New Carlisle boutique gets new owner, plans to add events

When Sarah Trimbach first started her job at World Threads, an import boutique in New Carlisle, she did so believing that it might not be for very long.

Being hired on as a manager, Trimbach was told by her employers John and Carolyn Brichacek that the state of their business was unknown.

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“They had told me up front that they weren’t sure of the direction of the business yet,” Trimbach said. “They had thoughts about closing it.”

Less than a year later, Trimbach is now the owner of the 12-year-old import business and responsible for its operations.

“John and Carolyn traveled to Bangkok in September,” she said. “While they were gone, they sent me a very long email with the proposal of, ‘We think you would be a great fit to run World Threads indefinitely.’”

World Threads gets a majority of its products from wholesale markets in Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Trimbach, who officially made the transition to owner on Jan. 1, plans on making a number of changes to the business.

Employing professional photographers and local models, she hopes to expand the store’s social media presence and encourages everyone involved to plug the brand.

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Trimbach is also looking into ways for setting up online shopping services for her clients.

“Online sales, you know that’s big,” she said. “People love shopping online because they don’t have to get out of bed, they don’t have put clothes on, they can do whatever they want and buy stuff.”

However these changes will be gradual, according to Trimbach.

“The No. 1 goal for me is to not be too drastic too quickly,” she said. “We have a lot of faithful clientele and I want to be respectful to the people that love what the shop is right now.”

Plans are also in the works to host events, such as fashion shows or gallery nights at the shop, utilizing the upstairs gallery that houses dozens of hand-stitched embroidery paintings.

“We have a whole gallery upstairs and it’s a beautiful area,” she said. “Not even just, ‘Oh the artwork is pretty.’ The room itself is beautiful.”

The stores hours may be extended past 5:30 p.m. to accommodate the working crowd, Trimbach said.

The former owner also plan to stay with the business for at least a year, acting as advisers and helping buy and ship cargo to the shop.

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