth owner of a business that is well known throughout the Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud area.
“I’ve been doing it (seamstress work) most of my life, sewing for other people, working in a bridal shop and doing alterations,” Battleson said. “I’ve been sewing since I was 13.”
Battleson said her mom taught her how to sew, and that was usually part of growing up. A lot of girls started with mom and learned more in high-school classes, but Battleson said the schools aren’t really teaching girls how to sew anymore.
The shop is a happy place with 10 employees, she said, with smiles all around. It reflects the upbeat, positive personality of its owner. In the back, out of sight, is a large table loaded down with a potluck lunch.
Shop Manager Lisa McCalla said one of the really nice things is being able to bring her little girl to work with her if she needs to. It’s the best employee benefit ever, Battleson said with a laugh.
“I’m the only one that’s full time,” she said. “I would gladly take them full time, but they are all part time by choice. They all like their flexibility and their freedom.”
The flexibility and freedom suggests one of the big challenges for Battleson – finding seamstresses. She points out because of the dearth of training programs, finding seamstresses is difficult.
“I was at a networking meeting and they were complaining about going through the interview process and weeding out the applicants to find the right person to hire,” Battleson said. “I said you guys are all spoiled rotten. If a seamstress walks in my door, I hire her because they are few and far between.”
While finding workers for her shop is a challenge, the part of the business Battleson likes most is working with people – particularly brides. Battleson recalls one young bride in particular.
She had come into the shop to have her bridal gown fitted, and Battleson and her team went to work on it. There was nothing so special about the dress – a nip here, a tuck there. Lines were altered and improved, and soon an off-the-rack dress took on the dimensions of something created by designers Donna Karan or Jason Wu.
“She was just so wonderful – so appreciative,” Battleson said. “We just had such a good time working with her, and that’s what makes this job worthwhile, when you have nice people like that.
As far as the future is concerned, Battleson said she’s not very good about creating vision. Usually, the shop is a bit chaotic because of the cyclical nature of the business. With all the nice weather, most people haven’t dug out their winter clothes yet. So right now, the shop is experiencing a slow period.
“As soon as they dig out their kids’ winter clothes, and they realize they forgot about the broken zipper or the rip in the seam, we’ll be busy again,” Battleson said. “Prom season is another cycle. It’s like a feeding frenzy. We did 151 prom dresses in six weeks last year along with everything else that came in.”
Lest readers get the impression Rapids Alterations works only on prom dresses and bridal gowns, Battleson points out the variety of other things they have done, which includes repairing and altering nearly anything that comes through the door.
“We’ve done mascots, and boxing bags, boat covers and snowmobile covers. We’ve done the tennis nets for Tech (high school) and the theater curtains for Foley,” Battleson said. “We do the State Trooper cadet class at Camp Ripley every spring. We just love doing them.”
A man walked in to a tailor shop and said to the seamstress, “How is business?”
“Sew, sew,” said the seamstress.
The joke may be a groaner, but truly what Cindy Battleson does is not. With magic fingers and a flare for design, Battleson and her team stitch a bit of happiness and class in every garment they touch. For them, it really is a sew, sew world.
Seamstresses from Rapids Alterations (from left to right) are the following: Sarah Novak; Kathy Seitz; Cindy Battleson, owner; Sharon Wilson; Diane Hoffman; Lisa McCalla; Isabelle Baert; and Teresa Dietzinger.
Seamstresses Sharon Wilson and Isabelle Baert do some hand-stitching on some fabric in their corner of the Rapids Alterations shop. A lot of repair work is done using the sewing machine, but often hand stitching is required.
