Elbow room
MOSES LAKE - Quilting and sewing enthusiasts can look forward to working in a little more open space at Country Fabrics' new location on East Third Avenue.
"We have room to grow," said owner Casey McDowall. "We have room for more shelves. We can't keep in stock what we have, but we have room."
McDowall bought the building in December, she said, and opened the doors in March. The inside is still a work in progress; McDowall is finding ways to make good use of the 6,500-square-foot space. There's a row of quilting machines, shelves of fabric and examples of things customers can make around the walls. There's also a classroom in the back where McDowall will hold sewing classes, probably in September when everything else is settled in, she said. Country Fabrics also sells and services sewing machines, she said.
"When we moved over from the other store, we didn't open any (boxes of product) because we knew we weren't staying, but 35 boxes of fabric came in," McDowell said. "I think we've gone through at least all of them."
Country Fabrics has been in Moses Lake for 25 years, and in fact will celebrate its silver anniversary with a re-grand opening on Saturday, McDowall said. She first opened the store at a location on Broadway next to the unused railroad tracks, she said, and then moved to a space next to what is now Planet Fitness. There Country Fabrics stayed for 17 years before circumstances forced McDowall to find another location. She tried another building on Broadway, this one downtown, but it wasn't ideal, she said.
"I thought, 'I'm not doing this again,'" she said. 'Doug (Robins) helped me find this building, It had barely popped up on Facebook and my daughter-in-law said, 'What about this building?'"
Robins showed them the building, and McDowall put a bid on it the next day, she said.
It's been a good move, she said.
"The customers love this place, absolutely love it," she said. "They come in and say 'Oh, it's so happy in here, and it's calming.' We decided to leave a table out and they'll come in and sit down and visit for a while."
There's even a "husband corner," where people who aren't actually shopping or taking a class can hang out.
"We offer you coffee and things like that," said employee Amanda Miller. "The only thing we don't do is bring in sports."
Miller said she didn't know a whole lot about sewing when she applied to work at Country Fabrics five years ago, but she's learned.
"I made a table runner in high school, and I brought that as an example to show (McDowall) that I knew how to sew," Miller said. "And then I thought quilting can't be too hard. So I made one, and then I made a baby quilt for my sister, and now I'm working on one for my mom and for my fiance. They're a lot of fun. It's addicting."
Miller is especially fond of the freestanding lace creations on display, representing the holidays with turkeys, pumpkins and a Christmas village, she said. The patterns for those, as well as for the astonishing variety of quilts hung up on the walls, are all available for customers to try, she said.
"We love hanging up examples, so people know what they're going for," Miller said. "We love inspiring people. That's our most favorite thing ... My favorite part is when somebody comes in and says, 'I want to make something; can you help me?' We figure it out together, and it's always so beautiful."
Country Fabrics
Re-Grand Opening Sale
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
720 E. Third Ave.
Moses Lake
509-764-4706
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