When Marie O’Mahoney and her daughter Sinéad Byrne had the idea to open a quilting supply shop they didn’t expect to be opening the doors of their business just a few months later.
Marie, a former nurse, had just retired after working in adult education for eight years and Sineád felt it was time to move on from her job in a charity helping elderly people.
Sinéad explains they were members of a crafting group for almost a year when they decided to take the plunge into a business.
“It is very hard to get patchwork fabrics in Ireland. There are very few shops that are open full-time, as a regular shop would be, a lot of them open on appointment only,” Sinéad says.
“We had been saying for some time that someone should open a shop and we just decided it was something that was really needed.”
Together, they started looking online at properties near where they live in Kilcoole, thinking someday down the line they might open a shop.
They saw that a space in nearby Newtownmountkennedy was available and went over to have a look. Neither of the pair expected to be signing the lease that very day.
“We just went with our guts. But it was like playing with doll houses, we would be here setting it up thinking it looked gorgeous, but then driving home we were like ‘is this real?’”
A new start
Two weeks later they had the keys and started fixing the place up. New paintwork, flooring and shelving have transformed the space into an Aladdin’s cave for crafters.
When they opened the doors of Apple Tree Crafts in July 2012 , offering quilting and patchwork fabrics, accessories and classes, the ladies were shocked at the overwhelmingly positive response.
“I had been posting on Facebook about all our preparations and there were ladies saying friends from South Africa and Sweden had seen it on Facebook,” Sinéad says.
“Then the people from the village were so welcoming, they would come in and say ‘I don’t sew, but I am going to buy a spool of thread to wish ye luck’, it was amazing,” she adds.
Word quickly spread within the craft community about this new shop.
“People with shops around the country were letting reps know we were here, which was great because we knew about fabrics but we knew nothing about business,” Marie explains.
“We also did courses with the Wicklow Enterprise Board, which were invaluable,” she adds.
Like any business starting out, the most significant problem they encountered was sticking to their small budget.
“I had some money saved up from when I was working and we didn’t want to borrow money and let people down if it didn’t work out,” Marie explains.
But being crafters themselves, they went with their instincts, stuck to their budget and listened to what their customers wanted.
Classes prove popular
One thing that has been unexpectedly popular is their classes.
“A lot of younger women are getting into it now. They might have been handed down a sewing machine or picked one up somewhere, but they haven’t even cut the sticky tape on the box they are so terrified,” Sinéad explains.
“Now in February we are also going to have retreats, people really wanted to come in for a few days and just get to it and work on their projects,” she adds.
Marie remembers one pregnant woman who was a complete beginner.
“She came to our classes not knowing anything and within four weeks she had made a quilt for her baby.”
It is also clear from looking around the shop that patchwork and quilting has come a long way from the traditional, old-fashioned quilts we all remember from our childhoods.
The quilts that Sinéad and Marie have displayed on the walls of the shop have funky patterns, unique designs and bright, vibrant colours.
With such gorgeous materials in close reach at all times, I asked the pair of self-professed patchwork addicts do they find it difficult to resist keeping all the fabulous fabrics to themselves?
“We do have a stash, we have agreed we can have one drawer each where we can hide our favourite bits,” Sinéad laughs.
SHARING OPTIONS