Quality Comes First at Plaza Sewing Center

It was July 1986 when I walked into Plaza Sewing/Quilting & Vacuum Center to try and sell an ad for the first issue of the Sneak Preview. Staff told me to talk to co-owner Rick Chapman, and I was directed to his inner sanctum where he was laboriously working on a vacuum cleaner. It turns out we both recognized each other from our softball playing days, and to make up for the fact that he once threw me out at home in the seventh inning of a close game, he went ahead and bought a 1/2-page ad.

A lot of people know Rick Chapman, as he has been actively involved in community organizations for the last forty years, from the Active Club and the All Sports Park to his "baby," the American Legion Baseball Field. He and his family moved to Grants Pass in 1952, and after graduation from GPHS he spent four years in the Navy before returning home.

Rick and his wife Mary were married in 1972, and in 1976 they purchased the Plaza Sewing Center from Mary's parents. (It's called "Plaza" because the original store was located in Caveman Plaza.) Rick had begun working for Mary's dad, Don Newman, in 1972, learning to repair sewing machines and vacuums.

Rick and Mary moved the store to the Grants Pass Shopping Center and eventually bought the Golden Rule building downtown, where the store is located today at 311 SE 6th Street.

"Plaza Sewing is a quality, one-stop sewing, quilting and crafting business with everyday low prices," Rick said. "There's always honest and reasonable prices for quality fabrics and notions, and there are no gimmicks. In addition, we offer sales of vacuum cleaners, bags and parts, as well as expert repairs on Singer sewing machines and almost all makes of vacuums."

The store also offers a variety of sewing classes throughout the year, especially quilting and dressmaking. Special orders are always welcome.

"Our selection is exceptional," Mary said. "We carry wonderful garment fabrics, fleeces, flannels, wools, velvets, satins, and a variety of craft supplies. Our staff are courteous and knowledgeable and ready to help with your every project. Plaza Sewing Center has always listened to its customers and goes the extra mile to carry what the customers want."

For more info, the phone number is 541-479-5757.

Holistic Care at Wise Women Care Associates

When Augustine Colebrook was eight years old, she attended her first homebirth with her midwife aunt in Colorado and knew right then what her life's path would be. As a Certified Professional Midwife and Oregon-Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife, she has practiced midwifery in seven states, most recently here in Grants Pass after moving from Bend in 2008.

That year she opened Wise Women Care Associates, a home-birth midwifery practice, with the dream of seeing it grow to include a variety of holistic modalities within a licensed birth center. In 2011 that dream became reality when Wise Women Care Associates opened in the state-licensed Trillium Waterbirth Center at 400 Crater Lake Avenue in Medford.

"We provide primary care, nutritional counseling, acupuncture, Network chiropractic, Body/Mind/Spirit Psychotherapy, and massage therapy in addition to comprehensive maternity care," Augustine said. "Now, Wise Women Care Associates includes all these modalities plus CranioSacral Therapy and Maya Abdominal Therapy."

Augustine was also pleased to announce that starting in January 2013 Wise Women Care Associates will open their second state-licensed Trillium Waterbirth Center at 1453 Redwood Circle in Grants Pass, and they are open for new clients.

"Trillium provides the only licensed, out-of-hospital birth center between Eugene and Sacramento," she said. "The unique model of the Wise Women practice allows families to receive holistic primary care from cradle to grave, with a range of mid-level providers working in concert."

The model is founded on the belief that preventive care, including proper nutrition, will keep people out of the hospital, reducing healthcare costs and improving patient well-being.

"The Wise Women model represents the future of healthcare," Augustine said. "It is mid-level care providers working in a mid-level facility providing holistic care that reduces the need for hospital admissions."

Augustine is also passionate about the local food movement and is a previous employee of THRIVE (The Rogue Valley Initiative for a Vital Economy) and a former board member of the Medford Food Co-op.

"Wise Women Care Associates has a staff chef who is employed to shop for and cook local organic food for the clients who are here in labor or staying at the center during their postpartum recovery," she said. "The chef also cooks a seasonal, local, hot lunch for all staff force a week."

For more information, call 541-772-2291.

More Magical Christmas Murals from Evergreen

Evergreen Federal Bank will once again sponsor their annual "Magical Musical Christimas Murals" in downtown Grants Pass through New Year's. "Giant Christmas Nutcrackers" are part of the action, and on December 3, Evergreen will unveil a new panel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" at Evergreen Park.

RCC Winter Term Stats Jan. 7

Registration is now under way at Rogue Community College for the winter term, which begins January 7. Call 541-956-7306 for more info. The RCC credit class schedule is now online at roguecc.edu/schedule.