With crafting and sewing on the rise, Westport now has a new studio for creativity as Make-Modern opens its doors, offering hands-on classes and workshops for all ages.
Make-Modern, which already has locations in Greenwich and Darien, provides a range of classes in sewing, crochet, knitting, needlepoint and general crafts. The studio hosts weekly classes for kids and adults, weekend birthday parties and specialized workshops, all designed to make crafting approachable, modern and fun.
Co-founder Erika Allen had always dreamed of launching a crafting store.
“I have literally always known I would start this business when I turned 50,” Allen said.
She started writing about this idea back in college and slowly collected ideas and materials over the years. Now, she’s bringing that vision to life with high-quality materials and carefully designed projects.
“Our goal here is for you to be proud of the things that you’re making,” studio manager Sara Brindisi said, “so we’re using really beautiful fabrics and making things that you could actually use in your day-to-day life.”
The Westport location kicked off classes last week. So far, the most popular one is the general crafting class, but there are also beginner and advanced sewing courses for all ages, crochet classes and even mahjong lessons (which is a traditional Chinese tile game). On top of that, they run special fall-themed workshops for kids and one-time classes that give people a chance to try something new without a big commitment.
Sewing is experiencing a major comeback, especially with younger people. TikTok alone has over 3 million posts using sewing-related hashtags. According to K-LOVE, 30 million Americans sew, and a large portion of them are from the younger generations.
The surge in interest is reflected in sewing studios across the country. The New York Sewing Center, one of the most popular places for lessons, has seen a huge increase in customers this year.
“Revenue [is] ballooning by 75% compared with last year,” The New York Times reported.
Make-Modern’s first store opened during the COVID pandemic, when people were stuck at home and eager to try new crafts, like sewing.
“I think during[Covid], people got really excited about it, and then others latched on to the excitement and so that’s how we kind of grew,” Brindisi said.
Now, with a permanent space in Westport, Make-Modern is hoping to grow even more, especially with high school students
“Making things with your hands can be a tremendous source of joy,” Allen said. “But you have to know how to do it!”
