Fix Your Closet

Every community has their go-to handyman, the person you can call at five in the morning to fix your running toilet. But who do you call when you need a complete closet overhaul? Esme Iglarsh. Her start-up business, Plan-it EJ, can do anything from reapplying buttons to your favorite blouse, or transforming your old curtains into a pair a trendy shorts. Since she is a trained fashion designer, Iglarsh is very familiar with textiles and sewing, so no request is too difficult.

During these rough economic times, Iglarsh realizes that many people would rather recycle their old and current clothing than go out and buy brand new garments. She notes that one of her customers requested that their old zebra-print skirt be transformed into a handbag.

"I am not really sure of how to describe it, but I dismantled the original whole garment and then reassembled it in a patchwork kind of piece," Iglarsh said. "Then I cut it as though it were just a flat piece of fabric."

Although Iglarsh has been doing this type of work for years, she has just started taking it seriously as a business, and she plans to inform the community about her services.

"Right now I attract costumers mostly by word of mouth, but maybe I'll start some advertising down the road," she notes.

So next time you decide to throw away a bag of old clothes, consider sending them Iglarsh's way and have them transformed into a brand new garment!

Christanna Ciabattoni and Jocelyn McArthur, Group 27, Fishtown