“You made these? And they’re maternity wear?” Dhara inspected the dresses with a critical eye, turning them inside out, checking out her seams and her hemline. “My mother used to be a professional seamstress. My aunts, too. Did I never tell you that? Lauren, these are absolutely fabulous! And I love the material. Where did you get it?”
Lauren showed her the wholesale fabric catalogue she’d ordered the material from. “I did some mixing and matching of the fabrics to get the look I wanted.” She went on to tell her about the idea for setting up a website and online sales. “I know it sounds really big, but I don’t know, it might be worth a shot.” She decided to be totally upfront. “You’ve probably noticed sales aren’t spectacular. I’ll be honest, if I don’t do something different I’ll probably be out of business before my lease is up.”
Dhara nodded sadly. “Yeah, I figured that.”
“So, what do you think?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I love the idea, and the product is fabulous. Really top rate. But if we were to make a go of it you’d need to be able to mass produce, at least, on a scale large enough to keep up with orders.”
Lauren wondered if Dhara realized she’d used the word “we.”
“I was thinking maybe we could renovate the store room,” Lauren said. They walked to the back of the shop and she flipped on the lights in the large back room. The store room was almost as large as the shop itself. It housed inventory that Laure
n picked up wherever she could: estate sales, garage sales, and the like. It was where she cleaned and restored clothing to be sold later. There was also a large table where she deposited junk and other stuff she wasn’t sure what to do with, but mostly the room was made up of a lot of wasted space.
Dhara’s brown eyes sharpened. “You could totally turn this into a work room. We could set up about four sewing machines in this main area right here and you’d still have plenty of space left over for inventory and storage.” She glanced around the walls. “Too bad this room doesn’t have any windows. Industrial lighting is all well and good, but it could get a little oppressive in here without some natural sunlight.”
Lauren had to agree. She tried to keep from sounding too excited. After all, it was just an idea. An idea that most likely wouldn’t pan out. “So, you think it might be doable?”
“I don’t know, but it’s worth looking into.” Dhara moistened her lips. “I could do a business plan. Honestly, I really think my mom and my two aunts would totally be into this. I could do a whole mockup of what we’d need to get started. Prices, quotes on machines, labor, that sort of thing.”
“You could do that?”
“Sure! It might take a while just because I’d need to do some research, but I’ve done a business plan before for a class I took in school.”
“Do you know how to do a website?” Lauren asked hopefully.
“Not really. I could do one of those simple ones you can start up for free, but a really professional looking website, which, you would totally need, is out of my league.” She brightened. “But I could ask my brother, Rob. He’s a programmer. I bet he could do it for us.”
The doorbell tingled, signaling a customer had just entered the shop. They walked out to find Nate with two cups and a takeout bag in his hand. Lauren felt her pulse hitch. It was silly, though. They were just friends. But she still felt like a high school girl seeing the boy she had a crush on in the hallway.
“I was next door at The Bistro and thought I’d drop by.” He handed Lauren one of the cups.
“Thanks!” She took a grateful sip. “How do you I know I drink chai tea?”
“I asked Frida.”
She smiled. “Good answer.”
Lauren introduced Nate to Dhara and the two shook hands. “Sorry I didn’t get you something, too,” Nate said to her.
“No problem.” She turned to Lauren. “If you don’t mind, can I use the computer in your office? I want to get started right away on that thing we talked about it.”
“Of course. Go right ahead.”
Dhara looked Nate over with an interested eye, then disappeared back into Lauren’s office.
Nate handed her the bag. “Lunch, on me.” He glanced around the shop. “Do you have time to eat now, or…” He looked uncertain, and adorably cute.
“Sure.” She glanced inside the bag. There were two warm turkey sandwiches, as well as a couple of bags of chips inside. “We can eat in the storeroom. If any customers come by, Dhara and I will hear the bell.”
Lauren cleared a spot on the cluttered table and Nate pulled up a couple of stools. “This is a nice treat.” She’d seen him a few times since he’d come over with Hector that night. He and Henry had come to some sort of arrangement about the dog walking. Lauren had wanted the details, but Henry had simply said, “Ma, Nate and I have it all figured out.” Then he reminded her that he was twelve now and practically a teenager and he had to learn responsibility on his own.
“Is everything going all right with Henry?” she asked him.
“Sure, he’s great. He and Hector have become pals. He comes over three times a week and on Saturday afternoons.”
“Oh? I didn’t know that. Tom usually has him on Saturdays, since I’m here at the shop.”