Sometimes when I’m in a new area of the city, I like to walk around and see what’s happening. During those solo jaunts I might notice a restaurant I’d like to try or a store that inspires me to shop or indulge in a new hobby. About a month ago I happened upon Anna’s Store at 2815 1/2 at 28th and Vernon, on my way to work, and became intrigued by its plethora of fabric, trims and yarns.

Since one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2024 is to learn how to sew better, I made a promise to myself to go in one day and check it out. After briefly talking to the store, manager, Joe, I found out they’ve been at this location for 15 years, do tailoring, alterations, and make curtain sets too.

Cozy, old-school, and intimate my mind swirled with ideas about things I could make with their off-white, Victorian-style trims, brightly colored, floral fabric, and red and green Christmas material.

Upon seeing their yarn and embroidery hoops, I also remembered my other resolutions to improve my hand needlework and learn how to knit and crochet. Inspired beyond words I remembered my long-held dream to create tote bags for women undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. I first came up with the idea at the Academy Of Art University when I was working on my MA for Fashion Journalism in my sustainable fashion class.

As a breast, cancer survivor myself, since 2015, I recalled how traumatic nine hours of chemo could be, and I always hoped there was a way to make it easier. One way I used was to always dress up and bring a tote bag, full of books, journals to write in, and fashion magazines to look at as a means of escape. Not only did this help me, it also made the process more bearable.

Although my totes are still in the planning stages, and I need to definitely improve my construction techniques before I design a prototype, the times I spent at Anna’s Store definitely helped motivate me to make my dream a reality soon.