Backstitch, a Sewing and Alterations Shop, Opens in Highland Park

Highland Park resident Kristine Ferguson used her passion for sewing and tailoring to create a space for her neighbors’ alteration needs – and a way to stitch her community together. Ferguson opened Backstitch, a sewing and alterations shop, in December in Highland Park.

“I live here in Highland Park and see what’s readily available here. There’s a couple cleaners and dry cleaners, but nothing just for general tailoring or a place to just to learn to sew. I felt it was important to provide something like that,” says Ferguson. “I figured, why not post up a store to provide all those services?” 

It was a group effort to take the store from idea to reality. Utilizing family help and crowdfunding, she celebrated with a small, quiet opening. Along with sewing and tailoring, Backstitch also hosts workshops. “We recently had a pre-Valentine’s Day workshop for people to make lingerie. It was just a nice event for women to get together to commune and just be women, have fun and learn something new.” Ferguson offers one-on-one workshops for people curious to learn how to mend items use a sewing machine and more.

To her, it is more than a business. It’s a resource for her community. “It’s kind of needed,” Ferguson says. “It’s beneficial to have a place for people to learn how to sew or (for) tailoring needs that’s local. Little cities like Highland Park need a place where they can go. “Kind of like the bakery is, how they go to get their bread, I want to be the place where they get their tailoring.”

12521 Woodward Ave., Highland Park