Woman opens fabric shop when Walmart closes dept.

By The Associated Press

Entering the room you hear the whirring hum of a sewing machine, a slight clicking sound as a needle makes contact with the fabric.

A few laughs in a conversation combine with the tinkling of straight pins in a tin as fingers rummage through trying to pick one up.

The sounds aren't from a quilting bee but from the only fabric store to be found in Hope - Jeni's Simply Stitching in downtown Hope.

"People kept saying they had to drive to Texarkana to buy fabric," Jeni Francis, owner, said. "I've sewed for years, being self-employed as a seamstress. So this is what I know."

Open since May with Civil War period dresses and other handmade items decorating the walls, Francis said the response has been positive so far.

"People come in telling me they're glad I'm here, especially with stores like Walmart discontinuing their fabric department," Francis said. "For me, it wasn't complicated. My kids are grown and I needed something to do."

Growing up in the area, sewing is something she has carried with her, literally, around the globe.

As a military wife, she's lived everywhere from the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska to Europe to Virginia Beach, Va.

"We moved back here to Hope in 2004. This is the longest we've been in one place," she said.

Living around the world, she made sure her daughters, Briana and Margaret, knew how to sew.

"I hated my first projects. But I love to sew now," Briana said. "I make dresses and other items for Civil War re-enactments. Some think sewing is only for women, unnecessary for boys and men. But I show men how to patch and sew."

From the muted colors of the calicos and homespuns, the cheery checks of gingham, to pastels and soft, snugly baby materials, Jeni's carries the basics for now. All of the fabric in Jeni's shop come from 100 percent natural fibers.

"We'll add things as people want and find a need for," Jeni said. "It's just going to take a while to build up."

Offering sewing lessons, providing custom sewing and embroidery and taking special fabric orders, these are things customers like to hear.

"It's so good to have a fabric store so close now," said Hope quilter Wilma England. "When we need something and with Walmart's fabric department gone, we'd have to drive to Kirby or Texarkana. Driving to Kirby is a lot farther than Texarkana. We don't have to do that anymore with Jeni's store."

When Jeni's Simply Stitching went from concept to reality, Jeni took the path most small business owners aren't able to financially.

"I used my savings to buy my inventory. No loans or anything," she said. "I wasn't thinking about the economic conditions. There just seemed to be a demand, so I just did it and opened the store."

Fabric shops were very popular in Hope during Mark Keith's childhood in the 1960s and 1970s.

As director for Hope, Ark.-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, Keith is excited to see the shop and its promising future.

"I've answered more inquiries about Jeni's store than just about any other one we've had open this year. That lets me know there's a demand for her product and service. I believe we'll be drawing people from 50 miles away to shop at Jeni's before long, said Keith.

"I'm really excited Jeni has decided to meet the demand for fabric and sewing supplies since these products can't really be bought anywhere outside a big town these days."

Francis believes its small specialty shops like hers helping to jump start the local economy.

"This is what keeps small towns going, specialty shops like this," she said. " ... Small towns need specialty shops and it's common everyday people that will get the economy going again."

Sitting in front of see-through bins full of buttons and ribbons, Jeni meticulously works on an apron, feeding the material carefully through the machine. To watch her is like watching an artist put the first paint stroke on a blank canvas.

"It's a lost art. Those who do sew are usually older and they don't teach it in school anymore," said Jeni. "Nowadays people don't even know how to hem pants or sew a button on. I think they're at a disadvantage because we've become a one-size-fits-all society."

Briana agrees with her mother.

"It marks a difference in civilization, I think. I'll teach my kids to sew," the younger Francis said. "It's a part of a legacy. We all have something to pass on. To me this is something worth while."

Jeni doesn't understand why young people wouldn't want to express their creativity through sewing.

"I understand there may not be enough time in the school day for it but I think there are some who would really like it if they tried," said Jeni. "They could design their own clothes, have more clothing options. They have to go to the extreme to express their creativity."

Though sewing and fabric shops may not be mainstream enough for people, according to Briana, it's what makes Jeni happy.

"I get a lot of requests to make little girl dresses. My favorite items are little quilts and doll clothes," said Francis. "The most difficult item to make are bonnets. It takes hundreds of hours to make. It's so labor intensive."

As the hum of the machine continues, Jeni, concentrating on the fabric being fed through the machine, is satisfied with her accomplishment.

"It's been a big education," she said, "But it's fun."

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coyote says...

Excellent story of what makes this country so great. There is no question that chains can bring the largest # of items at the most reasonable prices, however........there is always a market in the right place with an impassioned and knowledgable service oriented and people oriented staff for specialty items and businesses. Skeptics say that the chains have driven out small business, but the dynamics of free capitalism is what is seen in this small shop. A niche is being filled that must sometimes evolve to be understood. It takes risk and hard work and passion. But, this story is just one more of many Jeni's in our state who have seen a niche and exploited it with something folks want that can't always be supplied in large chains. Hurray for Jeni and for Wal Mart. It's free capitalism at work.

October 4, 2009 at 6:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wolfman says...

Yea..Jeni found a weakness in walmart. Being able to identify the weaknesses of the retail giant will make the smaller store flourish. People hate walmart and these days its getting too big for its britches!

October 4, 2009 at 9:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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