Bright Side of (Downtown) Business: Lynn’s Tailoring seamlessly transitions to new owner

The founder of Lynn’s Tailoring, Lynn Truong, comes from a long line of tailors: her grandmother made tablecloths for a living in Vietnam, and her mother founded and ran a dressmaking shop, often soliciting Truong’s help after school. But when the ByWard Market business owner started feeling unwell, the customers she’s helped since 2009 noticed her change in attitude. She made the tough decision to sell the business in late 2023. “People, when they’re sick, sometimes their character is not the same,” says new owner and Truong’s longtime friend, Loan Mai. “She talked to customers and wasn’t always nice, so they thought she was rude, but she’s really not.” Mai says her decades of experience in the clothing industry helped her take over the 288 Dalhousie St. location last December. She’s operated her own sewing practice, Mila Fashion, in Ottawa since 1994 and previously worked as a quality control specialist for Montreal clothing companies. Mai says tailoring and sewing have overlapping skill sets and since she loves caring for clients through the methodical intimacy of sewing, she says the transition was seamless.

Over the years, she’s learned to quickly assess a garment’s craftsmanship and source high-quality materials from local suppliers. She says this gives her a leg up over other tailors; while some prioritize efficiency over quality, making alterations with threads or buttons that don’t exactly match the original design, she prefers making her repairs like new. Ordering the exact materials is a priority, even if it takes longer to finish an alteration. “If a tailor has the red colour on their machine but needs pink, they might use red. It doesn’t look professional and they call it a ‘repair’. I look for the same thread and it takes time, but I’m used to doing brand new clothes and being disciplined like that,” she says. When she first took over, Mai wanted to expand the inventory, but ran into a problem with space. There was already so little space for clients and with so many clothes to store, she could only operate one fitting room. On Aug. 15, Mai moved the business into an office across the hall from the previous location to accommodate these needs. Suite 101 has also allowed Mai to open a second fitting room, install air conditioning, and store heavier clothing such as wedding dresses, evening dresses and winter coats. Despite all these changes, Mai says she’s keeping the rest of the business in line with Truong’s original vision: friendly customer service and expert tailoring. “She was looking for someone patient, experienced and nice with customers, so I said I would take over,” Mai says. “Now Lynn is at home relaxing.” This column is presented by Star Motors, Ottawa’s original Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes Van dealer. Since 1957, Star Motors has provided its customers with the Mercedes-Benz “The Best or Nothing” standard in vehicle selection, service, genuine parts and certified collision repair. For your convenience, you may shop, research, chat and compare vehicles online at starmotors.ca, visit the 400 West Hunt Club location or call (613) 737-7827 for the very best in personal service.