Quilt shop owner reflecting on year 28 in business unlike any other

MARION, Iowa (KCRG) -The holiday shopping season is pretty much done as Christmas is behind us. For people making and giving homemade gifts, going shopping for supplies wraps up even sooner.

After 17.5 years of working in aerospace, Connie Moyer said she needed a change, and opened up a quilt shop in Marion. That was 28 years ago. Her 28th year of owning Connie’s Quilt Shop was much different than the previous 27.

Her shop was considered essential as people needed supplies to make masks. She said she and her customers donated nearly 3,000 face masks, giving them to nursing homes, funeral homes, food banks, or whoever needed one.

Connie’s Quilt Shop was even affected by shortages, from fabric and thread to sewing machines.

“Everybody wanted black and white fabric, and for a while, we couldn’t get it. Thread either, we couldn’t get white and black thread,” Moyer said. “The end of the summer we couldn’t get smaller machines in because they had been sold out.”

Her shop has a different type of holiday rush, people who making homemade quilts and crafts have to plan ahead. Normally, Moyer says people want to buy gift certificates, but even that is different.

“People aren’t coming in just to browse like they would normally when we don’t have a pandemic,” Moyer said. “When they come in they have a project in mind.”

People are trying out a new hobby in a year of new challenges.

“It’s just relaxing,” Moyer said. “You’re creating something yourself and you’re proud of it.”

The shop and its customers also make quilts or donate fabric. They give them to local fire departments, the sheriff’s office, and for ‘Quilts To Comfort Kids.” That organization provides quilts to children going through traumatic events.

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