Emeline & Annabelle: Atelier Couture Cafe

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• Emeline & Annabelle: Atelier Couture Cafe

  Review from Laura D.

  

  • Elite '12
  • 29 friends
  • 70 reviews

  • Laura D.

  Montréal, QC

  

  10/22/2011

  I really wanted to love this place. The concept of a space where it would be possible to buy some interesting fabrics not available at "Fabricville" or "Bouclair" was exciting at first, I would no longer have to wait weeks before my orders came in from the US or somewhere halfway across the country.
  
  Unfortunately, Emeline et Annabelle don't really offer a large selection of fabrics, they do carry a limited selection of the designer fabrics I love, however they are really quite expensive. I often order designer fabrics from small independent sellers on Etsy and even factoring in shipping and duties it comes out much less. Either they are getting a really bad deal with their supplier or their mark-up is too high.  
  
  But there is more to E&A than just fabric, they offer sewing classes, a sewing camp for kids during the summertime as well as time to spend using sewing machines and their serger in store.
  
  I took their basics sewing class a few weeks ago, with Annabelle, as a kind of a refresher for me, to really grab hold of the basics that can sometime be overlooked by self-taught sewists. Again, I hate to say it, but it wasn't very well done. There was no attention to detail, and not really much information that I couldn't get from the most basic of sewing books, my sewing machine manual had more information!
  
  We made a very basic shopping tote, which is a fine to learn simple sewing skills. Unfortunately, those in the class with no experience, didn't learn to press their seams open, or at all for that matter. No discussion of truing fabrics. No information on how, with other projects you would normally wash the fabric before sewing. And the only finishing technique was presented  was sergering or zigzagging the exposed seams.
  
  One of my biggest issues was that our group of 6 had paid almost 100$ per person (6 ppl) and Annabelle was instructing us as well as serving clients. Several clients came in, looking for information on classes, on sew-by-the-hour, for fabric and even some guy who just sat in front of the cash, chatting with the her while she basically ignored us all.
  
  I'm sorry, but 600$ is plenty to hire someone to come in and cover the walk-in clients. Their response to this criticism was that retail traffic is hard to gauge - um, I think they made my point!
  
  The place is okay if you want to use their sewing machines - but even though I bought a "License to Sew" I won't be visiting them again.

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  Comment from Annabelle A. of Emeline & Annabelle: Atelier Couture Cafe 11/4/2011    « Hide

  

  Hi Laura,   As passionate small business owners, we take… More »

  Hi Laura,
  
  As passionate small business owners, we take your comments to heart and we are saddened that you were not happy with your experience with us.
  
  As you and I have discussed on the occasions that you have dropped by to chat and peruse fabric, we are unable to compete with US prices. We absolutely wish this was different! We set our prices according to the standard mark-up for fabric shops across Canada. Currently we house a little over 100 bolts of fabric and our goal has always been to build a quality collection, but never to compete with big box stores like Fabricville.
  
  Re: sew basics workshop. As you might recall, I did raise my concerns when you signed up for the class, since I know of your sewing experience & your sewing blog.  It is unfortunate that my concerns were indeed realized.  It is regrettable that you did not feel comfortable enough to discuss your issues with the workshop with me after the class, where I could have immediately addressed your complaints and negotiated terms of reasonable compensation with you.
  
  However, I do feel confident that our class covers a broad range of new skills that are the most important basics to cover. We have found over the last two years that less really is more in terms of delivering the basics effectively. Truing up/different ways of working with seams/the nap of velvet are details we discuss in other classes since we have found that they overwhelm and distract our students from mastering the basics.
  
  Lastly, I remember that morning being very busy and I agree with you that this made it awkward for the class (and for me as well!) I'm sorry that this affected you negatively and that you felt ignored, it certainly wasn't my intention. We normally add staff in the afternoons & evenings which is our anticipated busy-times. I do understand that this posed an inconvenience for the class and I feel responsible that I was unable to balance it all a bit better.
  
  I hope that you will follow up on my invite to discuss this further with us in store, as your satisfaction is important to us.
  
  Annabelle
  (Co-owner of Emeline & Annabelle)

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