When I post behind-the-scenes shop pictures on instagram, I get a lot of questions. The other day I opened up an ask-me-anything and everyone asked the same question: ‘how did you start your shop?!’ So here is the story of Westwood Acres. Grab a cup of tea and settle in, because this is my favorite story to tell.
Our story begins differently than many quilt shops & small businesses. We never intended to be entrepreneurs.You may know from my blog that I love to quilt. And I love fabric. What you may not know is that our shop started because I wanted something I couldn’t afford.
In the summer of 2010, my husband’s career in construction ended abruptly. As 20-somethings, we had a little seven month old baby, a home, and responsibilities, and the situation felt overwhelming. For over a month, we went without income, except what I made waiting tables. After two and a half months, more prayers than I can count, a friend’s recommendation, a cookie cake, and a great interview, my husband found a position in sales at a nearby technology company. I vividly remember jumping up and down in our closet when the job offer came, trying not to wake our sleeping baby with our celebrating. But we had changed as a family and we wondered if there were a way to be a bit more self sufficient.
The next April, I discovered Denyse Schmidt, one of my favorite fabric designers, had released a small collection of fabric for Joann. I REALLY wanted a bundle of this fabric, but money was still tight. I thought about my options and, armed with 18 different coupons, I purchased a half yard of each print in the collection. As soon as I arrived home, I photographed my purchase and posted on my blog that I’d be selling a fat quarter bundle on etsy. I listed the bundle, asked my husband to check on it throughout the evening, and I went off to work. Within minutes, the bundle sold and my enterprising husband, noticing I had TWO bundles on the dining room table, promptly listed the second one. When it sold, he figured I could get more and kept on listing them. When I came home from work four hours later, he had sold 24 bundles of Denyse Schmidt’s Picnic & Fairgrounds.
I felt ill. I had no idea how to fill all of those orders and I didn’t want to let anyone down. The next morning found me waiting at the doors as Joann opened, my fussy 1 year old in tow. I purchased every Denyse Schmidt print in stock. Then I drove to the next closest Joann and bought their stock as well. I rushed home and began cutting & folding bundles. I cut late into the night, then sold a little more, cut more, sold more, cut my remnants into charm packs & jelly rolls and we sold every last scrap. In the end, I didn’t get to keep a full fat quarter bundle of Picnic & Fairgrounds, but after two months, we paid off our credit card and had a small sum of money.
My husband and I thought about what we would do with the profits and decided to keep buying and selling fabric. We attended quilt market in Salt Lake City and purchased our first two fabric lines and a few more lines to come in the late summer hoping we would sell enough of the first two lines to pay for future collections. Month by month, the fabrics trickled into our shop: Heather Ross joined Anna Maria Horner & Tula Pink. Soon, Lizzy House and Bonnie & Camille arrived.
Most days we had an order, sometimes two, sometimes none. Our family went on a small trip and took along a backpack with enough inventory to fill the few orders that might trickle in while we were gone. We were truly a ‘small’ business.
In the beginning, the idea of owning a business terrified me. Our experience with unemployment had left its mark and we feared debt. We funneled every penny our shop made back into more fabric. For more than three years, we continued buying fabric, selling it, putting any income back into more fabric. Westwood Acres grew from one shelf of fabric to three, and then to filling an entire shelving unit. I cut fabric on our kitchen counter during the day and we folded bundles on the dining room table until midnight. I would be ungrateful to not mention the sweet friends who helped me as our shop grew, spending their precious time folding bundles, telling me stories, and brightening my days.** In less than two years, our shop filled our guest bedroom.
Our shop now fills a dedicated space that measures 600 square feet and we estimate we have close to 2,000 bolts of fabric. We’ve shipped out nearly 20,000 packages. The idea that I own a quilt shop still makes me giddy. I love choosing fabric, I love sending it around the world and I really really love seeing pictures of bundles from our shop turned into beautiful quilts. So, if you are our customer, or just cheer us on from the side lines, thank you! You can’t imagine what a difference this shop makes in our lives. We try very hard to pay that blessing forward.
I really appreciate you reading along. If you were one of the ones who asked about our shop, I hope I answered your questions. If you have other questions, please feel free to leave them below.
Happy Monday!
Amanda
** I may write another post about how my shop helped me build friendships I would have missed otherwise, but that story may have to wait for another day.
What a great story! Who knew that when we met you were so new to all of this?! Love your little shop and your family. Thanks for sharing!
Love your story, your shop and I especially love purchasing fabric from your “little” shop! Being self employed is always such an adventure and many times, great things are born from necessity. Thanks for taking the risk and it has been fun to see you grow!
Aw, what a great story! Thanks for sharing!
Loved reading about your shop start up! Wishing you all the success in the world!
I love hearing your story! So special and such a blessing!
Amanda, I LOVED reading this post. What a joy to see how those prayers led you to better places than you could have imagined. I’m so happy that you get to do what you love — and you do it SO well!!
How fun to hear how it started! I hope you have many, many, happy and successful years to come.
So happy to know your story. Thanks for sharing.
What a great story! It makes me wonder if I was one of your first customers! I wanted that Picnics & Fairgrounds so badly and we don’t have JoAnns in Hawaii. I remember being so happy to find a bundle on Etsy that I scooped it up without a second thought!
How fun to hear how it started! And how brave and string you both are to jump in like that…4 ft and all!
I think it’s safe to say you can’t call it your little shop anymore. Congrats.
Thanks for sharing. ..makes me want to buy from your shop even more. A love story to fabric. Beautiful!
A great story, thank you for sharing I often wonder how people get started in their journeys but oh how you must have felt that first night getting home to your enterprising husband who had “sold” so much for you Hope the future brings great things too
Congratulations – great story to go with a great store. Although I’ve only purchased from you once it was a memorable and pleasant experience. Hopefully if our dollar improves against yours I can buy more, but I love seeing your bundles – well done!
Love the story. Great new look on blog and newsletter. As a long-time happy customer, I’m so pleased to see your growth! Xxxooo
I agree with all the above posts! Nice to hear about how your business got started and it’s amazing how far it has come! Thank you and looking forward to your next post too.
How wonderful! I love a story like this. Blessings on you and your business ; )
I loved hearing your story! Very inspiring. You worked hard and it all paid off for your family.
So enjoyed your story! I remember when I was a 20-something (many years ago!), an “older” lady told me that some day I would look back at the years we struggled financially as good years because we worked so hard together…hard work and creativity (and lots of prayer!) and you can accomplish much! Good for both of you! (and I wish you many more “jumping in the closet” moments!)
Congratulations on all your success.
Thanks for sharing , and I think I was one of those that purchased the Denyse Schmidt fat quarters from your etsy shop. How very interesting.
So proud of you and what you’ve accomplished! You go girl!
I remember that like it was yesterday. Your shop is always my favorite place to shop!
I love your monthly payment option – I don’t believe anyone else offers this. Fabrics are expensive and it’s great to know that this is a way that I can still purchase them! Great idea!
I spent last week with Marci and she had nothing but great things to say about you and Weston and your “little” shop 🙂
I love your story! I bought those same fabrics! I’m happy to buy from you and that you offer fat eighths! Thank you!!!
I just heard your interview on Modern Sewciety and came over to read the story on your blog. Oh my goodness! I would have felt sick too. Thank goodness you could get enough fabric to fill the orders. I have always loved your shop and I am so sad that our Canadian dollar is doing so poorly right now. I have always received excellent service from your shop. I hope our dollar improves soon so I can shop again. You deserve your success for all your hard work.
I adore you and your story. I too am trying to start to sell fabric with little money and hope to havr even half the luck you did. Thank you for sharing this and giving me and my family hope.
This is something I’ve been looking at doing recently too. My biggest concerns are the initial investment amount I would need to take on from the wholesalers and then how I would promote my Etsy shop! What made yours stand out from the rest? Any advice or words or wisdom would be much appreciated! It’s very interesting and your story is really inspiring. Thank you for sharing.