Value defined by more than just price

September 9, 2014

By Nate Smelle

Not everyone can say that they love their job. For Irene Schreier, owner/operator of Re-Creations in downtown Bancroft she is living the dream. Since her mother taught her to sew as a child, it has always been her passion. From her shop located at Hastings Street North she is able to practice this passion making and repairing clothing for her clientele.

“Like sculpting or painting, sewing is an art form in itself,” Schreier said.

“We have to get back to a mentality where we make things worth repairing.”

Schreier said the ability to sew is fast becoming a dying craft for two main reasons. First, it is not being passed on from one generation to the next like it once was; and second, because people today don’t seem to value fixing things like previous generations. Like her mother, Schreier has passed her talent on to her daughter Ruth Rusaw. Rusaw has channelled this talent into her own business, Dragonflies n’ Mudpies, which makes children’s clothing, accessories and toys. Her work is also featured alongside her mother’s at Re-Creations. Schreier prides herself in the high quality of the custom clothing and accessories she and her daughter create and enhance.

“Making it fit is the biggest thing. Not everyone has a 20 or a 32 inch in-seem,” said Schreier.

“We want our clothes to fit well and to look nice. We want to present ourselves in the best possible way. Most of the clothing made today is one-size-fits-all and generic. If we have to wear clothing that is too big or too small and not fitting right, we don’t feel good about ourselves and we feel sloppy.”

As important as well-fitting high quality fashion is to Schreier, it is equally important that she is able to incorporate her values into her business. One way she is able to do this is by helping to reduce wastefulness through her recreations and repairs. By re-purposing old material and clothing she is able to save energy and materials from being un necessarally discarded.

“We need to get back to a way of doing things like our parents and grandparents once did,” she said.

Schreier believes that putting quality before quantity when it comes to the things we create and use makes good sense both economically and environmentally. Socially she also intends for her business to make a difference for the better. Proceeds from some of the products sold in her store are used to help support the Terry Fox Run and Sick Kids. She is also careful not to sell any products that may have been produced in a sweatshop.

Schreier sees many advantages when businesses work together. Since opening Re-Creations earlier this year she said she has developed a good relationship with many of the other businesses selling clothing in town. Some of her fellow business owners in Bancroft have even told her that they have been able to make a sale after making their customer aware of her services.

In spite of her interest in partnering with other local businesses Schreier said she has mixed feelings when it comes to the rumours that have recently re-surfaced regarding a Walmart store supposedly destined for the Bancroft area. While in some ways she sees it as a good opportunity to bring new jobs and customers to town, she also recognizes that sometimes small communities get more than they bargain for when they allow such a large multi-national corporation to operate within their business community.

“From an economic standpoint it will employ people which Bancroft is sorely lacking in,” she said.

“So now the people themselves will have more income to spend. Good thing or bad thing I don’t know. The problem is that when you get stores like Walmart and other big box stores you lose that personal touch that comes with local people and things.”

Re-Creations is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the products and services Schreier offers contact her directly at 613-332-3533. For information on Dragonflies n’ Mudpies visit twitter@dfmpmomma.