Sew EZ-Too closing in Garland District

Giving up the commute from Colville to Spokane will make Vickie Black’s car happy, but the customers of Sew E-Z Too will be sad because they will be losing a local niche business that knew how to deliver.

Sew E-Z Too, which has been meeting sewers’ needs for about 19 years at 603 W. Garland Ave., has already started a clearance sale for its pending closure sometime in July. But unlike other small businesses that were killed by loss of business because of the coronavirus pandemic, this sewing shop got a deal its owner couldn’t refuse, Black said.

“It was simply, somebody walked in to purchase the building and the timing was right,” she said. “With my age, the travel and the stress, the time was good.”

Black, 74, has been operating sewing businesses since 1969 and will continue to operate E-Z Knit Fabrics at 165 N. Main St. in Colville.

“Instead of working six days a week, like I have for 50-odd years, now it’s time to relax a little bit,” said Black, who said she is not retiring. “I would be bored. Working is what I do. It’s my way of life.”

The hardest part, Black said, will be parting with employees who have been with her since she