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By Ayanna Eckblad

Sewing enthusiasts, crafters and hobbyists will soon have a new place to explore and learn in Albert Lea.

Creating Sew Much LLC, at 123 N. Broadway, sells and repairs sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, crafting supplies and more. Owners Jessica Henry, Mary Jo Pramann and Parker Jenson have been working hard for the past few weeks to get everything ready for its opening in early February.

Henry, Pramann and Jenson all previously worked at A-Best Sew & Vac, a similar store that closed down after over 30 years of business in the Albert Lea area. This closing was disappointing not just for the staff, but also for community members who were looking forward to upcoming classes and needed help with their sewing machines.

“People were distraught that [A-Best] was closing,” Jenson said, noting there are few options in the area and people did not want to have to travel long distances to have their sewing machines and vacuums fixed.

It was then that the three former employees had an idea.

“We decided to open, and everything just kind of has been falling into place,” Henry said. She is an Albert Lea native, born at Naeve Hospital. She lived in North Carolina for over 10 years before moving back to her hometown to raise her family.

She said she learned sewing from her grandmother and classes at school. She picked up many of the other skills like vacuum repairs from working at A-Best.

Pramann grew up in Owatonna and has lived there her entire life. She still resides in the town and commutes to Albert Lea. She got her sewing skills from watching her mother as a child. She also went to craft shows with her mother to sell their work in the 1970s and ’80s.

Jenson was born and raised in Albert Lea and has lived there all of his life. Jenson was hired by A-Best after he graduated high school.

“They hired me because I had experience at the school’s robotics team,” said Jenson. He liked the work that he did, both repairing machines and meeting people in the community.

All three owners are excited to show the community what the store has to offer. Their goal is to make classes available for every skill level.

“Not just the people who do big quilts and things like that,” Henry said. “We want to help the parents that want their children to know how to sew or make clothes or a pillow or a gift.”

She loves teaching people a skill that they can take home with them after the class is done. She hopes that the store radiates a sense of community and togetherness as well as makes sewing enthusiasts aware of people with similar interests in the area.

“It’s an amazing community that people probably don’t even know is a thing unless you sew,” Henry said. “When you reach out and see that there’s hundreds, thousands of quilt clubs or little gathering places.”

Henry, Pramann and Jenson all enjoyed their time at A-Best and learned a lot, but they are also excited to branch out to other services.

One skill they would like to teach down the road is how to grow and preserve food. They want to hold classes on gardening, canning, drying herbs and other skills. Creating Sew Much’s slogan is “Putting the ‘fun’ in fundamentals,” and in this way, they are hoping to embody that.

Creating Sew Much LLC will officially open for people to shop and sign up for classes on Feb. 6. The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce will have a grand opening ceremony for the store on Feb. 20.

The owners of Creating Sew Much plan to have regular business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

The shop will be open other times for special classes and other events. Henry said she hopes this makes it possible for people who work on weekdays to be able to enjoy their services as well.

“We’re here to help,” Henry said. “If they want to learn a new skill or they just want to practice the one that they already have … come in.”

Pramann said that she hopes the shop can be a place for neighbors and friends to help each other.

Henry, Pramann and Jenson also said there will be times for open sewing when customers can come in and borrow one of the shop’s machines to work on projects. During these times, themselves or other employees will be nearby to answer any questions.