Indiana family keeps late woman's sewing shop dream alive

BEDFORD, Ind. (AP) - Pam Oldham was never concerned with how much money her sewing shop brought in. For the seasoned seamstress, it was always about the quality of the work and pleasing customers.

Her husband, Michael Oldham, said nothing made her prouder than to tear apart a garment, alter it and put it back together looking as if it had never been touched.

'œThere was nothing she couldn't do,'ť he said.

'œI don't think there was anything she'd say no to,'ť said her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Mason. 'œShe enjoyed the challenge.'ť

Sewing was Pam's passion. She learned the intricacies of custom sewing and alterations from her mother, Mary Moore, at her Bedford alterations shop, working there for 20 years. In 2016, she realized her dream of opening her own shop, Pam's Sewing and Alterations at 1420 L St. in Bedford.

Business was steady and during busy times, Pam would spend 70 hours a week at the shop.

In late February, Pam became ill and had to be hospitalized. Her condition deteriorated and in April, Pam died following complications from pancreatitis. She was 53.

The shop closed as the family - husband, Michael; son, Tristen; and daughter, Mary Elizabeth - coped with the loss.

Monday, Michael and Mary Elizabeth sat at sewing tables in the shop reflecting on Pam's life and her love of sewing. All around them were reminders of Pam. Her machine, a Singer 20U, pictures of cats, walls of sewing notions, spools of thread and zippers.

'œPam always wanted her own shop,'ť Michael said. 'œI think it was the social part of it. Family could come and see her and she had done it for so long, everybody knew her.'ť

Mistakes were rare, but Michael recalled one time a customer brought in a brand-new suit jacket to be altered. Pam mistakenly trimmed too much from the sleeves. She did her best to fix her mistake on the jacket, but ordered another jacket from the store just in case. Michael said when customer came in, Pam explained what happened and showed him how she had fixed the sleeve.

'œHe was happy with it and didn't want the new jacket, so she returned it,'ť he said. 'œBut that's how she was. She was prepared to eat the cost of the jacket.'ť

Last week the shop reopened with Mary Elizabeth taking over as seamstress.

Initially, she wasn't sure she could return to the shop. Mother and daughter worked together for two years, their sewing machines just a few feet apart. Being in the place where her mother spent so many hours working on everything from wedding gowns and prom dresses to suits and uniforms, Mary Elizabeth said it was hard to be in the shop and see her mother's sewing machine sit idle.

'œWhen I'm here by myself is when it gets hard,'ť she said. 'œIf the sewing machine messes up or comes unthreaded, I just want to ask Mom for help.'ť

Michael tried to find a seamstress to work in the shop, but there were no takers.

Ultimately, it came down to honoring Pam and keeping her dream alive.

'œThe idea of coming in here and tearing apart her dream ... well, I couldn't do it,'ť Michael said.

Pam loved her customers and her customers loved her.

'œI used to hate to go to Walmart with her because she knew everybody and it would take forever to get out,'ť Michael said fondly.

Mary Elizabeth smiled at the memory, 'œIt was a process when you went shopping with her.'ť

A certified cat lady, Pam brought her cat Watson with her to work every day. The walls of the shop are decorated with cat photos.

Michael said Watson, now retired and a stay-at-home cat, was popular with customers, many of whom made a point of asking about him when they stopped by the shop.

Another interest of Pam's was the Bedford North Lawrence Marching Stars. Michael said she served as group treasurer, provided snacks and chaperoned on band trips. Whether it was volunteering or operating the shop, Michael said her philosophy was the same.

'œShe always believed it was important to be a good person and that you'll always get back more than you give when helping others,'ť he said.

Right now, the sewing shop is open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. It will offer basic alterations as well as a 20% discount for work on uniforms worn by military, police and other first responders. As a third-generation seamstress - her grandmother owns The Sewing Shop in Mitchell - Mary Elizabeth is teaching herself so she can provide the range of alteration services customers request.

'œIt's an honor to keep Mom's dream alive,'ť she said. 'œI just hope I can make her proud.'ť

Her dad turned to her and smiled. 'œYou already have,'ť he said.

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Source: Times-Mail