Sewing Machine Day celebrates the day English inventor Thomas Saint received the first patent for his machine design in 1790. So, when I enter Danns: The Bridal Shoppe in Crawford Market expecting to see Ruth Lopes near a machine, she hands me an old cut-out of a mid-day article. I assume it's one that mentions her store, but it is a piece about sewing classes for women in Ghansoli. "I was hoping I could send them little baskets with material so that they can keep themselves busy," she says.

What's in a name?
The septuagenarian has been running the bridal shop in the bustling area for 46 years. But the space has been around for over 80 years. Her father-in-law, Joseph Anthony, ran a gents tailoring shop. It was still called Dann's and Lopes didn't change it. "What's in a name?" she asks. Prior to helming the store, Lopes was a secretary to Russi Karanjia at the iconic magazine, Blitz. "I was interested in sewing since childhood. I would teach children after I came home from work. Then I joined Sheroo Cooper who ran a tailoring academy, and I learnt a lot from her," she says.