Abby’s Sew Right is so right for West Milford

BY GINNY RAUE
WEST MILFORD — So you’ve lost 10 pounds and you need that pricey suit, great pair of pants or favorite dress altered. Well, first of all, lucky you – how’d you do it? Secondly, your luck is holding because there’s a new business in town that will help you get that perfect fit again. Maybe even better than before. Abby’s Sew Right in Hewitt opened on Oct. 5. Business is booming and owner Abby Beyjoun, a professional seamstress of many years standing, is smiling from ear to ear. This is her dream enterprise, a long time in coming.

Located in a former light industrial store on Greenwood Lake Turnpike, the 2,000 square feet shop has been extensively renovated to its present attractive frontage and upscale, eye-catching interior. It’s a custom tailoring and sewing shop with the added bonus of also being a boutique with fine apparel and one-of-a-kind dresses and garments at reasonable prices. Beyjoun also carries purses, scarfs, lingerie, jewelry and sewing supplies and some local artisan work. There’s a consignment section with select pieces as well and, come January, the shop will also be home to sewing classes given in the roomy and well-equipped sewing area.

Beyjoun, 38, always had a curiosity about needle work even as a young child in Syria, her native land.

“I always showed an interest in cutting things up and sewing them back together,” she said.

She attended a technical high school for home economics, went on to obtain her degree and became a home economics teacher. While still in high school, she took various jobs in her creative fields to help finance her schooling.

“I wanted to help my father pay for my education,” Beyjoun said and explained that the school itself was free but the necessary materials, which were costly, had to be purchased by the student’s family.

She came to American 18 years ago after marrying her husband, Anise, in Syria. The couple has two sons, Anthony, 16, and Nicholas, 13. They have resided in West Milford for the last 17 years and she works as a special class aide at Macopin School as well as being Sew Right’s proprietor.

Beyjoun’s sewing talents range from step one, drawing patterns, to completed garments and alterations of all types. Her specialty is beading and working on a wedding gown is pure pleasure for her.

People compliment her on her ability to look at a garment and envision changes: add beads, take out a shoulder, re-design it, give it a new look as well as a flattering fit.

“You feel good about yourself when something fits you well,” she said.

Beyjoun is in the process of building her fledgling business and has found her customers’ reactions rewarding. She’s congenial, enjoys the social atmosphere of the shop and looks forward to hearing suggestions from customers as to what to carry in the future.

For now there’s an eclectic mix of fancy and formal dresses, pants, sweaters, shoes and more. Clothing sizes run from size zero to extra-extra large and if they need alterations, well, you needn’t look any further. She likes the idea that her customers will be well-fit and won’t be running into someone at a party in the same dress.

Setting up shop in West Milford is a convenience for residents and Beyjoun enjoys serving the people of the community. Between her family, her job at Macopin and her new business venture, she’s a very busy and apparently a very happy woman who gets her second wind once she walks through her shop door.

It’s a different kind of store, great for personal sewing services, for shopping for yourself or when looking for a gift. Gift certificates are available at the store. Think about a beautiful dress or maybe sewing lessons as a unique gift.

With the holidays coming up, business should be brisk. And Abby Beyjoun seems to thrive on brisk.