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When you walk into Shape My Jeans, you’re greeted by the sight of two large, industrial sewing machines, ironing boards prepped and ready for duty, and the feeling that you’ve stepped into a timeless place, where serious work is done.
And for a few minutes, you might forget that you’re in a mall.
When co-owners Arlinda Williams and Alicia Lawson aren’t in the front of the store greeting customers, scheduling appointments or answering phones, the mother-and-daughter team is busy sewing the customized jeans that give men and women of Toledo the pair they’ve been searching for.
‘Shark Tank’ auditions
When Shape My Jeans first moved into Franklin Park Mall a year ago, they made a public appeal for 1,500 customers to place $25 deposits on jeans to help them get on the popular reality TV show Shark Tank. The duo are now tight-lipped about the program, acknowledging only that they went through “several auditions,” but cannot say anything further at this time.
Since opening, their business has continued to grow, undoubtedly in part due to their attention to customer service. “When you come in, we want to know who you are… we want to know what your issues are with jeans, and what you’re really looking for,” Williams said. Every new customer receives an in-depth consultation to determine their preferences, lifestyle habits and personality. They sell the customized jeans for $139.
“We want to know what kind of fabric you want. Maybe you want pockets; maybe you don’t. Maybe you need something that’s higher in the back, lower in the front,” Williams continued. “We even want to know if you’re married, if you have kids. We just talk with you and get to know who you are,” she said. Often referred to as ‘build-a-pair’ designing, the methodology the women use results in spot-on jeans, fit for the individual customer—and nobody else.
Lawson, Williams’ mother, has been making customized jeans for more than 15 years. “I told her she should actually make them for other people, not just for herself or for me,” Williams said. The store, near the Macy’s wing of the mall, is complete with fitting rooms, raised platforms for proper fitting, and a welcoming waiting area with an enormous, comfortable red sofa.
A collective plunge
Williams and Lawson, along with personal trainer Erika White, are hosting the Shape My Jeans Fitness Challenge. Customers are invited to put $25 down on a pair of jeans, and work out twice a week with White for 90 days in order to reach their goal pair. “Our jeans are made to fit you at that moment, so [customers] use them as a target for where they want to be,” said Williams.
The contest runs through November 30, and the first individual to reach their goal weight receives their jeans for free. Williams emphasized community effort as the main objective for the contest. “More than half of our clients would like to lose weight, so we figured why not just all come together, and see how we can reach our goals quicker?” she said.
Shape My Jeans is located in the Franklin Park Mall,
5001 Monroe St., Toledo. Mon.-Sat. 8 am-9pm, and
Sun. 10 am-5pm. Schedule a personal consultation at
419-270-6829, shapemejeans.com.
