Suzanne's Quilt Shop opened on June 1, 1988 in Royal Palm Beach, Florda. Here are pictures of the fantastic selection of quilting supplies on opening day. Wow where is all the stuff! Many of the products we know and love today in quilting had not been invented. Many folks did not know about the rotary cutter. Very few people machine quilted. It took a while to build inventory. Profits were recyled back into the business and we grew and grew.
See our hugh quarter yard table? What a fantastic selection of eyelet lace in the pie safe! Where are the samples? Someone has a lot of work to do! (Photos are not showing the other half of the shop.
The shop was under 1200 square feet in a back corner of a shopping center in a courtyard. It was not our first choice for a location. Where we wanted to go was snapped up right in front of my eyes. It's a good thing because a sports bar went in right next door to that spot I had had hope for. Having a bar next door would not have made a good situation for the ladies coming to classes at night. My mom suggested we try a different landlord and shopping center. When we met the landlord and saw the sign over the entry to the courtyard area we knew this was the place. The sign said "Walk with God."
In the beginning Suzanne was the only employee. One of her students, Bonni,would come to sew every day. When the shop busy Bonni would log onto the payroll. As business prospered more part time employees were added and of course the inventory started to overflow the shelves and samples were eveywhere. The shop was at this location for 7 years. When Trudie Hughes came to teach for the first time. She said" Suzanne you have to get out of here and expand". So Suzanne bit the bullet and moved the shop to the Crossroads Plaza in the center of Royal Palm Beach. (More photos to come)
Pictured are Nora, my mom who had just retired and Stephanie, my daughter who graduated high school for the first day of the shop. My mom was did not live close engough to work at the shop. She was not a quilter, but she loved to see the business grow and when she visited she was always helping folding fabric, counting money and entertaining the staff and customers. Stephanie went to community college and then away to school. While a Florida State University. she decided she wanted to learn to quilt and Mom's stash had plenty of Free stuff. Stephanie finished her education with a Masters in Textiles. She got a job with a manufacturer in Moultrie, Ga, met the love of her life and blessed us with 2 grandsons. That is why Suzanne's Quilt Shop is now in Moultrie.
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