My Dream: She stitches together dreams

Esther Garcia stitches a wedding dress at David’s Bridal store in Tampa. She has sewn alterations for hundreds of brides, helping to make their “one-day dreams” come true.

Photo by John Pendygraft • Interview by Susan Dix
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 15, 2001

Esther Garcia, 56, is a seamstress who works at the back of David's Bridal store in Tampa. Mrs. Garcia, who came here from Cuba 22 years ago, has pinned and handsewn hand sewn alterations for hundreds of brides for over more than a dozen years.

When I was a girl, my dream was just to be happy. To have a good marriage. I would play house, and I always wanted two kids, a boy and a girl, and that's what God gave me. Since I've been a child, I've been lucky. My mother and father have always been together. I was poor, but not so poor.

My second dream was to live in America and have a house, and I have it. It's mine -- almost mine. Just a few more payments. I am an American citizen. And that's it. I have whatever I need, and a wonderful marriage, a wonderful husband. The best of the best. I met him when I was 13, and we have been together since. I had a big wedding. Big white dresses are beautiful. It will be 40 years that we're married.

I'm a happy girl. God gave me everything I want.

I love my job. I love to make people happy. These are their one-day dreams, their Cinderella dreams. They hug me and thank me. I get to make their dreams come true.

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