It's supposed to store our clothes, but sometimes our closets wind up burying them.

Virginia Arko found a floral dress in her closet she bought in 1985. "This dress was from my youngest daughter's wedding," said Arko. She wore it once but didn't want to get rid of it. So she brought it to the Fast Needle on the east side for an update. She had the big shoulder pads and ruffles removed for a more modern look.

In today's economy, seamstress stores are attracting more business because people are less apt to throw or give away useful items.

"We can take them out of the closet and give them a night on the town look once again," said local designer Stephanie Fralick who owns Pinky's Day Planner in Tremont. "I carry my own label of clothes and a lot of other individual labels from around the world," said Fralick. But half of her business is alterations. "When you spend $300 to $500 on a dress you should be able to wear it more than once," said Fralick.

You can get a complete new look on a dress that might otherwise have been too formal for work. So instead of having that bridesmaids dress wasting space and money, change the look for as little as $30. Fralick said you have many options. "We can make it in make it a strapless dress, we can make it into a shorter skirt that's paneled."

For dresses that need more work Stephanie will even make sketches. She said, "Don't throw away anything."

And the same goes for your shoes. "The economy is playing a factor," said Nino Giallanza who runs Tom's Shoe Repair. "More shoes that are worn out that most people would get rid of, they realize that fixing it is the economical way of saving money," said Giallanza.

From toe tips, to heel tips, he will replace them for about $10. Although men's shoes require more time and money, it's still cheaper than a brand new pair, plus you don't have to break them in.