"Sew Many Stiches"

Local Businesswoman

Finds Success In Fabric

by: Bobby McDonald

The storefront windows at Rosa's Sewing Shop display some of the many beautiful fabric creations that
are hand sewn by entrepreneur, Rosa Vega.

The entrepreneur spirit in all of us wants to "cheer" when we learn of someone beating the odds and becoming successful. Well, Mrs. Rosa Vega, owner of Rosa's Sewing Center, located at 208 Connally Street, is just such an individual.

Fifteen years ago, Rosa was a young housewife and mother. Her husband, Javier Vega, worked on a Hopkins County dairy farm, owned by Kenneth and Charlotte Hyde, and she found the need to find work outside the home to supplement the family income. With a small son at home, Rosa found a way to leave her child with her husband and drive the forty-plus mile round-trip to Mt. Pleasant, where she began working at Pilgrims Pride Industries.

"I've never liked to drive and the daily, seven day a week, trip to Mt. Pleasant began to be troublesome and almost impossible. I was so nervous driving on the interstate highway with eighteen-wheelers," denoted Rosa. "I would pray each day that something else would come along. I've always believed that God has a plan for everyone and one day, a friend told me about a job opening in Sulphur Springs. The job was at Mickie's Interiors, downtown on the square."

"I had learned to sew rather 'crudely' from my mother, as I grew up the only girl in the family in Zacatecas, Mexico," remembers Rosa. "However, I just knew that I didn't have the skills to make beautiful home draperies and bed linens. That is when Mickie Moss, owner of the shop, challenged me to come to work and learn while I worked. Miss Mickie was a patient teacher and accepted my trials and errors. And, I learned!"

Rosa was a loyal employee at Mickie's Interiors for seven years and enjoyed her work of creating beautiful designs for home interiors. But, in 1998, Mickie Moss decided to sell her shop and move to a distant city. Rosa would soon be without a job. It was decision time once again.

Rosa Vega pauses from a busy schedule to tell about
how God helped her find a way to open her own business
in Sulphur Springs.

"I prayed long and hard, and discussed what I should do with my husband, Javier," concludes Rosa. "He encouraged me to try to find a place to open my own shop and we went downtown and began looking for a small place to open. That's when God's help came along again. Thomas Payne had a building that wasn't vacant when I first ask about it, but overnight became available. It was at a price that I could afford!"

With a place to operate her business, Rosa soon began looking for some equipment. Equipment was expensive, but she found a commercial quilting machine almost identical to the one she had used at Mickie's Interiors, in Tyler, Texas, that was practically new and unused. However, the price tag was $3,000.00 and Rosa and Javier didn't have the capital to purchase it.

"Javier and I drove back from Tyler,Texas, and I was broken-hearted," remembers Rosa. "But, Javier encouraged me to go to First National Bank and see if they would loan me the money to buy the machine that I needed. I went in and talked to Joanne Sherman and she worked with me for enough money to purchase the machine!"

Rosa was in business and soon making custom-made draperies for those who had formerly been her clients at Mickie's Interiors, as well as friends and neighbors of those who had seen her work.

Rosa Vega displays some of the many accent pieces that she handcrafts from her shop at 208 Connally
Street in Sulphur Springs. "The business continues to grow," denotes a happy Rosa.

On July 24, 2005, Rosa will have been in business for seven years. "The business continues to grow and I can thank all of my loyal customers for continuing to send me more customers," states Rosa. "But, most of all I must thank God for opening doors for me that I certainly couldn't have opened myself. From an immigrant mother looking for work without a high school education, I have become a business owner, with God's help!"

"God takes care of those who trust in him, is all I can say," states an humble, Rosa Vega.

Rosa's business became even more important in her life the past year, when her husband, Javier, was diagnosed with cancer. Rosa was widowed earlier this year and her business is her means of support now. "God opened doors and knew what the future held for me," assures Rosa. "He prepared me to work on my own and to find a place in Sulphur Springs, where opportunity still exists!"

Rosa plans to return to school and complete the G.E.D. certificate that she was working on when Javier became sick, last fall. "I don't particularly need the certificate for my work, but it is a personal accomplishment that I want to attain." affirms Rosa.

Rosa's son, Manuel Vega is now working on his college education, following service in the military. He lives with her in Reilly Springs and is employed at City National Bank in Sulphur Springs.

Rosa Vega works on another piece of fabric that will become a custom-made home accessory,
at ther 208 Connally Street location.

Rosa came to Sulphur Springs in 1980 and has become an active part of the Reilly Springs and Hopkins County business community. She has two brothers that also live in Texas, Sergio Fernandez, who lives at Yantis, and Abel Fernandez, a resident of Mexia.
"We grew-up on a small farm in Zacatecas, Mexico, where our father raised corn and beans, as a farmer," denotes Rosa. "And, I never dreamed that someday I would own my own business in Sulphur Springs. God has truly blessed me, beyond my greatest dreams!"