BARRINGTON – Growing up in India, Jolly Dandona learned how to do intricate hand beading from watching her mother.

Dandona has been sewing and helping her mother since she was 12 years old. Her mother even used to make the family’s clothes and handbags.

At 24 years old, Dandona moved to the U.S. At 27 years old, she bought Barrington Tailor Shop, 112 E. Main St.

On Nov. 19, the Barrington Tailor Shop will mark its 20-year anniversary. The shop creates one-of-a-kind custom clothing for men, women and children, as well as performs expert alterations and recuts. They also offer skilled fur restyling and repairs to leather garments.

“This was my passion,” said Dandona, who owns the shop with her husband, Gary. “I want to do the design. I love fashion. I love the fashion industry.”

The shop sees mostly repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals, and Dandona loves when customers bring her a challenge.

“I like different challenges,” she said. “I’m so creative. I like to find the best way to do things.”

Susan McConnell, owner of Susan McConnell Photography, which is right next door to Barrington Tailor Shop, described Dandona as “creative and super nice.”

Given her profession, McConnell travels often and purchases clothing from all over the world, which she relies on Dandona to fit for her.

“I can take anything to her and she can make it fit me,” McConnell said.

McConnell recently purchased a handmade dress from the 1960s online and brought it to Dandona for alterations.

She’s confident the dress will fit perfectly.

“She just makes you feel good about yourself, and she’s just easy to approach,” McConnell said.

Dandona said because most people come to her shop by word of mouth, they generally trust her to work on some of their most prized items.

“It’s fun for me when the brides come here and they are so comfortable,” Dandona said. “They trust me to do whatever I need to.”

Dandona can make alterations to a newly purchased dress, create a dress from scratch, or even restyle an older gown for a second wedding, for example if a bride wants to wear her mother’s dress. She said the brides really love the hand-beading she does.

Just as Dandona learned from her mother, she is passing on her knowledge to her children. Jolly and Gary have been married for 26 years and have three children, daughters Crystal, 26, and Jazz, 21, and son Ajit, 18.

“Jazz has grown up in the shop,” Dandona said. “... She used to put rhinestones on swatches.”

Dandona said Jazz has expressed an interest in possibly taking over the shop one day. Both Jazz and Crystal do their own sewing.

“It’s so hard to find good tailors,” Dandona said. “The younger generation doesn’t do it much.”

After all these years, Dandona said there is nothing like getting a photo from a bride on her special day with a note of thanks.

“It feels so good,” she said.

And Dandona couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

“I think I would go crazy if I didn’t do the work or have the shop,” she said.

Find the Barrington Tailor Shop online at www.barringtontailor.com.