A TEXTILE repair business in Leek is hoping for greater successes after moving to new premises.
After three years in the Smithfield Centre, On the Mend, run by Wendy Gee and her family, has relocated to the Cawdry Buildings in Fountain Street, home of the former Serendipity shop.
Macclesfield-born Wendy hopes the move will give the business greater presence in town after years “hidden” away opposite the bus station.
She said: “It’s much better here — warmer, lighter and more visible. We’ve built our business up through word of mouth, but we were getting no passing trade at all.
“So when our lease came to an end we started looking around and found this premises, which we think is just in the right place.” The 61-year-old, who lives in Rudyard, has been in the textile industry for more than 20 years.
For 12 years, Wendy worked as a machinist at Halle’s textile mill in Macclesfield, before being sub-contracted by various companies in the region.
After doing alterations and repairs from home, she decided to set up what is the only textile repair shop in town.
She said: “I worked for many years in factories and as a sub-contractor for years, but the industry kept getting cut back and back.
“The textile industry is really dead now, everything’s made abroad. I started to do a lot of work from home before starting up On the Mend.
“It’s gone from strength to strength and people come from all around. It’s amazing how skills such as sewing seem to have been lost with the current generation, which is good news for us.”
Wendy and daughters Nicola Barrow and Rachel Chuter’s claim to fame came in 2002, when they were sub-contracted to work on the alteration team for the England Commonwealth Games team in Manchester.
Wendy described how the opportunity came about.
She said: “We knew someone who worked for Puma, the official kit supplier for the team.
“Luckily they recommended us to work on the alteration team. It was hectic and mad, but absolutely brilliant, working with some of the best athletes in the country.” As well as offering alterations and repairs, On the Mend also does wedding decor, including chair covers, favours and balloons.
“It’s definitely an area we want to expand,” said Nicola. “We have high hopes, we’re already busy, but you can never be too busy!” On the Mend reopened yesterday.