CityView Magazine

46 | July/August 2015 at Otrebla's Tailoring & Haberdashery is always booming. In fact the only down time that they have is maybe a six week window around November where, if they are lucky, business is slightly slower than usual only to pick up again for the holi- day party season. Other than that small lull, there is always something going on. Everything from a groom coming in to pick up the custom tailored suit or tux that they will wear during their 'I dos,' to groups of young gentlemen picking out their prom and graduation attire, to traditional Indian and Pakistani garbs coming in for alterations, a cross-section of cliental keep the professional and passionate staff, with their eye for precise measurements and meticulous detail quietly working and sewing away. Otrebla's offers complete wardrobe planning, wedding consulting and fine tailoring, as well as tuxedo sales and rentals. Alberto himself came to Washington DC from Trinidad when he was just 16 years old. When asked what it was like to leave behind the island country for Amer- ica, Alberto admitted, "all I knew at the time was Trinidad so it was a big change, especially stepping off the plane in the middle of winter. I had never seen snow before." Not only did he end up falling in love with D.C., but that was also where he met his wife, who is originally from the Fayetteville area. "She worked at a big industrial company in the city and yes, it was pretty much love at first sight." He had come to attend Howard University and live with his brother who had previ- ously moved to the US along with thirteen other members of his family. However, when Alberto arrived he had missed the deadline to start the semester. Because of his experience working in his uncle's tailoring shop back in Trinidad, Alberto decided to attend a trade school for tailoring and design in the city while he waited out the semester. As luck would have it, he never did attend Howard, but continued to pursue his gi of tailoring. "When I le D.C., they were just starting to build the subway," he recalled. Since moving back to Fayetteville with his wife, Alberto and his business have also seen its fair share of evolution. Some long term residents of Fayetteville may remember Otrebla's from the Dick Street days where the store front stood for over 20 years. e journey to their current and final location was a long road to include several store fronts in and around downtown Fayetteville and along the 100 block of Hay Street. Back when the city received funds to reconstruct downtown, Alberto expe- rienced a difficulty in remaining accessible to his customers while also maintaining a stable business location. "Every time I turned around they were digging up to the street," he said and so he continued to relocate in order to save his custom- Samantha Perez, Alberto Smith, AnnMarie Huntley-Smith & Horace Hudson www.faypwc.com Payment in the Palm of Your Hand PWC's Pay-by-Text Option It's secure, paperless, super fast and convenient. It provides never-forget peace of mind and gives you the ultimate "control" over paying your utility bill. Just Once! All you have to do is sign up – one time – to have your monthly payments made directly from your bank account OR paid by your credit or debit card.* To sign up, call 866-735-7743 (Western Union's SpeedPay service) or visit www.faypwc.com and log in to your account. *Sign up using your bank routing and account number and Pay-by-Text is free. For credit/debit card payments, a fee applies. Just Say Yes Each month, about five days before your bill is due, you'll receive a "payment alert" text message. All you have to do is press YES PWC when you are ready to pay by the method you selected when you signed up! (Even if you sign up for Pay-by- Text, you also have the option to pay your bill each month in another way.) To find out if your cell phone carrier supports this service, visit www.speedpay.com/ westernunionpaybytext.asp. For more information, call 483-1382 or visit our website. Stay connected with PWC through

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