I got so involved with long arm quilting (even winning some awards) that my friends were complaining that they never saw me anymore! When I told them I was quilting they couldn’t believe it! After all, that was not the “norm” for someone my age. But, once I showed them some of my work they were begging me to teach them. So, I started teaching classes at my home once a month. We had so many people that wanted to learn so I decided it was time to open my own shop.
On May 30, 2003, I opened Going Batty Quilt Shop in Sparks, Nevada. How many of you remember that cute shop? We had 3000 square feet of an old clothing store, the carpet was from remnants of a theater (remember the funky purple colors?) and we had the theme of an old farm yard. We were right in between a couple of bars and when there were events on Victorian Avenue it practically shut us down. But I loved our display window, it was always so cute! So after our lease ran out in 2 years, the building owner wanted to rent the space to a cigar shop and we had to find a new home. We looked high and low for some place in Sparks where we could have at least 5000 square feet of space and have high ceilings to display our quilts. But we could not find anything. So we started looking in Reno and found our current location. By the way, just for fun try clicking on the photos in this post…they will get larger so you can see more details! The photos for classes work the same way! COOL!!!
Turning My Hobby Into A Business
3 Responses to “Turning My Hobby Into A Business”
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Carie,
For years my husband has been attending a National Guard Conference in Reno. I finally asked to go in 2005 and found your adorable little shop! Bought gorgeous fabric (still need to work it up) and patterns and really enjoyed visiting with your staff. Imagine my disappointment in 2006 to discover you had moved! I was eventually able to get to the new shop and love it…you’ve plenty of space to dispaly all the beautiful quilts made by your ladies!
I wish I had a “Going Battty” shop in my neighborhood - would you like a small branch in Pflugerville, Texas (near Austin)/!
Keep up the great work - as quilters know, there is always something new to be learned!
Carie: Missed seeing your first quilt shop — looks beautiful, though! You’ve done so much to this one — I can still remember what it looked like when you first opened it up — Even with your beautiful fabrics and the quilts it was so open and cold — but not now — it’s warm and inviting to anyone coming in — keep up the good work!
What a compliment Alma! Thank you:)