Meet Shannon Allbright | owner, Miss Shannon’s Sewing

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Allbright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always owned my own businesses since I was twenty-two. I started as an artist selling my art work in galleries and to private patrons, then I had a children’s clothing company along with produced fundraisers and now I’m in my ultimate business, teaching sewing to children. My thought process was that I am not a good employee, I have to work for myself. I love being the boss and in charge of what’s happening around me. Although I’ve never referred to people that work in my company with me as employees, they are co-teachers. No one works for me, they work with me. I love having a vision and then seeing it come to pass. I’m usually is creative mode and love making new things and introducing the projects to the children we teach. I also love scheduling, budgeting and forecasting. When I was a little girl, I would set my room up as a classroom and would teach my dolls, I would read books and then then teach what I knew in my room to my stuffed animals and dolls that I set down on blankets. That’s why I say I’m in my ultimate business. I said early in my first years that I’m creating an empire. I’m also thinking way beyond what is actually happening now. There really isn’t a limit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always made things, art, quilts, clothes, dolls, everything cute. What I love most is making something like a fox pillow and then having 300 children make the fox. Over the years, probably 1000 children have sewn that fox and it started with me sitting at my dining room table cutting orange felt and sewing until I felt like it was perfect. Teaching children how to sew and building it into a business that now teach 350 kids a week has actually been easy because I love it. I love the children, love the schools we work at and who I get to work with. There is this one school in Burbank that I taught at every Tuesday for about five years. I would check in early with the school secretary and she started having snacks for me. It was the sweetest thing. She would have little cakes or cookies, sometimes a baggy filled with candy just waiting for me. I loved that, it would make everything so nice. I think I’m where I’m at because I work really hard to make everything special and we are very good at teaching. I’ve written an handbook on how to teach children and it’s been working well for fourteen years now. The lessons I’ve learned is to continue to strive for excellence when teaching, to be loving and kind. We see our kids right after school, after a long day and before that get to go home to their parents. We are good listeners and we love all of the things that these kids say… we’ve had to curb topics and dry tears but it’s all very bucolic in the middle of the city.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooooo, I would take them to The Bike Shed downtown. I ride motorcycles and most of my friends do also. The Bike Shed is originally from London and it’s sort of like a country club for bikers. I always know people there and they have really good food. Plus riding motorcycles downtown is still so exhilarating when you see the city from the freeway. I also love Olvera Street and taquitos at Cielito Lindo. Years ago I fell in love with the story of Los Angeles and how it was founded by King Carlos of Spain and the 38 Pobladores that walked up from the San Gabriel Valley. I made my myself an expert on the history of the twenty-one missions in a row and the Californio and Ranchero years. I could go on forever about Los Angeles.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I believe that I owe credit to the first few moms of the children that I taught almost fourteen years ago. They spread the word that there was this really nice lady that teaches sewing and they recommended me to the schools that there children attended. Colfax Charter Elementary School was my first school that I taught at and it was Wendy Greuel who sat on the Los Angeles City Controller. Another woman named Homa Alamdari, I taught her daughter how to sew and she just told everyone! Melissa McCarthy and he best friend, Lisa Mallory spread the word pretty quickly.

Website: missshannon.com

Instagram: Shannon Allbright

Facebook: Shannon Allbright