- May 9, 2024
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Holly Balmer is a fifth generation seamstress who isn't afraid to hustle.
After about seven years of successfully running her shop, Seamstress HollyAnn, in Port Orange, the Ormond Beach resident decided it was time to expand. And when she did, she wanted to make sure to find a location that would give her what her original location at 5131 S. Ridgewood Ave. lacks: Visibility.
What's more visible than a spot right in Ormond Beach's downtown?
"I am so excited to come to Ormond Beach because I've been hearing a calling here," Balmer said. "I think it's going to be great to have the service in Ormond Beach, anything from something super small in alterations as a pant hem to wedding gowns."
Her second location of Seamstress HollyAnn will open soon at 154 W. Granada Blvd.
Balmer and her husband moved to Ormond Beach from Maine after they married in 2014. Her parents ran a seamstress shop in Maine, one Balmer eventually bought from them after years of helping her mom around the shop. A sewing machine was a constant fixture in her life as she grew up, and when Balmer was in high school, she started helping her mother with ripping seams and other small jobs.
Initially, she didn't think she would follow in her mother's footsteps, deciding instead to go to college in New York for nursing, and later business. But nothing felt right.
"I started going back to sewing every time I would come home from summer breaks and found that was my passion," Balmer said.
Since she sold her shop in Maine, Balmer started her business from scratch once she moved down here. She hadn't even brought her sewing machine. She was able to build up her client base by attending wedding expos, visiting bridal shops and through word of mouth from her client base. And as time has gone by, she has gone from altering clients' prom dresses to altering their wedding dresses.
Being a seamstress is a rewarding job. She works alongside her father, who runs the Port Orange location and specializes in tailoring. Balmer loves being able to be her own boss, and she said she loves making people happy, especially her bridal clients. Her location next to Blush Bridal gallery is also a plus, as she often works with their brides.
"I do hundreds and hundreds of brides every year," Balmer said. "I just love being around people, and I see so many new people every day. I'm good at what I do and I love seeing that portray into my fittings."
