Callie Works-Leary (MBA ’08)
Cox MBA’s Vision Lands Her on Inc.’s List of 30 Under 30
Two years ago, Callie Works-Leary (MBA ’08) sat down with a sewing machine and a manual and taught herself to sew. She had fallen in love with fabric, and was determined to figure out how to use them.
In her insatiable quest for fabrics, Works-Leary turned to the Internet and found a plethora of contemporary textile designers such as Amy Butler, Heather Bailey and Anna Maria Horner. She also found a huge online community of young sewers who followed these designers. Amazed by the lack of availability of high-style fabrics in Dallas and the growing market of Generation X and Y sewers, Works-Leary conceived CityCraft, a fabric shop and sewing boutique.
“I wanted to develop a retail store that met the needs of these existing young sewers but also encouraged new sewers through fun classes taught by young, hip teachers," she said.
There are several concepts similar to CityCraft around the country, but CityCraft is one of the first to be a full-scale fabric shop and sewing studio in one. Works-Leary found that most concepts were heavy on classes and light on fabric selection. She elevated the concept by locating it smack dab in an upscale part of town, making it something that is approachable to a larger demographic and treating the act of sewing as a stylish art.
“There’s nothing wrong with sewing in stilettos – believe me, I’ve done it,” said Works-Leary.
CityCraft offers sewers a place to get together for conversation and crafting. The boutique hosts lounge nights with complimentary wine and snacks and fun music, in addition to sewing classes. These popular classes are bursting at the seams, with offerings such as quilting, envelope pillows, crib bumpers, Roman shade workshops, and more.
Only six months after she opened CityCraft, Works-Leary rented the store next to hers, took down a wall, and doubled her floorplan in order to meet the growing demand for sewing classes. She is looking expanding into other areas of North Texas and working towards franchising, licensing and internal growth. As part of Works-Leary's plan to establish a national brand, CityCraft launched an online store. Her vision is to become the Container Store or the Crate & Barrel of the sewing world. She plans on achieving her goal by focusing on brand definition and cultivation and identifying CityCraft’s replicable core competencies.
“What I love about Container Store and Crate & Barrel is that they haven’t just grown their companies but they have carefully cultivated their brands,” said Works-Leary. “My boldness might raise a few eyebrows, but I bet the same people that didn’t think you could devote 10,000 square feet to home organization would say the same thing about sewing and fabric.”
Works-Leary credits much of her success to the SMU Cox “Starting a Business” class where students spend one semester writing a complete business plan. “It’s the single most important thing an entrepreneur can do. I meet so many people that start businesses without one and it’s a big mistake,” she said. “A plan forces you to think about every detail and really do your homework. It provides you with benchmarks. Otherwise how would you know where you stand right now relative to your goal for the end of the month, year, five years?”
Works-Leary advises aspiring entrepreneurs to not be afraid to create their own definition of success. “Would it be nice to have an MBA salary, killer benefits, and vacation time right now? Yes. But I’m willing to give up sleep, sanity and time off to build CityCraft into something great, something I can really be proud of,” said Works-Leary. “Small business is tough. But I love it because you have to be scrappy.”