Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa LaChance.
Hi Lisa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started Something Sew Unique nearly 20 years ago in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. What started as a hobby soon evolved into a full-blown drapery workroom and interior design studio! Sewing wasn’t always my career, and certainly didn’t start out that way. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Geology and worked as a petroleum geologist for nearly 20 years. This experience was amazing, but my creative side was itching to do something completely different. Grateful for this experience, this technical background enhanced my ability to visualize, calculate, and execute precise window and bedding treatments. Who knew it would all involve so much math?! We have evolved and grown over the years. Once I relocated to New Braunfels, our business skyrocketed. With the exponential growth in central Texas, we have seen increased demand for custom from all directions. Today’s homes have taller windows, open-concept spaces, and many windows, which is great for our business! You could say I was blessed with a grandmother and mother who both loved to sew, where my love for sewing and design all started. We are passing down those generational traditions, as my two daughters have learned to sew and are now part of the business and fabrication process. This past year brought even more opportunity for our business as we purchased an interior design and window treatment visualization software company, DreamDraper. We have our work cut out over the next several years and plan to add new features, designs, and, ultimately, new users. The software is subscription and web-based. I am a busy person these days!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Wow, a smooth road? Is there such a thing? Everything I have learned since starting this business has been hands-on and self-taught. Through trial and error, many ripped stitches, remakes, and remeasures, I have had to learn the hard way, as most people do. One of my biggest struggles is time management. Having some programming knowledge helped, as I used a database program I wrote to keep track of pricing, customers, expenses, and inventory. This has saved invaluable time, but I still struggle with that work-life balance. There are just never enough hours in the day to work, cook, clean, attend to your family, your pets… the list goes on. As my children are all now more or less grown, it has gotten easier.
Another obstacle I had to overcome was all the overhead at first. I remember struggling initially, having to purchase equipment and supplies, but I tackled it little by little, buying something new with each new project. After 5 years, we had all the machines we needed and a nice supply of all things necessary for custom window treatments – tape measures, linings, pins, scissors, drapery weights, a never-ending list.
The biggest obstacle I have learned to overcome is that butterfly feeling I used to get when I would send someone a quote and wonder what they thought as they read it. Gaining confidence in yourself and your work is the biggest struggle anyone has, myself included. Once you realize that you are the expert they have reached out to for your skill and advice, it is much easier to take the rejection of a customer that goes elsewhere. Learning your worth is the most important challenge to overcome, for sure.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I design, sell, fabricate, and install (with my team) custom window treatments and bedding, and I also sell decorator fabrics, hardware, and all types of hard window treatments, like shutters, shades, roller blinds, etc. We specialize in one-of-a-kind window treatments tailored to our customer’s specific design needs, styles, and budgets. I would say my “specialty” is the one-of-a-kind pillows we fabricate. So much detail can be added to something as small as a pillow! We service the public and are also to the trade.
Every project is as different and unique as the client that hires us. We are so lucky to be able to handle such beautiful textiles and trims in the most amazing patterns, textures, and colors. I am most proud of just the sheer amount of trust given and the people’s lives we have touched by bringing a little beauty and uniqueness to each of their homes, offices, or places of business. Our goal of 100% satisfaction from our clients sets us apart, and we hope that that shows in the detail and pride of our workmanship. If it could be better, we will try to make it so. This sets up apart from others, for sure.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
The DreamDraper program, numerous soft-furnishing resource manuals, the Workroom Channel, Susan Woodcock of Workroom Tech, her online classes, and M’Fay patterns have all been invaluable in growing and learning as a professional in the window treatment industry. Conferences for workrooms, such as the Custom Workroom Conference, professional affiliation with WCAA (Window Coverings Association of America), and certification programs completed over the years have also helped to develop my skill sets. Of all resources, though, Facebook groups of people with similar jobs, experiences, and like minds help me do my best in my work life. There is such a wealth of information from other people who have already faced obstacles that we see every day and are so willing to guide and advise for no other reason than just to be helpful and share!
Pricing:
- All items are custom and are quoted per project
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
somethingsewunique.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ somethingsewunique/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ SomethingSewUnique - Linkedin: https://www.
dreamdraper.com - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/@DreamDraper - Other: https://www.houzz.com/
pro/terravec/something-sew- unique-llc
Image Credits
Photos by Lisa LaChance and/or Andrea Garza Photography
