Siloina Mercado has been repairing and sewing clothes out of her alteration shop in a strip mall at 38th and Illinois streets for over 13 years. She’s known to her customers as “Silo.”
The 65-year-old spends the workweek with her feisty orange cat, Golden. Together, they sit in front of a floor-to-ceiling window fixing hems, altering dresses, sewing on patches and repairing items that would otherwise be tossed in the trash.
A room divider separates clothing ready for pick-up from clothes that await Mercado’s magic touch, stacked in a pile on a wooden table. A historic photo of the former Curley’s Cleaners, which stretched across most of the retail corridor for 39 years, also has a place on the table.
Sewing runs deep in Mercado’s bloodline. Her grandmother, mother and sisters sewed. She even taught her two sons the basics at an early age, which helped them find work at upholstery shops. Now, one of her granddaughters has caught the seamstress bug.
Right before Mercado was born, her mother bought a sewing machine. Mercado sees this as almost a prophecy or sign for the life she would soon make for herself.
The youngest of 10 children, she began sewing at six years old. Tucked away in her family’s house in Mexico City, she made dresses and pants for herself, her baby dolls and neighbors.
“If my mom didn’t see me, I was sewing,” she said.
One time she poked her finger badly with the sewing needle, but the incident didn’t stop her passion. When Mercado was 16, she got a job at a factory in town, where she helped make formal clothes and denim jeans that were to be sold in the U.S.
In the 1990s, Mercado immigrated from Mexico to California, where she lived for six years. In 2002, she and her children moved to Indianapolis to live with her sister.
‘She’s the truth’
Mercado’s clients bring her all types of clothes. Depending on the project, Mercado switches between an industrial sewing machine, a serger and blindstitch machine
Though alterations is her day job, on the side she loves to create cut-to-sew home goods like aprons, table runners and pillows.
Her work spans wedding dresses to childhood pajamas. Her son, Josue Mercado, treasures the pillows and blankets she made for his kids when they were born.
“Once we got older, we didn’t have sewing machines anymore. We always had this thing, ‘We’ll just take it to Grandma,’” Mercado said.
Last week, someone brought in over 20 old ties from the thrift store for her to upcycle into European crossover ties.
Michael Hamilton, one of Mercado’s newer clients, is redoing his wardrobe. He learned about her work from his sister and brother, who go to church with her. He said he’s really picky about who he allows to touch his expensive items.
“She could tell I’m a fussy customer when it comes to my stuff. We joke about it now. She says, I’m funny-acting about my clothes,” Hamilton said. “It is hard to find a good tailor. I am probably the most satisfied customer she’s got when it comes to alteration. She’s the truth.”
So far, he’s brought in about 16 pieces for alterations in the last two months.
She will work with almost anything except clothes that are dirty — and most importantly, that reek of a strong marijuana odor.
“The smell is real bad feeling in my body; I’ll have a headache,” she said. “I don’t want people to be offended. I tell them, ‘When you clean it, bring it in.’”
Over the years, she has built family-like relationships with her clientele. She’ll even set aside time on Sundays to work with clients who can’t come to the shop during the week.
Last year, the son of her friend and client Charlotte called Mercado to tell her his mother had died. She lovingly remembers Charlotte as a glamorous older woman who “didn’t wear anything long.”
“Whatever people are, I don’t have colors or ages. I love my clients and feel like my clients are comfortable with me and this is my goal: Do my best and make my clients happy,” Mercado said.
Tony Simeone, a retired firefighter with the Indianapolis Fire Department, brings in Indy Fire Watch jackets in bulk to put patches on. He was referred to her by someone who used to work at Deering Cleaners.
Last summer, he was worried when he heard she had plans to move to Florida.
“I said I hope she will stay in town and then she changed her plans and I’m happy she changed her plans because that was a good thing for me — hallelujah,” Simeone said.
Tying up loose ends
Mercado works out of a retail strip that’s home to Kheprw Institute, Melody Inn and Animation Art Studio. The address has seen a lot of turnover. After Curley’s Cleaners, there was Deering Cleaners, and then Tide Cleaners.
Unsell Burnett, previous owner of Kim Alterations, asked Mercado to come help her out after she was diagnosed with cancer. Mercado eventually bought the space to open her business Silo’s Alterations and Leather Repair in 2012.
“It feels like God’s blessing, the year I decided to work with my friend,” she said. “With this business I pay my whole bills. I have a lot of bills to pay. The business makes more for everything: car insurance, rent, phone, vacations and family,” she said.
Mercado encourages everyone to learn to sew, and she will teach you for free. She’s currently teaching a woman from the neighborhood.
When she’s not tailoring and altering clothes, she hosts Bible studies. Mercado has been a Jehovah’s Witness for more than 40 years.
“I loved my decision. Two decisions in my life that are very important, and I feel are good ones: One is to move to Indiana, and two, to serve my God,” she said.
Mercado plans to retire in a few years and sell the business. Her son said he’s excited for his mom’s retirement and that she’s going to finally dedicate herself to something else.
“When you’re sewing you’re working with your hands 24/7. That takes a toll on both hands constantly. Plus, every time the needle goes in and out, it breaks fibers, so as you break those fibers and your face is six inches from the fabric … it takes an effect on your lungs and eyes. The fact that she’s retiring and letting it go — it’s time,” Josue Mercado said.
Mercado won’t sell the business until she finds the right person who will continue to provide the best service to her clients. For example, she offers a back-to-school sale for parents to bring their children’s uniforms for tailoring and repairs from June to August.
“I want to leave the business established with someone I know. I want to help (them) and when (they) tell me, ‘You know what, Ms. Silo, I’m ready to run on my own wheels,’ then I’m ready to leave,” she said.
But she’s still going to make pillows.
“I want to stay away for a duration and I want to do a million pillows and sell them,” she said.
Does “Silo’s Pillows” have a nice ring to it?
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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