Suzanne Mancini hopes to have her first business, The Sew-Op, 14 Phillips St., Wickford, open next month. Mancini, who teaches at Rhode Island School of Design, will offer workshops for adults and children in the art of sewing.

“I found out there’s really a void in the market since all of the schools have taken home economics out of the curriculum – there’s really no other area for kids to learn how to sew,” Mancini said. She planned to begin her business as an afterschool program but it “never came to fruition.”

But as people continued to approach Mancini for sewing assistance, she realized she could start a business, she said.

Twelve sewing machines will be available at an hourly rate for people who want to work on projects or repair clothing or other materials. Mancini will hold instructional sessions for adults in the morning and for children after school, along with seasonal workshops.

“I wanted a storefront where people could see us making,” Mancini said. “For kids to be able to come in here and walk either from the high school or [Wickford] middle school; it’s a prime location that they would be able to do that.”

For more information, call 447-5500 or visit facebook.com/TheSewOp.