We recently connected with Maegan McWade and have shared our conversation below.

Maegan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’m Maegan McWade, a queer-identifying woman who owns Shoppe and Tailor Studios, located at College & Ossington in Toronto, ON. I have a degree in fashion design from Toronto Metropolitan University and have been a small business owner for the past 8 years. Shoppe and Tailor Studios is the pandemic pivot reimagining of my former business, Shoppe and Tailor Ltd, which I started in fall 2014. I offered high-end Bespoke tailoring, Bridal tailoring, repairs and alterations services. When the pandemic hit, I was forced to close and figure out a way to persevere as a small business owner–it wasn’t easy operating a tailor shop under all the necessary restrictions! Through multiple lockdowns and reopenings, looking at my empty studio, I formed the idea that wouldn’t it be great if all the makers and creatives in the city had somewhere that they could go to use professional equipment, network to build community and skillshare in an inclusive environment? So many people I knew with fashion businesses were cutting fabric on their living room floor, having to host clients in their apartments for fittings, and struggling to complete projects without the proper industrial equipment that speeds things up.
I brought a creative friend of mine, Chanti Laliberte, on board to work with me. Chanti came from the Theatre & film industry and had noticed that there was a lack of spaces available for short-term rental for productions to have their costumes built and do fittings in. Together we revamped my original tailor shop to Shoppe and Tailor Studios: a Queer-owned rental textile & fashion makerspace. We operate the studio space as a sewing community hub for start-up & growing fashion businesses, artists & creatives to work, congregate and most importantly – to make! Our studio is fully equipped with industrial and domestic sewing machines, tools, proper-sized cutting tables and professional fitting-room space. We offer access to our facilities through both short-term (by the hour/day) and longer-term (weekly and monthly) rentals. We also rent the space out to people who want to host workshops and teach sewing lessons in an environment outside of their home. Our community is made up of fashion designers, stylists, independent makers, folks who sew for fun and for income, hobbyists, students, and film & theatre wardrobe professionals.

Maegan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Maegan McWade, a queer-identifying woman who owns Shoppe and Tailor Studios, located at College & Ossington in Toronto, ON. I have a degree in fashion design from Toronto Metropolitan University and have been a small business owner for the past 8 years. Shoppe and Tailor Studios is the pandemic pivot reimagining of my former business, Shoppe and Tailor Ltd, which I started in fall 2014. Pre pandemic, my business specialized in high-end Bespoke tailoring, Bridal tailoring, repairs and alterations services.

I am most proud of my professional skills set in sewing, fittings, and in business. I work hard to cultivate a safe and comforting space for every client to feel truly taken care of and respected. As a queer person, it is very important that my space feels welcoming to any person in search of identity and comfort through fashion and the tailoring experience.

In 2018 I was a contestant and winner on the reality TV show STITCHED! for Slice TV, Bravo and Apply TV. This show gave me the opportunity to showcase the wide range of my skills, creativity, and professionalism. I have a lot of skilled knowledge, a lot of business experience and a lot to share with new designers as they join my Shoppe and Tailor Studios maker community.

Shoppe and Tailor Studios is centred around the basis of community, shared learning and motivation for growth. My business started from very humble beginnings in 2012 when I offered repairs and tailoring by meeting clients at cafes. Eventually I grew to a place where I was able to open a brick and mortar studio location in 2014. Mentors, business owners and fellow women in business were the people I needed in my community to help me grow. Through my own experiences I see the opportunity Shoppe and Tailor Studios can offer to like minded, small businesses just like me in my early years.

The studio offers tutorials, workshops and lessons of many varieties for any range of designers looking to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

“Pivot” became a hot word early 2020, and after years of uncertainty, “pivot” has became a despised word among business owners. As time continued and rent always coming due, something had to change. We attempted 6 versions of tailoring business platforms from online drop offs, contactless repairs, and online tailoring consulting. Every pivot held short term sustainability, while none proved financially viability long term.

Through multiple lockdowns and reopenings over 2020-2022, I began to notice masses of people learning new skills oneline, starting small businesses as side hustles to supplement their loss of work. Looking at my empty studio, my final idea stemmed from the thought that wouldn’t it be great if all these new makers and creatives in the city had somewhere that they could go to use professional equipment, network to build community and skillshare in an inclusive environment?

I saw many of these eager makers cutting fabric on their living room floor, having to host clients in their private apartments for fittings, and struggling to complete projects without the proper industrial equipment. I decided to bring in a creative friend of mine, Chanti Laliberte, to work with me. Chanti came from the Theatre & film industry and had noticed that there was a lack of spaces available for short-term rental for productions to have their costumes built and do fittings in. Together we revamped my original tailor shop to Shoppe and Tailor Studios: a Queer-owned rental textile & fashion makerspace.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I believe resiliency can come from a space of “no choice”. When faced with hardship, sometimes we are presented with a choice, and sometimes we aren’t. Do we get to choose to count our losses or hit the obstacle dead on?

During the heavy series of lockdowns and turbulent uncertainty of COVID in 2021, my father was diagnosed with cancer. His illness took over him very quickly and I was forced to abandon business and all my efforts for its survival to care for him. Sadly, he passed in May 2022. In business, real life will always pop up. Life has unexpected turns everywhere and we must roll with each punch and business is always affected.

For me, resilience is finding the power to wake up, show up, take another step and to continue imagining a future. I didn’t have the opportunity for choice, and had to hit this dead on. I spend my life’s savings on keeping the remains of S&T Studios afloat while giving every ounce of my time to my father. My mother passed of cancer in 2010, losing a one young parent is a major loss and I was about to loose another young parent. My resiliency was in balancing the most threatening time in the life of my business, with the inevitable familial loss. It has been the hardest test I’ve ever faced.

Through all of this I am still here, still imagining and mapping out my future. Shoppe and Tailor Studios has been my landing pad, my safe house and my baby for 8 years. I have given my whole life to my tailoring community, and now my maker community. If I can show my community members how to navigate the scary parts of early business, I can also show them you can survive the hard things of live that are also along for the ride. Resilience is navigate business and life together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shoppeandtailor.com
• Instagram: @shoppeandtailorstudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoppeandtailor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shoppe-and-tailor-studios
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/shoppe-and-tailor-studios-toronto-2

Image Credits
Photographers: Kaitlyn Whelan, Jules Lee