"I thought sewing was cool," says Ginette Minor, 35. "My mom sewed all our clothes when we were growing up. She even sewed all my Barbie clothes."

When she was about the same age, her mother, Edwards, saved her babysitting money and bought her first sewing machine, a Brother, quickly learning how to use it. She taught her daughter how to sew and then bought her a Kenmore machine when she left home for college. Sewing, one might say, is a thread running through the entire family.

Both women continued sewing over the years; each set up a business. Minor did various custom sewing jobs while Edwards focused more on embroidery. Both worked from their St. Thomas homes, and both made frequent trips to the other home to get material, thread and other supplies.

Nearly three years ago, they started talking about the idea of merging their two businesses into one, increasing efficiency by working from one location. They did so, and created Genuine Stitches Home Decor & Embroidery.

As much as the two women are the driving forces behind the business, much of the credit for the idea and its execution goes to Edwards' husband, Cy. He gave up his basement pool room so his wife and daughter could set up shop. He did so willingly. In fact, says Edwards, "It was his idea to convert the basement."

Not to be outdone, Minor's husband, David, worked with his Dad to build a 10-by-9 foot work table that fits over the pool table. On weekdays, instead of playing pool, Cy looks after Minor's children, his four- and six-year-old grandchildren.

"He does that everyday and really helps us out," says Edwards.

The business focuses primarily on window treatments, offering everything from custom drapes to shades and valances. The women recently began offering custom cordless Roman shades, great looking shades that remove the hazard of a cord for young children.

They also sell traditional blinds that are made to order by suppliers such as Hunter Douglas.

Whether it's something they order from a supplier or something they make from scratch, the process is the same: They come out and discuss what a client wants. They take pictures and use a computer program to demonstrate exactly what a given treatment will look like. When it's ready, they install it. No muss, no fuss.

The other part of the business is embroidery that gives clients the option of having almost any pattern, logo or picture stitched into a towel, sheet, drape or hat.

"Whenever my granddaughter goes to a birthday party, she takes a beach towel with the child's name on it," says Edwards.

Embroidery accounts for about a third of the overall business and appeals to businesses looking to make unique products for their customers and employees. Using scanning software, the women can transfer any image or picture onto almost any material.

Most of their customers are in St. Thomas and London, but they have outfitted a Collingwood cottage and a winter retreat in Barbados. Sadly, in those cases, they worked entirely from pictures and measurements and didn't visit to do the installation.

Genuine Stitches Home Decor & Embroidery

519-494-0787

519-851-8186

http://www.genuinestitches.com/