When Jessy Eterno was a student in Fanshawe’s Fashion Design program, her co-op placement at Sew Stylish Wedding Works in Ingersoll involved alterations and then she was hired for sales on weekends. Her first experience with being an entrepreneur, however, began later with wedding dress alterations out of her home in Hamilton that evolved into a full-time business.
Since the previous owners of Sew Stylish had worked with CF Oxford previously, they told Jessy about Community Futures Oxford when they were ready to sell. “Community Futures helped with the entire process of acquiring the business,” Jessy said. “They recommended I talk to Luigi who helped me through the whole process encouraging me to do the necessary business planning.”
Jessy said that business planning, and her experience working in the shop and learning from the previous owners, prepared her for ownership because she thoroughly knew the business before taking over.
Almost immediately after purchasing the business, Jessy faced a major challenge. “We went right into COVID,” she said. “At first it was scary because the government was helping organizations with more employees. Eventually that widened out though.”
At that time, the store was completely closed and buying dresses online isn’t preferable for brides. “Once we re-opened it was by appointment only and we’ve continued that,” Jessy said. “We offer a 1:1 personalized experience without others in the store, so the bride gets exclusive attention.”
Another challenge with owning her own business is hiring people and prioritizing work-life balance. Jessy has two to three employees enabling her to have her weekends away from the shop.
As a bridal shop owner and seamstress doing custom alterations, Jessy sees brides right through from selecting their dress to their wedding. Making clients happy is the most rewarding, she said. “As an entrepreneur I appreciate the freedom to choose my schedule, make decisions and shape the business.”
Jessy would like Oxford County to know that Sew Stylish is the definition of a small business. “One person has curated every single dress in here; one person makes sure that everyone who shops here is happy about their purchases. It’s only me – from each purchase to the alterations.” She explained that Sew Stylish is a bridal shop for the average girl with dresses in all sizes. The Community Futures Oxford 2023 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner said, “We know Oxford County brides.”