Embroidery Biz Blazes Trail

And other Dexter marketplace changes

by Tony McReynolds

posted 8/26/2010

When Tracy and Kevin Lambert opened Fancy Stitch, their custom T-shirt and embroidery store on Main Street, they never thought they'd be relocating to new quarters out by the A&W on Dexter-Chelsea Road six months later. But that was before their custom T-shirt and embroidery business caught fire.

Literally.

"There was a fire on Christmas Day in our store," Tracy Lambert says--a small electrical fire caused by faulty computer cables and speaker wires. The fire itself wasn't the real problem. "It was the smoke damage. Everything in our store was ruined...we had to buy all new inventory." The damage was extensive enough to require major repairs. "So we had to find a new space."

Tracy says they thought at first it would be a temporary move, but now she's not so sure: "Odds are we won't be moving back."

Fancy Stitch is no longer open on the weekends. Kevin Lambert says there's no point because in their new location away from downtown, "there's no foot traffic, so we don't get drop-in business."

Fancy Stitch, 8256 Dexter-Chelsea Rd. 426-5800. Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Closed Sat. & Sun. fancystitch.com

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When Steve Montesanto and Lorin Shipps opened Bistro Renaissance in April 2007, the first-time restaurant owners had ambitious plans. Their idea was to use traditional French and Italian cooking techniques to put a modern twist on new dishes. But in the end, a good concept wasn't good enough. Bistro Renaissance closed its doors just shy of its three-year anniversary. Neither man could be reached for comment, but in a statement on the Bistro's website, Shipps wrote, "The downturn in the state economy has made a dramatic negative impact on fine dining establishments throughout the area, and the Bistro has found it too difficult to survive."   

[Originally published in August, 2010.]