YARMOUTH, N.S. — After the Vietnam War, a hard-working young woman with a dream and determination found herself on a path that would lead to ownership of a pretty little shop on the other side of the world.
Nguyen Thi Nhung (known as Nhung) says her family had no money after the war. She wanted to go to university, so, undeterred, she set up a tailor shop and tailoring school in Pleiku, her hometown, in order to save enough money to follow her dream.
She obtained a degree in sociology from a Vietnam university and joined a fisheries project in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1998.
John Sollows was the chief technical advisor of the project. It took four years and a lot of “friendly encouragement,” she says, before they finally got married in 2002. Their long-term contracts ended shortly after that and she decided to emigrate.
“The process was time-consuming, it’s worse now,” she added. “But things went smoothly, and I finally became a permanent resident when I landed in Toronto in February 2004.
John was hired for several short-term jobs in Vietnam after that, so the couple alternated between Canada and Vietnam until 2010, when those projects ended.
Nhung was able to open her own business, Designs by Nhung, in Yarmouth, on June 21, 2011.
Visitors to her store are greeted with a huge variety of fabric and many types of sewing supplies.
The building is one of Richard Leblanc’s popular “triplets,” and Nhung says some customers from away appreciate that.
“Others are blown away by the variety of fabric available,” she says.
She provides tailoring (repairs, alterations, and sewing garments and other items) in addition to selling fabric, sewing supplies and Samsung vacuum cleaner bags.
Operating the business during COVID has required extra effort and attention but she’s been able to remain open for her customers.
Masks are required and no more than five are permitted in the shop at a time.
“That’s about the maximum that can (physical) distance within the shop. Customers know that they need to keep apart from one another,” she says.
Frequently touched surfaces are disinfected every day.
Over the years, as her business became better known, she has gradually become busier.
Nhung says she enjoys every aspect of running her shop - making and altering items, serving customers, selling and more.
“I like to supply a variety of fabric for customers, so they don’t need to go shopping in Halifax,” she says.
In the future, she hopes to develop a website and Facebook page for the business to help people shop online. She says she also needs a bigger area as the shop is too small.
Fact box:
Business name: Designs by Nhung
Owners name: Thi Nhung Nguyen
Date opened: June 21, 2011
# of employees: One (Self)
Nature of business, products sold: Tailoring, fabrics and sewing supplies
Address: 262 Main St., Yarmouth
Phone (902)-881-3288
Email
Hours: Open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Behind the Business is a regular feature that introduces you to local businesspeople. Want to suggest someone that should be featured? Email your idea to Scott Doherty.
