Custom Sewing, Alterations, and Vintage Fashion with Brooke Burch
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of Rochester entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Brooke Burch of Brooke Burch Custom Sewing & Alterations and Vintage Rack.
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Brooke Burch, who runs a custom sewing and alterations business and sells vintage clothing out of her studio, attributes a longtime love of sewing and creativity to her grandmother, who she moved to Rochester to live with at an early age.
“I wouldn’t say that I was a hyper child, so much as inquisitive. To occupy that, my grandmother gave me all kinds of crafts to do. I was always playing with glue and yarn. I don’t know how, but at some point I got a hold of a needle and thread and took an interest in sewing. I would cut things up and tie and sew them back together. Eventually she must’ve gotten tired of me doing that because she got me a sewing machine and taught me the basics. So I grew up just experimenting with sewing.”
Although she loved sewing and designing, when she pursued further education at University of Wisconsin-Stout she was contemplating a degree in biology. But, a year into her studies when she declared her major, her childhood passion won out and she pursued Apparel Design and Manufacturing.
Brooke always had interest in traveling and exploring, so when the opportunities arose during college to be an apprentice in New York and study abroad in London, she jumped at both chances.
While in New York interning with a designer working out of his apartment, Brooke noted, “It opened my eyes to how difficult it is to maintain a business, especially in a big city. After all kinds of running around New York for supplies, I appreciated Rochester more.”
On her time in London she stated, “It was life changing. London is such a fashion town. I took the time to explore uncommon areas, meet new people, take photos, and people watch. I talked to people about what they were wearing and why they were wearing it. I think that’s what initially piqued my interest in styling, which isn’t at all what I learned in school. I learned how to create an ensemble or a collection and design patterns, but I didn’t really learn anything about trends in fashion and what people like to wear.”
After graduating, Brooke naturally gravitated back to Rochester to be close to family. But she already had plans as to what to do next, and wanted to do so from a place of safety in a familiar place.
“I always knew that I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to be the boss and not work for anyone else. I had an idea of how a business should be run and wanted to be able to do that myself, to make people happy and treat people fairly. Rochester was my bubble growing up, I felt comfortable there. I’m very cautious about making big moves. I always want to make sure that the moves I’m making are the right ones. So it’s been a slow build, but I’m building my business the way that I want.”
In 2015, shortly after having her son, Brooke, who had been working and teaching private sewing lessons out of an apartment she shared with her grandmother, found the need to expand.
“It was so tight in there with the baby. I didn’t have anywhere to sell my clothing. I was putting my sewing machine on the kitchen table to work. It was just crazy. So I got my own apartment to spread out. When I moved in I didn’t have anything. I had a table, a sewing machine, and a baby-that’s it. So I built it from the ground up and it was really, really hard for a while. I was working part time jobs while building this business, which I eventually had to quit. It was a really rough year, making all of those transitions, figuring out how to do this full time. I had to think on my toes, come up with innovative ideas, and work with a lot of people to make it happen.”
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Fast forward to now and Brooke is busy with twenty sewing students, alteration and design clients, and Vintage Rack, a large collection of vintage pieces she sells out of her studio.
“I’ve always loved vintage, but I think I started becoming curious about it when I took a fashion history class in college. Then I started collecting sweaters. I had a sweater addiction. I loved all the wild 80’s prints. Shortly after I graduated I realized that I had to stop getting so many sweaters because I had nowhere to put them. That’s when I started thinking about selling them. So over time I curated a collection of sweaters and other vintage clothing which just lived in my studio for two years. Eventually clients started looking through the collection and buying things. So I started making the collection bigger, going to garage sales and making connections with people. Now I have a lot of stuff.”
When the pandemic hit and Brooke didn’t have people coming into her studio to shop, she improvised by having a large outdoor sale, which only sparked more interest and awareness of her vintage collection. And though the pandemic presented its challenges, it also provided a huge opportunity through mask making.
“The pandemic was certainly challenging, I definitely needed to do a lot of things differently. But I also made over five thousand masks and was able to bring in money that way.”
Though she’s faced many challenges along the way, Brooke has learned to roll with the punches. She’s hired a business coach to help her learn what she needs to create a successful business.
“I had to figure out that I couldn't do everything on my own. I had to reach out to different people for different things. Whether that’s for help with my website, asking for business advice, or hiring on people to help with embroidery. I had to pull in people to get this thing off the ground.”
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Brooke hopes to expand to her own brick and mortar in the future, creating a curated boutique and studio outside of her home. Though some people have encouraged her to leave Rochester to pursue her expansion, Brooke sees opportunity here.
“This is a really good time to open business in Rochester; there isn’t a lot of competition here yet. You can become a pioneer in whatever field you want. I’ve never thought that you had to leave where you’re from to do whatever you love. I recently read an article that highlighted designers all over the United States, in all of these tiny little towns. These designers are making it happen in all kinds of places that you wouldn't expect. It is possible, you just have to dream big. Maybe I’ll open my first studio and Vintage Rack here and expand to another city in the future.”
She advises aspiring entrepreneurs to take initiative to pursue education, whether that be through a college degree or YouTube videos.
“As with most things, you need to be educated. I wouldn’t say that you need a degree, but you can pursue learning in many different ways whether it be YouTube videos, picking up a book at the library and asking some questions, or just using the internet to your advantage.”
Outside of work, Brooke loves walking and going on little adventures for artisanal coffee. Local spots she loves are Fiddlehead Coffee, Old Abe’s, and Cafe Steam. Brooke is also happy that she finds so much fulfillment in her work.
“Sewing is so therapeutic for me and I’m really lucky to have a job that affects me in that way.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Brooke’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also learn more about Brooke Burch Custom Sewing & Alterations and Vintage Rack by clicking the link below!
Brooke Burch Custom Sewing & Alterations and Vintage Rack
Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Community at Collider.
