Mayhem reflects on one year in new building

Since moving into a new building at 438 E Sheridan Street last April, the owner of Mayhem: Repairs, Salvage and Custom Sewing, Madden Reed, says business has been booming.

The sewing and custom repair shop still offers everything it used to but can now accommodate more clients in a much more convenient location.

“I was over in the old Music Outfitters spot,” said Reed. “It started as a shared studio space with me and a couple of friends, it was great but I outgrew the space fairy quickly.”

Reed’s largest client base over the last few years has been outfitters and lodges, who send Reed their equipment in need of repairs regularly.

“I have been very busy lately with outfitters, repairing portage packs, tents, sleeping bags, and lots of zipper work,” said Reed.

“More outfitters have contacted me since moving to this location,” Reed said. “They’re definitely finding me, and I think this spring season over the next couple of months will be a real tell of how many outfitters are coming to me for repairs.”

It’s no secret this winter has been slow for most businesses in Ely, but Reed said the slowdown allowed them to catch up on projects.

“I’m not seeing very many winter coats or as many dogsled repair items, but if anything, it’s given me looser timelines, so I don’t feel as rushed, and it has allowed me to spend time on other projects as well,” said Reed.

The amount of business Mayhem has been receiving has gotten to the point where Reed feels the need to bring someone else in to help with all the work.

“I have a lot of people coming to me with great ideas on things they want made, but I currently don’t have the time to do them,” Reed said. “I’m looking to get more people in here working with me so we can do more custom items and serve more needs of the community.”

Reed would like to hire an employee or two to help with the burnout they have been experiencing since moving into the new building.

“I have been struggling with burnout already having moved into the new building,” said Reed. “I just haven’t slowed down since getting it going in here.”

Come summer, through hell or high water, Reed plans on expanding hours to accommodate all the business Mayhem will get.

“I plan to expand my hours to Tuesday through Saturday this summer I think,” Reed said. “Hopefully, I will have someone working with me by then to make it a little easier!”

A job Reed took this winter, which had an impact on the company, was a custom sewing job working with high schoolers on Disney’s Frozen: The Broadway Musical.

This was Reed’s favorite assignment, getting to work with the high schoolers and seeing the production come together.

“I was never involved in theater in high school, and it was really fun to interact with the student, Ruby, who played Elsa about what she had wanted in the gloves and making sure they fit right,” Reed said. “It was cool to like be a part of like a community production.”

Reed has been mending, sewing, and repairing since childhood, and moved to Ely in 2020 from the Twin Cities.

Reed said owning a sewing and repair shop in Ely helps reduce textile waste and provide a needed service to the community.

“I have a lot of environmental roots to my business, and I like trying to be very mindful of the impact I’m having on the world,” Reed said. “I love having conversations with people about the goods they rely on and what things are made of.”

Reed is very passionate about creating clothing items and accessories out of scraps from the business, including homemade fanny packs.

All the textiles used to make the fanny packs are handpicked by Reed, and most are reused.

“The fanny packs are made of all salvaged materials,” Reed said. “Being able to take a pile of textile waste and make it into something functional and stylish is one of my favorite things to do.”

In the future, Reed hopes to host a sewing and repairing classes at Mayhem, to teach people what it takes to do sewing and repairs.

“Doing classes now feels like a lot of work being that I’m on my own, but taking on more people working with me, that would open possibilities,” Reed said. “There’s no right way to repair. Anyone can repair anything. It’s fun to show people how easy it is.”

Reed looks forward to continued collaboration with outfitters and the rest of the community and is open to any new potential business.