Have you ever wondered how it looks inside a tailor shop? I can take you for a quick tour right now. You can meet Anna Hon, the owner of Parksville Tailors & Leather Work and see her shop full of wonders.
I wanted to photograph Anna for a long time. Not only is she a very beautiful woman (wait when you see her pictures below) but she is also an incredible person. I finally had a chance to do it recently, when Anna asked me for business branding photos for her established business. She is the founder and owner of Parksville Tailors & Leather Work Shop on Weld Street in Parksville. The shop opened 14 (!) years ago, and is a well known and busy local business since.
I met Anna a few years ago by a lucky coincidence. I heard about her the first time when I was working a part time job at Smithfords in downtown Qualicum. I was chatting with a customer, and, as most of the time, they asked me about my accent. When I said that I am Czech, I was told there is another Czech woman who has a tailor shop in Parksville. (I met lots of my Czech friends serendipitously.) Fast forward, a few months later, I went to see a portrait photographer Gordon Lafleur to buy his studio love seat, as he was retiring and closing his studio. I feel excited and grateful that I can continue to photograph people on the same love seat as Gordon did for years. You can see it in many of my portrait photos. What does love seat have to do with Anna? The Gordon Lafleur Photography Studio building was next to Anna’s shop. (The old character house where the studio used to be is gone now and it’s been replaced by large condo building.) I took advantage being just next door and went into the Tailor shop to see if Anna is in. And that’s how we met.
Over the years Anna has built a wide and loyal customer base, and today her shop is permanently busy. Her shop is even the go to tailor shop to do altering for the Chesapeake Shore cast! Anna and her team at Parksville Tailors & Leather Work offer altering and tailoring for everything, from suits or tuxedos, shirts, leathers, casual wear, home decor, to wedding gowns, and bridesmaids and prom dresses. I am not surprised they are so busy. Who doesn’t need to shorten the pants, fix a zipper on the favourite pair of jeans or alter the curtains you love when you move. Then you have suits and tuxedos and of course, the big dresses! Ball gowns, prom and bridesmaids dresses… and the wedding dresses. You can’t alter those at home even if you think you are a crafty wizard. Sometimes, you just need a professional who is a master, and that’s the time to visit Anna and her team at Parksville Tailors & Leather Work Shop.
Their services are not only altering your clothes and accessories, but they can make custom clothes just for you. You see an amazing dress online or on someone and you love it, but you can’t buy it.
Guess what! There is a way to get that! Take a screen shot and head to these guys and tad dah! You have the same dress. How cool is that?
I will start with Anna and then you can read and see more pictures below.
There is a quiet confidence and strength about Anna. She approaches life with its successes, gains and losses with an incredible grace and natural wisdom. She is the best mother and grandmother and her family is everything for her. I will always remember the beautiful evening where we were sitting at the big table at Anna’s garden and singing old folk songs with her, her friends, her husband and her parents.
Here we were, ocean on one side and West Coast forest on the other. Watching stars and singing old Czech songs together. That’s pretty cool, hey?
You won’t see Anna sitting around too often. When she is not working at her business, she looks after her family, her twin teenage boys and her adorable grandson. You can find her on the beach or hiking in the forest, you can see her in the kitchen, baking and cooking the most delicious meals and pastries.
I feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to meet Anna.
We did some photos outside of the shop and that was fun. Anna had a Vogue Book from the 70's. The book is full of amazing outfits with corresponding patterns. It took me back down to memory lane. When I was a child we had magazines with patterns at home. We had Burda magazines (which were magazines from West Germany, and it wasn't easy to get them. It was always a nice treat to get a new issue.) We also had magazines with knitting patterns, as my mom was so good at knitting. I should start knitting or crocheting project again. It is so satisfying to create something with your hands. But back to Anna. Here are the fun outdoor shots which was so enjoyable to create.
Now look at one of the team members, Chetan. Chetan, originally from India, made Canada his new home and he loves it here.
I was so impressed with him and his excitement for his craft. He’s definitely a person who loves what he does and is very proud of it. He was so happy about having photos done and be able to sent some back home to India to his parents.
Chetan’s excitement and positive energy was so contagious, and I had a blast working with him.
What do you see first when you come to the shop...
This woodpecker is a frequent guest and hangs out on the tree outside of the shop all the time. Anna named him Datel (which means woodpecker in Czech language.
You will be greeted with a big smile every time you come in without an exception. Big and beautiful smile!
We were shooting at time of Covid and I was very impressed how diligent about following the rules and protecting customers this business owner is.
The shop is a busy place. I already talked about customers coming all day long (even during the shoot). Now, I am talking about a busy working environment, where every little space is utilized. I felt a little bit like in a toy store. You can find so many different sawing machines, irons (which are on all the time), buttons, pins, threads (every colour you can imagine) and tons and tons of fabric. I used to sew a lot when my daughter was little, making clothes for her and myself. My first big “success” was a dress I made when I was 16. It was a two piece dress from poplin (white, grey and dark grey). The top was geometrical pattern (pretty much two triangles put together) and a tiered mini skirt with three ruffles. It was a pretty sophisticated project, as the skirt went from light to dark and each ruffle had a thin edging of the other colour. I loved that dress and I am sure that anyone who remembers the 80’s, will share my sentiment. I so wish I would have a picture of the full dress. I made another jewel with huge puffy sleeves in bright turquoise and I could talk about making clothes and home accessories for hours. I might write a blog about my crafting successes and failures one day.
Do you know how many sewing machines are in the shop? This is more of a rhetorical question because I don't know either. There are lots! And different kinds. I have some sewing skills but I have no idea what all of these machines can do. It's definitely a very well equipped tailor shop to accommodate all kinds of projects.
One sign of a successful business is a friendly and positive working environment. When I watched Anna and Chetan working on a project together, I could see how much they both love what they do and how much fun they have working here.
So, next time, when you find out your favourite dress has a broken zipper or is a little bit tight after Christmas season, don't get all down, go to Parksville to see these wonderful people. You will be shining in your dress again in no time. (and when you are there, say hi to them for me!)
I am not saying good bye to Anna and Chetan for now because I hope to be back soon. With my camera or with my dress which became a little too tight.
There was a very friendly and easy atmosphere during the whole time we worked together. Although the shop was a challenging place to shoot because of the different lighting and a very busy environment, I loved every minute of it. Due to Covid restrictions we don’t have all team members here but they’ll be definitely photographed soon.
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