Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Olson.
Hi Carol, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After moving to Texas almost 10 years ago I was looking for a part time job to get back into the work force and ended up at a bridal shop. The hours for the sales floor weren’t working with my Theatre Mom role as costumer, but the alterations manager found out I sewed and convinced me to transfer to the alterations room and learn from her.
Over the years there I went from part time to full time and found that I loved working with brides and her friends and family, hearing all about the wedding and life plans, working with the gowns and fabrics, and the process of making THE dress HER dress!
When that shop closed down I faced the decision of what to do next with my life as an empty nester at 50+.😳 My adult daughters immediately jumped to “you need to open your own alterations studio”. I was not so sure. I submitted my resume for various jobs, but my heart kept pulling me to bridal alterations. I knew no one would let me walk into their business and do things the way I wanted to do them, and I had a vision to make the alterations experience special because every event around a wedding should be celebrated. So in July 2023 Alterations by Carol opened. Since then I’ve worked with over 250 brides adjusting the fit, shortening the length, creating bustles, and making and adding sleeves and anything else needed to make the amazing gown that she has found truly hers. Part of my service to my brides is also to take care of alterations for the other women that will be in all those wedding pictures, so I’ve also worked with over 450 Moms, bridesmaids, flower girls, and guests to help make sure they all feel confident and look amazing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest obstacle was me!😳 I did not want to be an entrepreneur. I still refer to myself as “the reluctant entrepreneur”.😂While I love sewing and working with brides and their friends and family, the idea of the marketing and putting myself out there (on social media especially) – not to mention all the other things you have to do as a business owner – was overwhelming.
I remember going to my first women’s networking group and sitting in the parking lot with the internal battle of “I don’t want to go in there, but I need to go in there, but I don’t want to do this…”
Then there’s the space issue. I work out of my home. When I started, I used my daughter’s old bedroom as fitting room and work room. After a year I had outgrown that room and it just wasn’t the experience that I wanted for my clients. I did not (and do not) want to rent a commercial space: for one, the expense that I would have to pass on to my clients, and two, I’m a night owl, so sewing in my PJs at 1 AM is not an unusual occurrence.😉 As a solution, we closed in our dining room for my husband’s office since he works from home quite a bit, and I took over his former office redecorating and turning it into a fitting room worthy of a bridal salon.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My specialty is altering bridal gowns and formal dresses. One of the favorite things I get to do is Vintage Restyling – taking a gown that was worn by a family member years ago and reimagining it for a new bride. I love helping a bride to have that sentimental aspect of using Mom’s gown while still keeping her own style. Whether redesigning and/or resizing it to wear for the rehearsal, reception of the wedding, making something completely different like a robe or just using a bit of lace to embellish something, there’s something special about a gown with history!
The thing that makes me most proud is when a bride tells me – “I was stressed out about so many things for the wedding, but I was never worried about my gown. I knew you had it.”
As far as what set me apart, overall I’d say it’s because I treat my business like a business, but at the same time, I don’t. I do continuing education. I’m involved in an online network of bridal seamstresses. I go to local networking meetings. I have insurance and contracts and all those things, but overall I treat my clients the way I would want my daughters to be treated. If a bride calls me the night of her wedding because she can’t remember how to do her bustle, I’m talking her bridesmaids through it – even if it is outside business hours.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up on a small tobacco farm in the mountains of SW Virginia with my grandmother a short walk down the road on the left and my other grandparents a short walk up the road to my right. I was a farm kid – steering the tractor to pick up hay, setting and working tobacco, chasing down cows, and when not helping on the farm, there were acres of woodland that served as my playground. Watching my grandmother piece and make quilts was a normal occurrence, and I spent a lot of time playing with all the buttons she had accumulated over the years and experimenting with sewing on her old Singer treadle machine. In school, I was the bookish introvert. PE and sports was definitely not my cup of tea.😉 I was much more likely to be reading or doing something crafty – macrame, jigsaw puzzles, 4-H projects, or cross stitch. Sewing took a back seat for awhile – college, marriage, kids, toddler diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac, homeschooling Mom, theatre Mom, now mother-in -law to two amazing young men and adopted Gigi to 2 little boys. My husband and I have moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Ohio to Tennessee over the years. We finally made it to Texas about 10 years ago and love it here!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alterations-by-carol.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alterationsbycarol?igsh=MXF2bDB3d3VzOGNxMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GJAibient/?mibextid=wwXIfr
