The Daily Universe celebrates 50 years
This story originally appeared in the Daily Universe on Jan. 25, 1999
By Esther Yu
Cougar Custom Sewing has been making clothing alterations, repairing items, such as backpacks, and sewing clothes together for its customers since 1962. By August, this service will no longer be available.
The shop, at 3205 SFLC, was created to give work experience to students in the Clothing and Textiles Department, will close at the end of Winter Semester in conjunction with the closing of the department.
'I don't think any of us involved in the department would have closed it if it had been our choice,' said Charlene Lind, chair of the Clothing and Textile Department.
Though the dean of Family, Home and Social Sciences made the decision to close Cougar Custom Sewing, it was decided with the Clothing and Textile Department that it would be most beneficial to the students to stay open as long as it could employ enough students.
Some clothing and textile classes will still be held in Spring and Summer term.
The Store will close with the official ending of the department because it is hard to employ enough students during Spring and Summer terms, said Wendy Copus, manager of Cougar Custom Sewing, and a teacher of beginning and intermediate clothing construction.
Most of the employees at the shop are in the Clothing and Textiles Department, since that is its primary purpose.
'It was set up in 1962 to help clothing and textile majors use their class learning so they had more experience when they went out into their fields,' Copus said.
Students working there feel like Cougar Custom Sewing fulfills that purpose.
'I feel like I've learned more here than in classes because I am bale to practice and repeat things I've learned in class rather than doing just the one assignment. I'm a lot faster now,' said Cindy MacQueen, 24, a senior from Roy, Weber County, majoring in fashion design.
The shop has been so successful that it often needs to employ more students than are available from the major.
For that reason, employees like Lori Cox have been working there since summer. Cox is a nursing major.
'I just saw an ad in the employment office and it's always been a hobby. I've learned a lot since I started working here. I feel a lot more self-reliant about fixing things like my backpack and my jeans,' said Cox.