Never underestimate PTA
moms.
 |
| Suzanne Kelly with her mother, Pat Kauffman, on opening day in 2008. |
They can do just about
anything. Such as open a sewing-related business that has weathered the
marketplace storms over 10 years to become one of Albuquerque’s most popular
spots for fabric, fiber art, sewing know-how and creative inspiration.
That’s how Hip Stitch
happened. Ten years ago, the buzz phrase in the DIY world was “sewing lounge,”
as in a place where (mostly young) people could come together and sew, use a
machine and/or iron if they did not own one, maybe take a few classes.
Albuquerque
mom Suzanne Kelly and her friends Jen Dean and Heather Gordon—all PTA-ers—decided to
capitalize on this groundswell of interest and open a sewing lounge/fabric
store.
“I’ve always had a love of
sewing,” says Suzanne. “I was a stay-at-home mom with two young daughters and
wanted to work again, but use my creativity. We wanted to fill a void by
opening a sewing lounge for Albuquerque.”
Opening day was July 7,
2008, and boy have things changed! Shelves were stocked with about 50 bolts of
fabric that first day; now, Hip Stitch has about 3,000 bolts, including the
area’s freshest, most fashionable fabrics for quilting and sewing. We're also the area's premier provider of Southwest and regional fabrics such as Frida
Kahlo, Dia de los Muertos and Route 66 prints, and the ever-popular balloon and
chile pepper prints. The shop also has the state’s largest collection of Grunge near-solids.
Heather and Jen each moved
on to other
 |
| The original Hip Stitch sewing lounge, circa 2008 |
business activities, and current co-partner Steve Hamlin joined the
team in 2014. Fueled by a seven-day sales week, bigger inventory and an
ever-growing customer community, Hip Stitch relocated in 2017 to its location
at 2320 Wisconsin NE. It is a part of the local Shop Stroll each August, which
attracts thousands of stitchers, and it’s a regular stop for families who flock
to Albuquerque for local Native American ceremonial dances.
 |
| Designer Jen Fox, who lives in Albuquerque, shared her interior design skills to help develop ideas for the build-out at the 2320 Wisconsin NE location. |
 |
| Suzanne, far left standing, and Steve Hamlin, center standing, gathered with Hip Stitch staff and friends to discuss plans for the new location. |
 |
| Co-owner Steve Hamlin and staffer Susan Fahkrai answer questions about construction plans. |
The new digs seemed
cavernous when Hip Stitch staffers met there in late 2016 to see the space and
hear about build-out plans. Now, use of its 3,000 square feet of selling
floor and class lounge is a crazy dance as the staff juggles multiple classes, events, meetings of community fiber arts groups and the various fabric collections, with more new prints coming in every week.
 |
| Steve and Suzanne on opening day at the 2320 Wisconsin St NE location. (P.S. Those blades really cut!) |
There are many unforgettable
stories or people in Hip Stitch’s first 10 years. Suzanne remembers one customer in particular.
“Tom was the most unlikely
typical customer,” Suzanne recalls. “He had lived a hard life, battled heroin
addiction, but he had the sweetest demeanor and
wanted to learn to sew a hat.”
So she taught him.
“That grew into a friendship where he'd
come to the lounge and sew a little, then sit in an armchair and fall asleep
for a bit. When I heard of his death, it was like I had lost a
sibling. I still have the funny homemade Christmas card he gave me one
year, made out of a paper grocery sack,” she says.
There were more than a few challenges
along the way, too! Such as the original location, where the rapidly expanding
inventory gobbled up space.
In the old location, there was a wall
that separated the lounge from the sales floor. When fabric bolts reached
critical mass, that wall came tumbling down. It created much needed display
space, but it meant classes—
and privacy—went on hiatus.
“There was no office space, no
classroom, and towards the end of our time there—and before we found our
current location--I would have some stressful days trying to get back-office
work down with no back office!” Suzanne says.
At a time when quilt
shops nationwide are frankly struggling to compete against on-line shops, shop
owner retirement, changes in stitcher buying habits and changes in the fabric manufacturing
economy that feeds inspiration and yard goods to the creative stitching world, Hip
Stitch is bucking the trend. And community is the key.
Hip Stitch staffers--including Suzanne's daughters Jane and Claire, who have grown up working behind the shop counter--have played a huge part of building that community. All told, the staff and teachers have more than 300 years of sewing/quilting experience, but it's how they interact with the sewing public that has made the difference.
“Customer service has always been my
number one priority - providing a warm, nurturing atmosphere to create,” says
Suzanne.
“It's not about how many bolts we have,
or how experienced we all are. If we at Hip Stitch don't provide a great
shopping experience, I've failed at what I set out to do. And nothing beats
face-to-face service and a fun atmosphere where we gather as a community with
our shared passion.”
It sounds trite, she continues, but
there’s more that connects the Hip Stitch community than mere fabric or thread.
“I've cried with customers who've lost
spouses, who've gone through divorces, who have battled life threatening
illness. I've cried happy tears with customers who have new babies in
their lives, who've beat life-threatening illnesses, who've found love.
This has been a wonderful journey.”
