Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Oddo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

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

I always joke that I got into the industry by total accident. Back when I was studying fashion and sewing at school if you had asked me if I would be working in bridal or the wedding industry, I would’ve told you you were crazy.

After graduating from The Fashion Institute of Technology, I had worked in the fashion industry for several year, but then started to step away as I was trying to figure out my ultimate career path and life goals- nothing seemed to fit (no pun intended). It was while I was working as a real estate agent that my husband and I had moved to Central Connecticut and it just so happens that my cousin owns a local bridal shop, Lastrina Girls. Having worked in retail environments before, I reached out to her to see if she might need any help around the store. She interviewed me and I was hired as a bridal consultant, which was my 1st foot into this industry. I worked part time for her, but really developed an interest in the wedding realm and began taking on more and more responsibility around her shop. Then suddenly, the woman who did all of the alterations for her clients slipped and fell and had suffered several injuries that were going to set her back in terms of managing the workload of gown alterations. Having had lots of experience on industrial sewing machines, I told my cousin that I would happily step in and try to help where I could. She jokingly told me that I was fired and was going to work at the tailor shop instead as it would be helpful for everyone.

It was there that I became truly immersed in the possibilities of the bridal alterations space. The woman I worked for was of an older generation and a master tailor. I learned so much under her guidance and at the same time found myself really inspired and wanting to run things a little differently than she did at her shop. I was also constantly getting comments from our clients about how nice it was to see a young person in the industry, and that it was an unexpected surprise.

Right around this time, another friend of mine, who had a bridal shop in Rhode Island, moved that shop into Connecticut, and reached out to me to let me know that her alterations specialist was retiring, and she asked if I could take on a few of her brides and set up a space for fittings in my home or even drive out to her shop from time to time. So it was at that point that I was subcontracting and managing my own clients at the same time that it really hit me that there was going to be a great need for my skills and there was a huge opportunity in the market.

I began working in bridal alterations and getting so much business that I immediately knew I needed to get set up as a formal company so it was in 2018 that I formed deMelis Atelier.

As I headed into 2019, I parted ways with the tailor shop and went completely solo. Honestly, I was terrified. I immediately started reaching out to bridal shops in the area to see if they might like to link up and refer people to me. Almost immediately I got a response back from Beth Chapman of the White Dress By The Shore.

I was so fortunate that she and I began what has become an incredible relationship. I spent my first two years of business conducting fittings in my home and driving all over to various shops, and taking on any work that I could. By the end of 2020 and despite all of the hiccups with the pandemic, I was doing so well that I was able to move my business out of my home and into a nearby studio space. By 2022 I had two employees and moved down the hall into an even bigger space.

Over the years, I have come to realize what a unique service myself and my team are able to offer our clients, and we have been saddened to see sewing, becomes such a dying art. Because of this, we have made it our mission to really put the business out there and open peoples eyes up to the sewing trades as a whole- to show peopleIt really is a viable career path and it needs more creative minds getting involved.

The idea that we could have a lasting impact on the industry is really what gets me excited every day!

Melissa, 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 going to start by going way back and mentioning that growing up, I had always wanted to be a fashion designer. My grandmother and great grandmother sewed, and it was something that had peaked my interest at a young age. When I grew up and went to college, I decided on attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Having gone through the rigorous Fashion Design program offered there, I knew that I possessed a high-level of skill, but I also knew that being a fashion designer was not the realm I truly wanted to be in- however I didn’t know what that would mean for my long-term career.

After working in several related fashion positions, such as Assistant Designer or Visual Manager, I actually wound up getting out of the fashion world for a while. I got certified as a personal trainer and a boxing coach, and also had gotten my real estate license when I was pregnant with my first child. (I have always been a hustler with a lot of broad interests, and I love learning new things).

However the universe had other plans to get me back into fashion and sewing and I sort of accidentally wound up in the alterations industry. Now that I’m here, I have worked very hard to set my business apart as something very unique and experiential. I really lean into the fact that myself and my team are younger sewists and we are a pretty loud and fun bunch. While we absolutely love the alterations and physical nature of our work, it’s really most fun to get to know our clients and to help solve all of their fit issues and let them also customize and get creative at times with their wedding attire.

While alterations work is definitely our bread and butter, over these last few years, we have been able to take on some very fun and creative projects. One of the top things we’ve gotten into is repurposing and up-cycling, mom‘s or vintage heirloom dresses. We have turned them into party dresses for rehearsal dinners or we have made them into silky dressing robes for the morning of the wedding. We’ve also taken accessories and used elements to create custom sneakers or create new veils or hairpieces.

What’s sets us apart for sure is our skill level as well as our age. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has the average sewer pegged at just under age 51. People are always surprised and delighted when they find out about us, and then see who the people are behind the business. We have always felt that our youthfulness and modernity is a driving force in why people want to work with us. I think they feel that we are relatable and understand a lot of what they are going through because we are not far removed from that experience ourselves.

It’s also brought about the sense of responsibility that myself and my team feel towards protecting and enhancing the sewing industry at large. Now we are working on other new endeavors, like an educational YouTube channel, a podcast, and a blog. We are trying to continue to shed a light on the industry and get people to notice the makers and the craftspeople and care about sewing again.

I am honestly most proud of my team and the work that we do, as well as the attention that we have already begun to bring to our craft. Working with our customers lights us up in every way and we love being able to use our creativity and talent to solve problems and educate the masses.

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

There are so many times when I’ve had to pivot in life and in business. The most recent time would definitely have to be in the wake of Covid and the pandemic.

At the start of 2020 I was absolutely delighted because my calendar was already pre-booked for the year. I had spent the Winter getting everything organized and was looking forward to an increase in clientele from the year prior. I was really proud at how my business had been trending thus far but if I’m being honest, I was also very overworked and definitely not good at harmonizing my work and my home life. I was also running my business out of my home, which made it hard to separate things sometimes.

I remember, as people began to postpone their weddings that I stood crying in my kitchen thinking about the uncertainty that was ahead. I allowed myself to process and be emotional and rightfully upset about what was happening, but once I got through those feelings, I was able to take a step back and start controlling things that were within my ability to control. I was able to sort out a way to make sure that my family and I would stay financially stable and be sure our bills were in order. And then I quite frankly just took to fundraising and making masks for essential workers. Everyone in those early days was looking for a way to channel their efforts into something meaningful and this was a way that I could help and get others involved too.

And while all of this was going on, I was finding that I was able to spend so much time with my kids and my husband, and really reset myself to be more present person. With the pressure of “the hustle“ off my shoulders I really gained some solid perspective on how I wanted to move forward in my business, and what was really important to me, as well as why I was even doing business in the first place. I think as entrepreneurs we can get so lost in everything that we are doing that much of the rest of our lives and the world can fade away. Covid was really a time that made us take a minute to reflect on big picture things.

Being able to pivot into the endeavor of making masks as well as re-prioritizing my family really allowed me to move forward in business as a whole in a more meaningful way. As things started to go back to normal it really showed me what was important in terms of relationships to my customers and this mutual understanding of life and purpose.

Getting through those times really showed me that no matter what business struggles come up, I will make it through stronger and I have the ability to cope and adjust. Now, being on the other side of those tough times, I know what is really important to me and I know that I can run a successful business while still having boundaries and holding true to my needs as well.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

So, as you know from my backstory now, I was kind of all over the place when I first got into the bridal world. I had a real estate license, I was also certified as a personal trainer, I had a fashion degree that I wasn’t sure what to do with and then I was working as a consultant at a wedding dress shop all before I landed in the tailor shop.

When I first started working at the tailor shop it wasn’t a true full-time gig either- I was a subcontractor. So when my other colleague approached me about doing fittings for her as well, I was encouraged by the shop owner to do some work out of my home and help her out. So considered the tailoring shop my “job” and my home alterations endeavors as my “side hustle”. Since I was a child, though, I have known that I wanted to be a business owner. So as things began to grow, and my home work began getting very busy, I really saw the opportunity arise to have my own thing and business just kept coming! There was a constant need for my services, and as I got better and better and put myself out there more and more, it began to grow exponentially. When I parted ways with the tailor shop a year later and got my LLC for DeMelis, I knew that it was up to me at that point. That was when I really pounded the pavement to find other shops to refer to me and make sure that I was able to find financial stability etc. Luckily, for my industry, it was not super difficult because there is such high demand for what I do. Once I had referral business in place, I knew that I would more than meet my minimum needs for running the business successfully. Plus when I started I was running the show out of my home so I had very limited overhead and expenses. It was the perfect way to get started without carrying a lot of financial burden or risk.

Once we were through the worst of Covid, business continued to grow and our fiscal 2020 year was still better than 2019. By the end of 2020 I had seen a sales sign up on a commercial space near where I live. It made perfect sense to scale the business and get to a new point of growth. It was then that I moved the business out of my house and into its first studio space, and at the same time found my first employee so that we were sure that business was able to support the new setup.

Thinking back on it now, it was such a wild ride, but I really remained steadfast and never thought about failure- it just wasn’t in the cards even at the most difficult times- it wasn’t an option. Everything about our growth as a business has been thought out and calculated as best as it could be, but at the end of the day, it’s always about being comfortable with a little bit of risk and growing pains. I know they say that being a business owner is not for the faint of heart and that is true, but it is also true that without risk, there is no reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: demelisatelier.com
• Instagram: @demelisatelier

Image Credits
Jennifer Conti Adam Coppola Joanna Fisher Gustavo Tessaro