the seam · est. mdcccxcviii
the tailor pins by feel. she has not used a chalk mark in thirty years, and the seams come out as if drawn with one. her sleeves end at the bone of the wrist, never on it. she will not alter a coat that was made by someone she respects.
the scissors painted on the sign were her father's. he buried them three times — once during a long winter, once for a quarrel, once for safekeeping — and they came back unrusted each time. when she opened the shop she had them put on the sign instead.
field-note: ask to see the spool drawer. she will open it like a piano.thimble · ribbon · cobbler · bookbinder · glove