Sew to Speak
Beyond your average fabric store, Sew to Speak is a maker’s paradise in the form of a colorful, bustling shop located in Columbus, Ohio. The owners have cultivated a community of crafters, from beginners to experts, supported by in-person classes, hand-picked inventory, and a welcoming and inclusive team. Although this flourishing craft shop is a one-of-a-kind “happy place” for local makers, Sew to Speak is also home to a thriving online fabric and yarn store.
When Eva and Amy bought the store, after years of being frequent patrons themselves, their inherited website was disorganized and difficult for users to navigate. After an unsuccessful attempt to work with another web designer, Eva and Amy found Hummingbird Marketing Services by happy accident — or maybe even by fate. Between our team’s personal connection to Ohio and our passion for creative art, the connection was kismet.
From first glance, we knew their online store, filled with high-quality fabrics, yarns, and notions, was in serious need of decluttering and an organizational system that made sense for both the staff and online shoppers. The more we became acquainted with Eva, Amy, and the stories behind the Sew to Speak community, the more we were solidified in our plan to curate a digital experience that’s equally as vibrant and unique as their storefront.
Industry
Retail
Collaborators
Andi Lucas, Founder & CEO
Julia Giordano, Content Writing & Social
Elizabeth Phillips, Web & Graphic Design
Sarah Fils-Aime, Content Writing & Social
Services Provided
(Click to jump to each section)
Web Design
Project Brief
Bird’s Eye View
The original Sew to Speak site was unorganized, confusing, and dull — a stark contrast from the wonderland of its in-person shop. Although their online store was successful, the owners knew it could be better. For the sanity of their staff members responsible for updating products, and the ease of online shopping, the site structure was in desperate need of some major changes. With popular fabric retail chains closing, we had a perfect opportunity to transform Sew to Speak’s online shop into one that is functional, user-friendly, and streamlined by product and project type to keep up with a new and significant uptick in traffic. Equally as important as organization, we believed Sew to Speak should have a website that reflected its colorful, welcoming, and truly unique community of makers.
Ruffled Feathers: Sew to Speak’s Pain Points
For a store with such a strong sense of community, the online space lacked charm and character, especially in its absence of information about the hours and location, owners and staff, or the Sew to Speak story. The featured teacher bios were out of date, and an “About Us” section didn’t exist. The website was not following SEO best practices, making it difficult for new customers to discover the shop. While it featured a blog, the posts were inconsistent, dated, and unorganized. Overall, the website was overwhelming, not navigable, and an inaccurate representation of the Sew to Speak shop and its community of makers.
Our Flight Plan
We wanted to give the Sew to Speak site focus — implementing clutter-free organization, a navigable product inventory, and an intuitive site structure became the guiding goals. We set out to craft a website for creatives, by creatives, displaying all the colorful, unique details that make Sew to Speak a “happy place.” By optimizing new and existing content for search engines, we could target both locals and a broader audience for online sales. Once we drove new users to the site, we wanted to showcase why they should shop with Sew to Speak, instead of buying from big online stores. Our plan centered on highlighting the heart of this welcoming and vibrant in-person and online space: the humans behind Sew to Speak!
Feathers in Our Cap: Top Accomplishments
We transformed the website into an organized and easy-to-navigate shopping center for creatives.
The original Sew to Speak website’s home was in Shopify, and because that platform made the most sense for Sew to Speak, our flexible designers honed our Shopify expertise. We optimized the store’s Shopify space for navigability and the customer experience. In collaboration with the Sew to Speak team, we enacted a digital “extreme makeover,” overhauling the disheveled site and recategorizing the inventory of more than 5,000 products. This led to us restructuring the entire e-commerce portion of the site, creating new categories, and sorting product tags to create an effortless online shopping experience.
In true Hummingbird fashion, we wanted to ensure that this transformation not only looked amazing but was just as sustainable for its long-term use and ever-evolving inventory of products. While we love to continue working with our clients on an ongoing basis, offering them continued support and website updates, it is imperative to us that our clients are confidently able to make changes as needed and do so independently if their budget requires. For this reason, we commonly train business owners in any way they might need help. For Sew to Speak, we built a training guide, complete with instructional videos and screenshots, to make adding new products or removing discontinued ones a breeze throughout the site’s longevity.
We transformed the website into an organized and easy-to-navigate shopping center for creatives.
The original Sew to Speak website’s home was in Shopify, and because that platform made the most sense for Sew to Speak, our flexible designers honed our Shopify expertise. We optimized the store’s Shopify space for navigability and the customer experience. In collaboration with the Sew to Speak team, we enacted a digital “extreme makeover,” overhauling the disheveled site and recategorizing the inventory of more than 5,000 products. This led to us restructuring the entire e-commerce portion of the site, creating new categories, and sorting product tags to create an effortless online shopping experience.
In true Hummingbird fashion, we wanted to ensure that this transformation not only looked amazing but was just as sustainable for its long-term use and ever-evolving inventory of products. While we love to continue working with our clients on an ongoing basis, offering them continued support and website updates, it is imperative to us that our clients are confidently able to make changes as needed and do so independently if their budget requires. For this reason, we commonly train business owners in any way they might need help. For Sew to Speak, we built a training guide, complete with instructional videos and screenshots, to make adding new products or removing discontinued ones a breeze throughout the site’s longevity.
We designed a digital space that emulates the vibrant energy of the Sew to Speak store and community.
For so many, Sew to Speak is a “happy place” and an escape from the chaos of the world. Customers leave their problems at the door and dive into the endless opportunities for creative and energizing work. We wanted the website to mimic that special feeling. We chose a bright and bold design to match the brand, with an emphasis on color and elements as cute as a button. We upgraded to high-quality images of products, and we featured images of the physical store throughout the site, allowing online users to truly see the yarn and fabric-lined walls that house creative makers from all across Ohio.
With major fabric retailers shuttering doors across the country, we needed to show the world exactly why they should shop with Sew to Speak, instead of scouting for new major chains. Unlike most major sellers, Sew to Speak’s inventory consists of specialty, unique, and curated selections — owners Eva and Amy hand-select each product with a focus on high-quality fabric and yarn. This level of intention was missing from their original site, so we created new branding that reflected their unique and personal touch. Even though not everyone has the privilege of shopping with Sew to Speak in person, the digital happy place we created allows makers to visit anytime they’d like.
We took the time to listen and learn about the Sew to Speak team so we could share their story.
This project began the same way all of our projects at Hummingbird Marketing Services begin, with open, honest conversations dedicated to uncovering the ins and outs of Sew to Speak’s brand. From the very beginning, we had fun talking to Amy and Eva, hearing their stories, and discovering all the details that make Sew to Speak so special. These conversations became building blocks for our writing as we wove their personalities and values into the content on every page.
We added an About page to highlight the welcoming atmosphere of the shop and emphasize the store’s accessibility to makers of all skill levels, backgrounds, and ages. We also included the incredible story of Amy and Eva, who transformed from long-time customers to full-time owners, and how they include their family in their work.
Sew to Speak is powered by the amazing, creative, passionate individuals of the “Stitch Squad”, but the team feature was missing from the original website. To highlight these talented individuals, we developed a questionnaire to seamlessly add each staff member and teacher’s story to the site as they joined the team. We also encouraged the Stitch Squad to take headshots inside the store for consistent imaging across the Team page and stronger ties to the in-person store throughout the site.
We took the time to listen and learn about the Sew to Speak team so we could share their story.
This project began the same way all of our projects at Hummingbird Marketing Services begin, with open, honest conversations dedicated to uncovering the ins and outs of Sew to Speak’s brand. From the very beginning, we had fun talking to Amy and Eva, hearing their stories, and discovering all the details that make Sew to Speak so special. These conversations became building blocks for our writing as we wove their personalities and values into the content on every page.
We added an About page to highlight the welcoming atmosphere of the shop and emphasize the store’s accessibility to makers of all skill levels, backgrounds, and ages. We also included the incredible story of Amy and Eva, who transformed from long-time customers to full-time owners, and how they include their family in their work.
Sew to Speak is powered by the amazing, creative, passionate individuals of the “Stitch Squad”, but the team feature was missing from the original website. To highlight these talented individuals, we developed a questionnaire to seamlessly add each staff member and teacher’s story to the site as they joined the team. We also encouraged the Stitch Squad to take headshots inside the store for consistent imaging across the Team page and stronger ties to the in-person store throughout the site.
The Final Product
Other Flutterworthy Features
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Clear and Simple Location Directions
Originally, the Sew to Speak site was confusing for new customers trying to find the shop in person. We added a new Location Page that clearly showcases the address and hours of operation, and includes a map with an arrow to the store, making it easier than ever for first-timers to find their new favorite fabric shop.
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Categorically Organized Class Schedules
Sew to Speak offers classes for all skill levels, so we wanted to ensure their site displayed all of their classes and set up students for success. We organized classes by levels, including kids, adults, true beginners, advanced beginners, and intermediate. We wrote content explaining what each level means, allowing users to sign up for the class that fits their skills best.
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Put Previously Unadvertised Services on Full Display
Sew to Speak is an all-in-one shop that includes all the supplies and machinery for different making niches. The old website showed that the store sold Juki sewing machines and offered sewing classes, but a key piece of information was missing — they also repair Juki machines right in the shop. We highlighted the fact that machines purchased from Sew to Speak can be repaired at the store, and when a customer purchases a new Juki, they receive a free guided introduction to their machine.
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Elevated, Brand-Consistent Design with a Strong Digital Presence
We took the Sew to Speak branding to the next level with a playful, colorful design across the site and with on-brand content that truly captures the Sew to Speak voice. But a fantastic site is useless without visitors, so we expertly worked to improve the SEO and ensure that Sew to Speak’s presence on Google would help the store be found by its existing community as well as discovered by new makers.
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Digital Marketing
Project Brief
Bird’s Eye View
Sew to Speak had a strong, loyal following, including a long list of newsletter subscribers and decent engagement on Instagram and Facebook. A family-crafted newsletter was sent out weekly, with each issue full of makers’ inspiration and new product highlights. All of these efforts, along with a strong in-shop community, rendered Sew to Speak successful in its digital spaces; however, the plan lacked strategy.
Ruffled Feathers
The Sew to Speak blog was filled with outdated and unorganized posts. Sure, some blog posts were clever and helpful, but others were no longer relevant as they focused on specific past events. New blogs hadn’t been published in years, meaning the business was missing out on prime opportunities to attract new site visitors through SEO-driven content. The Sew to Speak team was writing fantastic and fresh content weekly, but only newsletter subscribers had access to it, making the content essentially disappear after one read or lay unopened in the wasteland of so many clogged inboxes.
Our Flight Plan
Just as we did a complete overhaul of the site’s product inventory, we knew the best move forward for Sew to Speak was to sort through the blogs, remove outdated posts, and organize and optimize the timeless content. In our blog update, we wanted to ensure the content was SEO focused without compromising engagement or readability. To reinvigorate the blog, we crafted a plan for publishing new entries monthly, to ensure that the content is fresh and up-to-date, driving traffic through SEO and establishing Sew to Speak as the maker’s paradise that it is.
Digital Presence Audit
We conducted a digital presence audit, a process we do for any new client whose business could benefit from an expert deep-dive. Our audit uncovered the owners’ lack of access to the shop’s Google Business Profile. Although this detail might seem minor or even unimportant to some, access to and effective use of your Google Business Profile is KEY to a successful digital presence. We took the reins and regained control of the account, allowing the owners to update vital information, such as business hours and holiday closures, as well as respond to reviews on a daily basis. We also set up Sew to Speak’s Apple Business Connect profile, another essential tool that was not being utilized.
Our social media audit also identified inconsistencies in branding across Sew to Speak’s accounts on different platforms, including variations in messaging, descriptions, and profile pictures. By bringing this to Sew to Speak’s attention, the owners were able to implement simple but highly effective changes to ensure a consistent presence across all social media platforms.
Digital Presence Audit
We conducted a digital presence audit, a process we do for any new client whose business could benefit from an expert deep-dive. Our audit uncovered the owners’ lack of access to the shop’s Google Business Profile. Although this detail might seem minor or even unimportant to some, access to and effective use of your Google Business Profile is KEY to a successful digital presence. We took the reins and regained control of the account, allowing the owners to update vital information, such as business hours and holiday closures, as well as respond to reviews on a daily basis. We also set up Sew to Speak’s Apple Business Connect profile, another essential tool that was not being utilized.
Our social media audit also identified inconsistencies in branding across Sew to Speak’s accounts on different platforms, including variations in messaging, descriptions, and profile pictures. By bringing this to Sew to Speak’s attention, the owners were able to implement simple but highly effective changes to ensure a consistent presence across all social media platforms.
Blog Posts
When we began working with Sew to Speak, the blog was full of unorganized posts written years ago. Valuable blogs (e.g., Yarn Weights 101) were buried beneath dated posts, like a how-to guide for sewing a face mask from the summer of 2020. We implemented a complete blog refresh alongside the website redesign to sort and optimize existing blog posts as well as create several brand new and SEO-driven posts to bring the blog into the present. Our inspiration was seasonable, relevant, and vibrant topics for makers that feature the latest products from the shop and project inspirations from the “Stitch Squad”, reflecting the shop’s energy and the helpfulness you’d receive when shopping in person.
Additionally, we established a monthly recurring blog posting frequency that incorporates all the gems of information from Sew to Speak’s weekly newsletters. Previously, only newsletter subscribers had access to this content, but by repurposing it, the information is now free for everyone to enjoy. With old posts optimized and a plethora of new posts added, we effectively refreshed the site’s blog into a growing space for information and inspiration. The final result — a modern, relevant, and helpful blog that drives traffic to the website, the shop, and the online store.
Photo Gallery
