Dresses, pants, skirts and blouses fill Sonia Derbekyan’s small store. They are waiting to be sewn, shortened, hemmed or otherwise altered. A bright white wedding dress hangs in one corner of the room — Derbekyan’s current undertaking. Summer means wedding season, and five layers of the very full skirt need tailoring.

There is much work to be done, but after many years in the business and a lifetime of experience, Derbekyan has it all under control.

Derbekyan owns and runs Sonia’s Dressmaking and Alteration Shop on Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington Center. She has been there for 20 years.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Derbekyan was exposed early on to fashion and flair. Her father owned a fabric store, and Derbekyan says he was her biggest influence.

“I’ve always been around fabrics,” she said. “And my mother and father used to go to lots of fashion shows.”

[read on!]