After months of location scouting with a realtor, lease negotiations, followed by renovations, planning and many, many business lunches, we have finally opened our doors to The Stitchery, our new quilting studio and natural fiber fabric store in Cleveland, TN. By "we" I mean myself and my friend Sandi.
My business was created after my immigration approval. Sandi's was created when we decided that a fabric shop would compliment my quilting/APQS showroom and rental studio nicely. And the vision was born. We are together under one roof. Her business is called Goshen Sewing Emporium. Mine The Stitchery and together we have created a space where creativity, skill, community and fellowship converge.
We have received so much positive feedback on how beautiful the shop is. I felt that now is the time to show you the transformation.
We signed the lease in February 2023. It was a glow in the dark mini golf in the back and a barber shop in the front. It was pitch black with black paint on the walls and all the windows were blacked out. The ceiling was black. The floor was black. It was so dark we had to go in with lanterns and flashlights just to measure the space.
 |
The square footage was right. The configuration was right. The location was right with good driveby traffic. All that was needed was vision, a good contractor, and as it turns out a whole lot of patience. We signed the lease in February and we have just opened our doors the beginning of October. I'm an optimist by nature and I figured three months and we'd be in business. But this was an eight month buildout. We are still not finished with the interior fixtures for fabric and notions but that should be all done by November 1st.
The biggest delays were waiting for the Landlord to replace the windows and fix the lighting which was non functional. The previous windows were all blacked out and damaged. The contractor had to also wait for the electrical because they of course needed light to prepare our build out. They ended up having to rip off the plywood on the windows to get some natural light and running electrical cords from the outside to some pole lights so that they could start the buildout and meet the deadline. They were great to work with and as it turned out, brothers in the faith.
Using what natural light they could, they began framing rooms.
Removing the former lino in the barber shop space.
When the drywall gets added, it sure makes a difference! And we are loving our floor choice. It's all coming together.
Custom made cutting table by a talented retired contractor friend, Bud.
Contractor, Val, installing all the ADA bathroom fixtures.
Tony came to help too.
Four machines inside the Stitchery...and Larry sits just outside for people to try when they are in the store.
The view out those beautiful new windows. There is a field straight outside and a church to the left.
My son-in-law came to help as well.
The classroom.
More quilts being hung by Jordan.
Today the logo sign gets hung.
Classroom tables and chairs have arrived. One table to go.
Cabinets! While I was away at church camp, Sandi and Bud and Sandi's employee transformed the space even more. Bud installed these cabinets and Sandi painted them to match our corporate color.
This slat wall is for notions.
A second slat wall outside the office. This one is for patterns and books.
My son arrived from Canada Sept. 25th and joined the fun. Together with Jordan they hung all of my quilts....well not ALL of my quilts...just the ones that are samples for my patterns. Some remain in storage.
Employee Cindy was busy unwrapping bolts and getting them grouped and ready for racks.
What an adventure this has been. The final picture of the front room with fabric on bolts will be forthcoming in a future blog post. But I really wanted to share the journey with those who have been waiting patiently.
We love our new space. We are grateful to God for His provision, His timing, and how He orchestrated all the pieces to come together for this new venture.
All that is left is to add the people to give it life and purpose. We are confident that He will add those as well.
With a grateful heart,
Mavis
