“I love it when young girls come up here for the first
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I vividly remember, “back in the day,” my mom sewing us kids Barbie Doll clothes, Halloween costumes and occasional jammie sets. The seams weren’t always straight and the colors weren’t always hip, but we always knew it was made with love. Sewing years ago was born of necessity. Back then there were no big box stores to run to if you lost your mittens or blew out your pants. There were also no specialty shops to buy from if you were blessed/cursed with long legs and a short waist. Deb Burton, owner of Country Fabrics of Brainerd has those same memories. “I remember my Mom started sewing because I was long and lanky as a child and finding clothes for me that fit right was difficult.” Mom Lou Rademacher’s love of sewing quickly became a hobby, then a home-business, then a storefront. “Dad was getting a little irritated with the bolts of fabric laying around the house,” laughs Burton. “The last straw was when we turned his pool table into a cutting table!” Forty years later, Burton is passing down her mother’s legacy and love of patterns and fabrics to her daughter, Steffani who is now their store manager. “Steffani joined the business about two years ago and it’s been 8
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an amazing move for us.” Burton adds. A graduate in design, Steffani is quick to add “I want to banish the stigma that quilting and sewing is stale and archaic. It’s not just about traditional colors and fabrics anymore.” The third floor of their South Sixth Street location is Steffani’s studio and it’s bursting with colors, projects and patterns intended to target the more youthful crowd. Steffani and Deb are both determined to appeal to the younger generation of future sewers. The same generation of girls who used to “wait in the car” while their moms shopped are now venturing up to the third floor and getting the sewing bug. Steffani points out hip and trendy purses, stuffed animals, aprons and pocketbooks. “I love it when young girls come up here for the first time, look around, and say ‘I want to sew something too!’” Country Fabrics recently celebrated 41 years in business and this year in particular has brought some exciting events and honors for the sewing duo. Their shop was chosen as one of 11 featured shops across the United States for the fall of 2011 issue of Quilt Sampler magazine, published by Better Homes and Gardens. “It has been a tremendous honor for us and our staff,”
Burton proudly adds. “We were in the running with nearly 3,000 other quilt shops nationwide. We couldn’t be happier to be chosen.” Steffani also has had some notoriety with one of her handbags designs. Her Drop-Top Messenger Bag design was chosen for the cover of Stitch Magazine’s fall design issue. The last few years have had many triumphs, but many struggles as well for the Burtons. Buyers are constantly tempted by the lure of the Internet and on-line companies that pop up out of nowhere selling fabrics and patterns. “For us, visibility and customer service is huge,” says Burton. “Despite the trends and the changing of the times, customer service will never go out of style and we know that.” The Burton’s strive to set themselves apart from their on-line competition by offering fun events, classes and even bus tours to sewing-related destinations. “The Internet is a game-changer,” Steffani adds. “But we are evolving with the times and utilizing tools like blogs, Facebook, email newsletters, and Flickr to keep our customer base informed.” “We love our customers,” Burton adds with a smile. “It is so rewarding to have a customer work with you to pick out fabric
SPRING 2012 | her voice
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