We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Nicolella a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
My name is Jennifer Nicolella, and I own Abby’s Attic Sewing Studio in San Antonio, Texas.
My sewing studio is a teaching studio, and we offer hand and machine sewing classes for kids as young as 5 up to adults.
I opened my studio in 2016 after realizing that in my own extended friend group there more than 20 ladies who did not know how to sew but wanted to learn. I figured (correctly, thank goodness!) that there might be more people out there who are looking for a place to learn to sew.
I started my business with $8500, and the bulk of that amount went toward rent, security deposits, utilities, business certificates and advertising. I had to get creative with actually filling my studio with furniture– and by creative, I mean my husband and I built all of my tables.. My first couple months were losses, which I knew to expect as a new business but it still bruised my ego and took the window of my passion sails at times. I also knew that a new business doesn’t typically turn a profit for 5-7 years, and after my first successful summer of kids camps, I knew Abby’s Attic was going be outside the norm.
Let me be clear up front: I am a very risk-averse person! Totally on a whim, with very little planning and more chutzpah than I think I should have had, I opened my studio. I had a vague idea of how I was going to run the business, what kinds of classes I wanted to offer, a semblance of a calendar of classes, and that’s about it. I had no background at all in marketing, advertising, using social media to build a local business presence, nor any money to hire staff to do this.
What I did know, however, is that it would have to be my passion that would motivate me to work hard to learn what I lacked in my business-running background (which, also was nothing). I knew that my educational background and professional experience gave me the tools to prepare for long hours, strengthen my tenacity, solve problems, manage my time, provide great customer service, cultivate long term relationships with my customers. My dad taught me that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and I believe him. My mom taught me how to be organized and tidy, and to be a good host, and most importantly, how to sew!
I read A LOT about running a business, about what pitfalls often sink businesses, how to manage costs and save money, and where to spend money intelligently. I watched every penny and did not spend money on things that were not absolutely necessary. I learned and practiced how to build my brand’s social media presence, I learned how to make and edit videos for sewing tutorials and when the pandemic hit, this became an unexpected and fortuitous skill. I learned how to create, edit and run a website. I researched and purchased registration software that streamlined our sign-up process.
When the pandemic forced us to close for almost 3 months, we pivoted our day-to-day business activities to sew masks and sell them online, provided free and paid virtual sewing tutorials and classes and even summer classes for kids online, and curbside service for sewing machine repairs, because everyone was dusting off those old Singers to sew masks and many of them had seen better days.
Now we are entering our 9th year of business, our revenue grows every year, our customer base is about half online searches for “sewing classes near me” (thank you, Google Ads!) and word-of-mouth referrals. We have greatly expanded our initial humble offerings of basic sewing classes to include serger and crochet classes, intermediate garment construction and advanced quilting and sewing classes. We now offer more than 50 different sewing classes throughout the year and I have a strong core staff of people who love sewing and who love sharing their passion with others too.
Looking back on the last 8 years, what has been a winning strategy for me is simply not giving up. I remind myself everyday that keeping up the hustle, always keeping the shop and our class offerings fresh, and maintaining a regular social media presence keeps us in the public eye. I always accept invitations to visit local TV shows for live demonstrations, even if I am not in the mood. I remind myself that on days where I do not feel like “peopling,” I need to just take a few hours off or “fake it ’til I make it,” and that always works in my favor. I listen to management podcasts so I can learn how to be a better boss, and sociology podcasts to learn more about human behavior and motivation– to benefit both my customers and myself.
People always say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I think that is a dangerous fallacy. There will be days when you just are burned out, exhausted, grumpy, and tired of dealing with the grind. That is normal. I know that for me to be happy, I need balance in my life: sewing, balanced with teaching, balanced with quality family time, balanced with exercise and good eating and time with friends. I think that maintaining this balance makes me a good role model for my children and makes me a better human and teacher for my customers. It helps keep me sane, which keeps my mind and heart open to every single person who walks through our door.
Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When my first daughter was “graduating” from 5th grade, the lead teacher thought it would be a great idea to present a quilt, made by the students, to the school as a parting gift. I enthusiastically volunteered! I taught 20 moms and several 5th graders how to use a sewing machine. I held hand embroidery classes in my home for kids who wanted to decorate the fabric square they received to be sewn into the quilt. None of these people had had any sewing experience at all.
I figured (correctly, thank goodness!) that there might be more people out there who are looking for a place to learn to sew.
We are the only studio of our kind in San Antonio. What sets us apart from other places who offer classes is that we do absolutely no retail business– we focus entirely on teaching, honing our methods, and providing consistently better and better customer experiences.
I am most proud of the fact that even many years after a child has taken a class with us, we remain their favorite summer camp experience. I am proud of the fact that we are bringing back into fashion a dying skill. I am proud of the fact that people know us now and recognize our brand, and continue to return for more and more advanced classes and refer their friends to us. We are trusted in the community for honesty, quality service, compassion, inclusivity and friendliness.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Our reputation is one of honesty, integrity, and compassion. We get to know our customers well enough to know that if they miss a class without notifying us, something must be wrong. We charge customers a fair (and sometimes too low) price for the classes we offer. Where we might have a valid business opportunity to up-charge people, we decline. We are clear about what is included in our classes or services, detailing steps even down to the minute for custom order price quotes.
We are welcoming to all, even the intolerant. We understand that learning is sometimes a slow process and that it is harder for adults to learn something new, so we make the environment fun and inviting. We encourage people to make mistakes in our classes so that they can problem solve on their own later on.
People remember how you make them feel, so we always strive to make everyone feel welcome, that we are excited to see them, and let them know we are always here for any questions they might have in their sewing adventures.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When the pandemic forced us to close for almost 3 months, we pivoted our day-to-day business activities to sew masks and sell them online, provided free and paid virtual sewing tutorials and classes and even summer classes for kids online, and curbside service for sewing machine repairs, because everyone was dusting off those old Singers to sew masks and many of them had seen better days.
Contact Info:
- Website: AbbysAtticSewingSchool.com
- Instagram: @abbysatticsewingschool
- Facebook: @abbysatticsewingschool
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpL_bg02H_zKmEwKeveW-A
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/abbys-attic-sewing-and-crafting-studio-2-san-antonio
Image Credits
Jennifer Nicolella