Side-by-side, this couple's work unlocks and sews up.Byline: RANDI RANDI Random Integer RANDI Recognition and Identification RANDI Research Ambient Noise Directionality Model BJORNSTAD The Register-Guard SOMETIMES IT WORKS well when husbands and wives work side by side; other times it can be a disaster. Robert and Vicki Simrell have been doing it for much of their married life and they've managed to tailor - so to speak - a working arrangement that suits them just fine. Actually, the couple owns two businesses that operate side by side in a small building at 1755 West 11th Avenue, sandwiched between two car lots just west of Chambers Street Chambers Street is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, at south of the Old Town. The street is named after William Chambers of Glenormiston, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh who was the main proponent of the 1867 Edinburgh Improvement Act, which gave permission for the street's . Robert, 61, takes charge of the goings-on at Keyhole Locksmith, while his 60-year-old spouse runs things just behind at Alterations by Vicki. The two businesses have separate entrances and separate staffs, with the two Simrells sharing a small walk-through office in the middle. "This is a little bit different from working side by side - we're not really working that close together," Robert said. "Many days, we just exchange a few words around noon, and very rarely do we get the chance to go out for lunch." His business involves a fair amount of emergency work, "and lunch is often when we get the calls," Robert said. "You have to be ready to go whenever the phone rings." Many of those pleas for help come from people who have locked themselves out of their cars, and that seems to happen most often when they make hurried hur·ried adj. 1. a. Moving or acting rapidly. b. Required to move or act more rapidly; rushed. 2. Done in great haste: a hurried tour. trips somewhere on their own break times, he said. Mending is their way Needless to say, Vicki gets her own share of emergencies in her line of work. "I started out doing custom sewing sewing: see needlework. , but it's alterations that I really love," she said. "The attitude of the customers is totally different." With custom sewing, people expect perfection, often based on their mental image of what they want to look like in the finished garment, she said. "But when someone brings in something that doesn't fit, and you make it better for them, then you're a miracle worker." Walking into the neat shop with all the women chatting as they sit at their sewing machines sewing machine, device that stitches cloth and other materials. An attempt at mechanical sewing was made in England (1790) with a machine having a forked, automatic needle that made a single-thread chain. In 1830, B. - she employs seven people, five seamstresses and two receptionists, mostly part time - it's impossible to tell which person owns the business and who just works there. "We're mostly grandmothers with grandbabies, and we work well together," Vicki said. "Someone came in one day and said it looked like we were having a party. My attitude going in has always been, 'If I smile and treat other people with respect, they'll do the same for me.' ' She and her crew stitch stitch (stich) 1. a sudden, transient cutting pain. 2. a suture. stitch n. 1. A sudden sharp pain, especially in the side. 2. A single suture. everything from simple hems to major refittings of heirloom wedding dresses, with everything from zipper zipper Device for binding the edges of an opening, as on a garment or a bag. A zipper consists of two strips of material with metal or plastic teeth along the edges, and a sliding piece that interlocks the teeth when moved in one direction and separates them again when moved repairs to men's and women's suits in between. "We see a lot of people who have either lost or gained weight and don't want to replace their entire wardrobe," Vicki said. "We also do a lot of mending. We've actually seen people bring in Levis that are about 50 years old and they just have to have them fixed - oh, gosh." Started on a treadle Unlike the locksmith business, which has plenty of outlets in the Eugene-Springfield area - the most recent Yellow Pages lists at least 20 - few people set up shop to alter clothing. The local phone book shows only seven listings. "It's been sort of my ace in the hole - there aren't many alterations places around here," Vicki said. "I even have trouble sometimes finding qualified people to hire when I need them. Most people just don't learn to sew sew v. sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing, sews v.tr. 1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: any more." On the other hand, she's been doing it nearly all her life. "I took my first class when I was 12 years old. I used a treadle sewing machine back then. My teacher said I was not gifted at it - she said I couldn't even sew a straight line." For many years, she sewed sew v. sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing, sews v.tr. 1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: for others all day, then took work home and kept on sewing late into the night. "I really have a sewing addiction," Vicki admits. "My husband has been very understanding." The couple became high school sweethearts Sweethearts may be:
school - an educational institution; "the school was founded in 1900" and worked for the Social Security Administration for several years. After finishing his stint in the Navy, Robert went to work for a hydraulic hose company a company of men appointed to bring and manage hose in the extinguishing of fires. See also: Hose in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . Within six months, the company offered him the choice of a layoff Layoff 1. When a company eliminates jobs regardless of how good the employees' performance. 2. A risk reduction, made by investment bankers, that minimizes the potential downside associated with a commitment to purchase and sell a stock issue unsubscribed by stockholders holding or a transfer to Portland. His next job involved a transfer to Eugene in the late 1970s, where they've lived ever since. The Simrells have two daughters, Amy and Jennifer, an 18-month-old granddaughter, Alexis, and two more grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. on the way. Moving right along Vicki put her penchant for sewing to work 35 years ago when the couple still lived in Portland. After the move to Eugene, she kept it up for a time but stopped temporarily about 1980 when Robert decided to purchase the Keyhole shop, then located at Sixth and Chambers streets. For several years, she assisted in the locksmith shop. "When they redid re·did v. Past tense of redo. Sixth and Seventh, that building got torn down," he recalled. "Then we moved the business to a unit in an apartment building behind Papa's Pizza" at 11th and Chambers. At that point, Vicki said she itched to spend more time at her sewing machine, so they rented the adjacent apartment unit, where both ran their side-by-side businesses for the next five years before moving to their present location. After she opened her own shop, Robert hired an assistant to work with him on the locksmith side of the family concern. "In control of my own life" Despite their proximity, the businesses remain separate, although Vicki jokes that she knows much more about Robert's than he does about hers. "We're incorporated as two separate businesses, although we file taxes jointly and have one accountant and one bookkeeper with two sets of accounts," she said. "But Robert doesn't even know how to thread a sewing machine. On this side of the building, we call him the landlord and have a special name for what he does after work - vacuum." They're both looking ahead to retirement, although they haven't decided when that might happen. The Simrells have made a comfortable - but by no means luxurious - living working for themselves, but that's the way they wanted it. "We have everything we need," Vicki said. "We don't travel a lot, and we're not extravagant ex·trav·a·gant adj. 1. Given to lavish or imprudent expenditure: extravagant members of the imperial court. 2. Exceeding reasonable bounds: extravagant demands. , but we're comfortable." The choice to own a business instead of working for someone else has been a good one for them, Robert said. "I worked for a large corporation in Portland for 15 years, so I know what that's like," he said. "For me, it's great to be able to make a decent living and be in control of my own life. We've worked as hard as we wanted." What they've done with their working lives "wouldn't be for a lot of people," Vicki acknowledged. "But we're happy with our choices - we love Oregon, Eugene, University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. football and basketball. We love where we are and what we're doing. "It's all been good." KEYHOLE LOCKSMITH AND ALTERATIONS BY VICKI Address: 1775 W. 11th Ave., Eugene Owners: Robert and Vicki Simrell Years in business: 22 Number of employees: One full time at Keyhole; seven part time at Vicki's Family members involved in business: Robert and Vicki Simrell - The Register-Guard CAPTION(S): Vicki Simrell fits a dress on bride-to-be Pam Fields at her alterations shop, which shares space with her husband's locksmith business. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion