Photo credit Brooke Till

Arla’s Sewing Room provides a much-needed — and little-met — service in the Mississippi River town of Lansing, Iowa.

Lansing has a longtime connection to the sewing industry. Locals in the early 20th century dug freshwater mussels from the river bottom to make mother-of-pearl buttons for markets around the world. Lansing’s button factory closed in 2016.

Today, customers come from as far away as Madison, Wisconsin; Rochester, Minnesota and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for home sewing machine repairs and purchases at Arla’s Sewing Room. She also carries a variety of fabrics, quilting rulers and other sewing notions.

“I stand behind what I sell,” Arla Wagner said. “I teach them how to use the machine, and if they have any problems, I take care of them. It’s my passion. I started sewing when I was 8 years old, and I love to teach.”

Wagner spent 35 years teaching math, language arts and social studies to middle school students before opening her business. The seed of her surprise second career germinated when Wagner took an online class so that she could repair her personal sewing machine.

“I had to fix so many doggone machines and brands,” she said of her coursework. By the time she repaired two treadle machines, two antique electric machines, 15 mechanical machines, computerized machines and sergers, she was adept at repairs, and the word spread amongst sewists.

Photo credit Brooke Till

She started fixing machines out of her home, but her business grew quickly. “I mean, who has an air compressor in their dining room?” she said with a laugh. Her husband Paul refused her request to build a small she-shed. ”You’ll outgrow it in a week,” he said.

Instead, the couple bought an 1880s limestone-and-brick building on Main Street Lansing, between the dentist’s office and the laundromat and directly across from Lansing Hardware. Wagner opened a dealership for Elna Sewing Machines— one of only three in the state — and added quilting materials, notions and private classes.

But that historic building proved enormously expensive to heat, especially when the north wind hit the storefront. Wagner kept the thermostat at 62 degrees Fahrenheit, dropping it to 55 on off days. Still, heating bills ran $600 a month.

“Last year, I froze,” Wagner said. “I would wear multiple layers, but I was cold all the time, and it was a really mild winter.”

Photo credit Brooke Till

Connecting with Allamakee Energy District, a chapter of Clean Energy Districts of Iowa (CEDI), helped her access federal resources. CEDI Energy Coach Steve Hopkins guided her through an energy audit for the building and encouraged her to apply for a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant from the USDA. 

Wagner’s REAP funding paid for a quarter of the cost of mini-splits that now heat the sewing room for a fraction of previous heating costs. “My electric bills are under $70 a month,” she said.

Furthermore, the mini-splits provide quiet cooling in broiling Iowa summers. But as of September, Wagner was still waiting for the promised federal reimbursement.

Farmers and rural business owners can use REAP to reimburse some of the cost of a renewable energy or energy efficiency project. The program paid $2,200 of Wagner’s $8,800 project.

A missing signature contributed to a delay in reimbursement. Future applicants, she says, should check their paperwork carefully to ensure it is complete.

Wagner can use this money to continue investing in her business. She’s already improved energy efficiency with a new door and replacement of the building’s original, 140-year-old windows.

Photo credit Brooke Till

Photo credit Brooke Till