Sew Chautau owner Shane LaMonde, who offered sewing lessons for kids and adults., will close her store on Via de la Paz.
Sew Chateau owner Shane LaLonde has announced to clients and her newsletter list that her store at 833 Via de la Paz will be closing.
She is hosting a closing party this Saturday, January 8, from noon to 5 p.m. and urges all of her former students to stop by. There will be food and drinks, free fabric scrap packs and a sidewalk sale.
“Thank you for five amazing years,” LaLonde said in her announcement. “I have grown to know and care for all of you wonderful sewing friends and families. You and your kiddos have been my tribe for the last five years.
“This has been a beautiful space for witnessing so many smiles and creative excitement,” she said, noting that it will be difficult to let the store go. “I may open again in the future with staff and regular shop hours, but at this time it isn’t possible.”
LaLonde said that children can pick up any items they may have left in their cubbies, and she will have a table for the lost-and-found items that have accumulated over the years.
“We are going out with a smile in our hearts and gratitude for all the fun that has been had,” said LaLonde, who opened her first shop in 2015 at 855 Via. The store was an instant success, offering sewing lessons, classes, parties and camps.
She moved to the larger space in 2018, but like many businesses, everything came to a standstill in March 2020. During one of the brief County openings, she held limited classes, but “again, we were shut down.”
Born in Northern California, LaLonde moved with her family to Southern California the summer before fourth grade. Although she doesn’t remember the first thing she ever sewed, she received her first sewing machine, and lessons, from her dad and stepmom when she was about 10. “I loved it,” she said. “But once my bobbin thread ran out, I couldn’t remember how to rethread it.”
She later became an Adidas model, hosted a kids show on Fox Sports and was one of the Barker Beauties on the game show “The Price Is Right.”
She resumed sewing in 1995, when she was in her 20s. “I picked it up again when I started to sew for my first-born son, Sage,” said LaLonde, who now plans to host pop-up sewing events around town and will post future events on her website.
Starting in February, LaLonde will offer monogram services from her personal sewing studio. An order form will be available on the website and people can drop items off on Tuesday and pick them up the following Tuesday.
LaLonde is also creating online classes. She said, “By now our children are Master Online learners and these classes will be available starting in March and that schedule will be found on the website.”
LaLonde and her husband Larry moved to the Palisades 15 years. They have four children: Sage, Elijah, Sierra and Avery. “We are grateful to be part of such a beautiful and family-oriented community,” she said. Visit: thesewchateau.com.