LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many people have found new hobbies and interests since the COVID-19 pandemic changed our day-to-day living months ago.
One popular activity is now sewing, which started with the need to make face masks.
“Had I known that elastic was going to be such a popular thing in February, I would have stocked up,” said Elizabeth Pooler, the manager of Sew-A-Lot in Lexington.
More and more customers kept coming back to Sew-A-Lot as the pandemic continued and interest grew.
“We just can’t keep sewing machines under $500 in stock,” she said. “We get a load of them in, 30 to 40 of them in. We have them for a week. They’re gone.”
Pooler says before, the store typically catered to an older customer base. It still does, but the renewed interest has brought in a new generation of sewers.
“We’re getting a lot of little kids. Grandparents have been coming in and buying them sewing machines,” said Pooler. “It’s fun to see these people get excited about this, because it is a fun hobby.”
Looking ahead, Pooler says she expects the store to stay busy through the end of the year. The store even has plans to help provide masks for children once schools reopen.
“We actually had the Garrett Morgan PTA reach out to us recently and request masks for the kids, so we’re actually getting ready to start a mask drive where if people bring masks in, they’ll get fabric to replenish,” said Pooler. “They use their stash to make kids’ masks to donate to the PTA, we’ll give them some fabric to replenish their masks. So that’s something we’re working on for the month of September.”
It’s a chance to help others while enjoying a new hobby.