Turning a hobby into a profession

Katharina Lehmann

Katharina Lehmann turned her hobby into a profession and has been Kathi Kunterbunt ever since. The 27-year-old runs a small shop with this name in Altendorf. Saturday mornings are busy there. A group of women rummage through the shelves of colourful fabrics. There are self-created patterns with owls, feathers or hedgehogs, various plain colours and also patterns with fire brigades, foxes or dots. Buttons, yarn, wool - if you know how to use a sewing machine or crochet hook, this is the place for you.

Have you always been passionate about sewing and tailoring?
Katharina Lehmann: Yes, from an early age. It's always been my hobby. My grandma and my mum showed me a lot of things. How to sew cushion covers or small bags, for example. I trained as a specialist retail assistant in the textile industry and worked in the sector for a few years. The dream of having my own fabric shop quickly developed.

How did you turn this dream into reality?
I was deputy store manager in the fashion shop and learnt what it takes to run a shop. I found out more at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and finally decided to become self-employed. I did a lot of searching for fabrics and handicraft items for my own use and realised that there weren't that many available in Chemnitz. My idea was to buy the fabrics and items that were missing here and to offer the creative people in Chemnitz something special.

Why did you want to realise your dream in Chemnitz?
(laughs) I'm originally from Leipzig. I moved to Chemnitz for my apprenticeship, met my boyfriend here and quickly built up a circle of friends. I wanted to stay here straight away. I feel at home in Chemnitz.

Going back to Leipzig was not an option?
I think that Chemnitz is much nicer than Leipzig. I like going to Leipzig for a visit, but I'm not drawn back. It's quieter here. And of course it was a big advantage for me that there weren't so many fabric and craft shops. I was firmly convinced that Chemnitz needed a shop like this.

Do-it-yourself is chic again at the moment, whether sewing or crocheting - how do you explain this trend?
It's about individuality: "My child or I will be wearing something that not everyone has!" And it's also a good feeling to make something yourself - with the certainty that it wasn't produced using child labour or under poor working conditions. We also only offer fabrics with organic or at least Ökotex standards.

What is special about the Kathi Kunterbunt range?
We have a wide variety of fabrics, especially for children. We pay a lot of attention to the quality of our fabrics. And we also develop patterns ourselves; we can now offer twelve different designs. Of course, we also sell haberdashery, from colourful buttons to sewing thread - and now also sewing machines - as well as an extensive range of wool. Sewers, crocheters and knitters will find what they are looking for here.

Katharina Lehmann is no longer alone in her enthusiasm for sewing. She is supported by three employees. They are particularly proud of their own fabric patterns, which are really only available from Kathi Kunterbunt in the shop or online, and are extremely popular with customers.

How does making your own patterns work?
Customers often come to us and ask for a particular motif. Or we have an idea ourselves that we want to realise. We then commission a designer to develop the pattern for and with us. This is then translated onto the textile. It takes five to six months from the idea to the day the fabric can be seen here in the shop.

You also offer sewing courses.
Yes, exactly. We have course organisers who apply to us. They advertise their own projects and offer a course that usually lasts about three hours. Customers come to the shop beforehand and choose the fabrics according to the pattern. The courses are very popular. Many mums sew their first trousers or their first scarf for their child here. They learn to trust the machine with me and then continue sewing diligently.

There used to be a Schlecker shop here. What do you like about this location?
I started three years ago in Bernsdorf. We were there for a year and a half, but the shop quickly became too small. Through customer surveys, I realised that most customers live on Kaßberg. I then looked in Kaßberg and the surrounding area. The shop here is just the right size and in a nice location. Searched. Found it. It was love at first sight.

Last year, Kaßberg more than lived up to its reputation as a creative neighbourhood during the Christmas season. With alternative offerings and the unique passion of the retailers, the One Hundred Metre Christmas Market quickly became an insider tip. This year there will be a second edition. On 5 and 6 December, it will be cosy from the junction of Weststrasse/corner of Ulmenstrasse to the junction of Rudolf-Marek-Strasse/corner of Franz-Mehring-Strasse. In or in front of the shops of "Emmas Onkel" and "Haamit", "Buchhandlung Lessing & Kompanie", "Naturkost Sonnenblume" and "Paisa Paisa", more than 25 retailers have prepared a colourful programme and a few surprises for young and old. Katharina Lehmann is also taking part. "For the first time," she reveals and is excited to see how her small stand with fabrics and patterns will be received.

How are you networked in the neighbourhood?
I have a good connection to the shops in the immediate neighbourhood. Our street sticks together very well. Whether it's the tattoo parlour, the butcher, the hairdresser or our tailor next door. And there's even more growing up now.

How did it come about that you opened another shop in a different neighbourhood?
Back to the roots, you could say. It all started in the shop in Bernsdorf. In the shop where we started with Kathi Kunterbunt, we now offer individual items. Many people have asked me whether they can also buy ready-made bloomers or hats from me. There wasn't enough space for such an idea in the current shop. But why not there. We organise this on a specialist rental basis. Handmade manufacturers can rent space there, either with shelves or rails, and can present their items.

Sometimes Katharina Lehmann would prefer to split up. She admits that starting her second shop is taking a lot of energy. "But it's exactly my thing." The small shop is hidden away at Bernsdorfer Straße 83 and is called "Einzelstück". Jumpers hang on the wall. Ceramic birds adorn a bush. There are dummy chains, rompers and baby shoes for the little ones. For mums, there are purses, jewellery and bags.

You launched on 14 November 2015. How have the first reactions been?
Very good. Many people say: finally there are handmade items in Chemnitz too. Dawanda you can touch. You can try on the items, touch them and don't have to pay shipping costs. We've had very good feedback so far.

Your Facebook page has 26,000 likes - is online also a must?
That makes a big difference. A Facebook page is extremely important, especially to appeal to young people. Many discover us via Facebook and are then surprised that there is such a thing in Chemnitz and that we contradict the preconception that there is nothing in Chemnitz. My online shop is also doing well throughout Germany.

Do you have a favourite place in Chemnitz?
(off the top of my head) The castle pond. I love going there for a walk with my little dog. It's just a beautiful piece of nature in the middle of the city. It's pure relaxation.

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
You don't need to. My customers like living in Chemnitz, I often hear that. I've never met anyone who wanted to leave. I mostly hear that things are bad in Chemnitz from people from the two other major cities in Saxony who don't know the city well themselves.