by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Jacksonville’s lack of street style has done Natasha Zaulyanov some good.
Zaulyanov is the owner of Professional Tailoring & Alterations on Adams Street. According to the fashion designer-turned-seamstress, the large number of Jacksonvillians inclined to go shopping at department stores for their evening gowns and stylish day wear was what drove her to focus her talent on altering clothing instead of creating them.
“I realized I could make some of the dresses I altered, for example, but this is Jacksonville,” said Zaulyanov, “and people can go to the store and buy a $400 dress for $90, so what’s the point? I’ll stick to tailoring.”
Zaulyanov, originally from Ukraine, moved to Jacksonville in 1977 with her 3-year-old daughter because she says she wanted a better life for her.
“I studied fashion design but people didn’t want you to create something for them by hand – too expensive,” she added. “I knew I was going to make more money this way.”
When Zaulyanov first came Downtown, she worked for Furchgott’s as a seamstress for seven years and then Rosenblum’s for 10 years before deciding to open her own alterations store in 1993.
Professional Tailoring & Alterations, currently run by Zaulyanov and her niece Tatyana Ivanov, was on Hogan Street from 1993 until eight months ago when the building the store was in was bought by an independent contractor.
Zaulyanov, who ran the shop mostly by herself at the time, took her business and her customers and relocated to a 700 square-foot store a couple of doors west of The Carling. Zaulyanov says the moved hasn’t slowed business down at all.
“I loved the old place, yes, but this new location has been great for us so far,” said Zaulyanov. “We’re getting new customers who didn’t know about us before.”
While at the Hogan Street location, the shop developed a large base of regular customers, said Zaulyanov, including some who had been bringing their garments to her since the store first opened. Most of her clientele are people who work Downtown, though some come from as far as the Southside.
Zaulyanov says one of the secrets of the business is Ivanov, who came from Ukraine to start helping Zaulyanov in 2001. She left after having her second child but returned in 2004 to help run the store.
“I waited for her because she is an incredible seamstress. She is excellent and very reliable,” said Zaulyanov, adding that the women’s flexible and fair attitudes don’t hurt business either.
“I work with the customer. If someone comes in on a Monday and says he needs something done by Wednesday, I’ll do it,” said Zaulyanov.
“I never say ‘Oh no, you have to wait,’ I stay after work and do it. That’s my business. Some people are kind of surprised by that sometimes.
“This is why people come back to me – because I treat them like family – and I would want my own family to be treated fairly.”
Professional Tailoring & Alterations does everything from the simplest alterations like hemming a pants leg to the very complicated, like tailoring a bridesmaid dress or business suit.
As for expanding, Zaulyanov said she’s quite content where she is now and hopes the business remains at its current location for a while – or at least until she passes it on to Ivanov.
“Maybe later Tatyana will have a huge store,” said Zaulyanov. “Maybe there will be other stores. For now, this is perfect.”