Small businesses suffered a lot as a result of the pandemic...some to the point of death... to be sure quilt shops and fabric stores closed left-and-right! And, if you were a small business in a small town...well, let's just say the cards were stacked against you.
After moving to Paducah (a small town) earlier this year, I was surprised to see a lot of empty storefronts downtown. It did not look the same as I remember from previous-years visits with the Quilting Auntie during Quilt Week. It was disappointing to see how much quilting was not happening in Quilt City, USA.
Of course there is the quilt show every year in April and Hancocks of Paducah and the Quilt Museum, but other than that....
Enter Cheryl Sleboda and Mauppin's Sewing Emporium...all the way from Chicago to our small town!
Apparently Cheryl knows/and is known around the quilting community.
She has a YouTube channel and a presence on Instagram.
When this notice popped up on Nextdoor, I decided to go have a look.
And, what fun! So delightful to get to know her. She is a number of years younger than me and our styles are very different, but I love her vision; i.e., classes, lectures, community. And I love that she is already promoting Paducah as a fiber arts kind of town.
As we chatted, in walked Norma....another new best friend after today. She talked about the one official sewing guild in town, Paducah Stitch & Quilt Guild. I have not visited because they meet during the day, on week days...a work day for me.
But after today, I may take an afternoon off to go visit.
It was such a fun morning. I learned a lot about other fiber arts shops open in downtown and a pottery shop opening up right next door in the former "Quilt In A Day" shop. It gives me hope.
The Sewing Emporium is not even officially open yet, but loved visiting with Cheryl and Norma, looking at some of her fun notions, kits, etc. and just generally talking "quilt." Who knows Paducah just might become the next Hamilton, MO!
