My Biz: A stitch in time

Name: Codi Josephson

Title: Co-owner

Company: Home Ec. Workshop

Address: 207 N Linn St., Iowa City

Phone: (319) 337-4775

Website: www.homeecworkshop.com

Elevator pitch: All the comforts of home - home ec, that is

IOWA CITY - Some things just take time. That goes for business ideas, too.

Codi Josephson and Alisa Weinstein had casually talked about the idea of opening a fabrics and knitting supplies store as far back as 2000, while participating in a knitting group that met at Josephson's house.

“We always thought, wouldn't it be so great to have a space that had classes and had great knitting and sewing supplies,” she recalled. “We liked the idea of having a kitchen, too.

“We wanted all aspects of home ec class.”

But life took Weinstein to India and Josephson to grad school.

In the meantime, Josephson also spent seven years working for United Action for Youth.

But in late 2007, the pair discovered a good location with three rooms - one for yarn, one for fabric and one for classes just as they'd imagined - had become available on North Linn Street in Iowa City.

Home Ec. opened for business in February 2008. The boutique offers high-quality fabrics and knitting supplies that are hard to find locally, Josephson said.

It also offers classes for adults and children rent sewing machines by the hour and sell sewing machines.

Plus there's a coffee shop in the middle of the store.

“We want this to be a place where people can hang out,” Josephson said Home Ec. range of classes includes knitting (Weinstein's specialty) and sewing (Josephson's specialty) as well as quilting, screen printing and fabric dying.

Weinstein and Josephson teach classes, as do various community members.

Neither Josephson nor Weinstein has a business background.

“The business side is hard,” Josephson said. “It's certainly not as much fun as picking out fabric.

“We've learned so much, that's for sure. But it doesn't just take a business degree to do this passion.”

And they appreciate working with each other.

“It would be hard to do this alone, so I'm really glad there are two of us,” Josephson added.

The key to her work day is coming in early to get the business aspects taken care of so she can interact with customers.

“I do a little of everything,” she said. “I mop the floor, bake cookies, help customers, give private sewing lessons, and a lot of nights I teach a class.”

She also manages to fit in her venture of making pet portraits.

“Those are really fun. People give me a picture of their pet, and I do a drawing of it on the sewing machine.”

Know a business owner or manager who should be considered for “My Biz”? Contact business editor Michael Chevy Castranova at michael.castranova@sourcemedia.net.