Signal Mountain Alterations owner MaryAnn Leun sits in her new shop located near Signal Mountain Cleaners, the longtime family business opened by her father in 1951 that was recently closed.MaryAnn Leun has spent her life surrounded by other people’s clothing. In 1957, before her father married her mother, Nanci Kelly, he opened Signal Mountain Cleaners. The business was open for 60 years before being purchased in January by Carriage Cleaners owner Rob Whitmire.
When Leun was in junior high school, she started working at the cleaners. She continued to walk to work there until she married in 2001. Leun and her mother were the business’s longest-running employees.
Following the closing of her business, Leun decided to open Signal Mountain Alterations, located in the building which also houses Signal Mountain Pharmacy across the street.
“I wanted to carry on the tradition of a small business like the cleaners and get to know the customers,” she said. “With so many businesses, you can’t get that anymore, and you don’t get that small-town feel.”
Leun said she started sewing around the time she gave birth to her twins, Ryan and Grace, in 2004.
“I always liked to do needlepoint and make things,” she said, adding that at one point she dreamed of being a fashion designer, though now she is focused on re-making, or upcycling, clothing and making alterations.
In addition to alterations such as sewing hems and replacing buttons, she also offers steaming and pressing on-site, basic shoe repairs, bag repairs and shoe cleaning, even for difficult-to-clean Ugg boots, she said. Leun has also repaired a child’s stuffed animal that the family’s dog chewed up.
Leun said she hopes to continue to add more services as the business becomes further established, and she’d eventually like to hire a few employees.
People would often use the cleaners as a source of information regarding where they could have other services performed, particularly wardrobe-related services, said Leun, and she wants to continue to be that type of resource.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, and know the mountain pretty well and most of the people,” she said.
She said her turnaround time for alterations is typically about a week.
The shop is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., while Leun’s children are in school, though she does meet with customers by appointment outside her regular hours.
“I want to be convenient for everyone,” she said.
Signal Mountain Alterations is at 101 Palisades Drive and can be reached at 886-1227.