From doll clothing to Kool Wraps
By Oluatoyin Alleyne
As a child Claire Richards was often scolded for “playing” on her stepmother’s sewing machine but it was those little stints of attempting to make doll clothing that propelled her into a successful designer and seamstress today.
Claire is the talent behind Kool Wraps, a small clothing establishment on Robb Street, and a far cry from when she rented a small stall at the Bourda Mall several years ago. Claire designs and sews clothing for children and adults. She tie-dyes her own cloth and makes African outfits as well. She sews for weddings or any occasion, once an order is placed.
From the time she knew herself, Claire said, she was in love with the idea of creating clothing and has been doing it off and on for many years. It was in 2000 that she felt confident enough to put her creativity to the test.
In a recent sit down with The Scene she related that with capital of just $6,000 she rented a stall on the mall for a minimal sum. She said if she was a woman who did not believe in herself she would have closed the stall and gone home. Claire opened her stall on July 29 and received her first sale on August 14. “I remember vividly what it was. It was a red and white wrap skirt and a guy bought it and that sale gave me a little bounce in my step to continue.”
Claire took every dollar from that sale and invested it in her business. During that time at the mall she had no sewing machine so she only sold wraps and did her tie-dying as well.
Today, Claire can sit in her small establishment surrounded by many of her eye-catching creations and look back at the days on the mall when she was forced to go without many necessities in life just to ensure that she opened the stall every day. “I had to leave myself undone many days because I wanted to make it. I am proud of where I am today even though I want to do much better.”
Claire wants so much more for herself and small daughter Justice, who was present during the interview, and she says she is not afraid of working hard to ensure she achieves success.
She describes the success of the business of enabling her “to keep my head above the water.” And while she has her “ups and downs” she has no intention of closing down and hopes to one day move to a better location. However, she acknowledged that her present location is in the heart of the city and many persons usually walk off the streets and purchase items or place orders.
The high cost of living has impacted on her business as she said persons are not buying or placing orders as before. July and August are usually two of her busiest months and she hopes this year would be no different.
Now Claire has four sewing machines and two employees and whenever she is flooded with orders she employs another seamstress to assist her. “Even though I get a lot of orders there are months when things are not so good,” Claire said.
Some days find her riding around the city to find appropriate material for her creations, and this can sometimes take days. “So it is not just that the cost of materials has gone up significantly from the time I started but sometimes I cannot even find them,” she said.
Claire, who grew up in Port Kaituma, North West District, said she would have never imagined that she would have been where she is today. It was during her childhood days in that interior location that she was always scolded for playing on her stepmom’s sewing machine. “I was chased from it [the machine] but whenever I could I was always making dolly clothes and even sewing the cloth dolly,” she said with a smile.
She said as she grew older she knew that she wanted to do something in sewing even as she at one time attempted to become a nurse. Nursing was definitely not for her and she started to take sewing classes when she moved to Berbice in 1995. When she moved to the city, Claire worked with a seamstress for a while and then was inspired to branch off on her own.
After that first sale at her mall stall, Claire said, business picked up and she moved from that location to her present one, mere months later. It was on July 28, 2001 that she opened up on Robb Street and because it was just before Emancipation Day she immediately got sales. “I can tell you I hit the ground running, people just came in and requested outfits for that day so I got many orders immediately. And my customers form the mall also followed me here.”
Claire recalled that on her first visit back to Port Kaituma after some 19 years, she was pregnant and found it difficult to get anything for babies. So a few months ago, she opened her very own baby store in that area, Babies and Toddlers Plus. Claire said that already it has proven profitable. She said customers go to the store from Port Kaituma and the surrounding areas. In another year or so she feels the business would be booming because by then more persons would know of its existence.
Richards Kool Wraps is located at Lot 66, Robb Street, Lacytown, between King and Wellington Streets and persons can contact Claire on telephone numbers 618-3598 and 225-7244. (samantha_alleyne2000@yahoo.com)
