Country Store No Barrier To Building A Business
Buggy Barn Quilts is a successful business with a national customer base and a gravel driveway. It’s located “out in the country” in eastern Washington. But even though it’s nearly 25 miles from the nearest large population center, the business – housed in a former buggy barn – brings in customers every day. And once a year, it brings in big crowds.
It wasn’t always that way, admits Pam Soliday, who with her sister/partner Janet Nesbitt started the business more than 15 years ago.
“When we opened our business, it didn’t take us long to realize we weren’t going to survive on our town of 300 people,” says Soliday. “We knew we would have to draw from Spokane, but there were tons of great quilt shops there already.”
Soliday and Nesbitt got creative to promote the business and to get customers to make the drive to Nesbitt’s farmstead.
The sisters started writing books on quilting. Not only did the books bring in income, but with names like “A Little Bit Crazy” and “Around the Bend”, they helped spread the word about the business. Using Nesbitt’s drafting skills from her former career as a civil engineer, they began making quilting patterns of their own and selling them.
At the end of their first year in business, they celebrated by holding a customer appreciation day. The buggy barn featured a display of 20 quilts the two had made.
Over the past 15 years, the event has morphed into the annual Outdoor Quilt Show & Folk Art Sale. Held each year on the last weekend of August, this past year’s show featured more than 200 quilts covering every available surface, including the barn.
“Gradually the show became more and more about customer quilts, so that now it’s all customer quilts. There is no judging or prizes, just sharing the craft,” says Soliday. “The craft sale is filled with locally-made items. We also hold classes, though they have grown too large to hold on the farm.”
In recent years, the sisters added parts of a second barn for classrooms, as well as shipping and handling space. Other things have grown as well. The sisters now have 20 books with their own designs, patterns and their own line of fabric. A shop on the farm is filled with quilts, bundles of fabric scraps for making quilts, other books on quilting, kits and other related craft materials.
The sisters also maintain a website with all those things and more for sale. A few years ago Buggy Barn Quilts was named the top quilting shop by American Quilting Magazine. Soliday says it’s still the only top shop located on a gravel road.
She recalls when they first opened, and men would drive their wives over from Spokane on cold, dark winter afternoons. “They would ask, ‘How do you ever expect to get any business out here’?’’, she recounts. “We wanted to say, ‘You’re here, aren’t you?’ But we didn’t.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Buggy Barn, 28848 Tramm Rd. N., Reardan, Wash. 99029 (ph 509 796-2188; toll free 877 339-0281; www.buggybarnquilts.com).
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Country Store No Barrier To Building A Business SPECIALTY/SERVICES Buggy Barn Quilts is a successful business with a national customer base and a gravel driveway It’s located “out in the country” in eastern Washington But even though it’s nearly 25 miles from the nearest large population center the business – housed in a former buggy barn – brings in customers every day And once a year it brings in big crowds It wasn’t always that way admits Pam Soliday who with her sister/partner Janet Nesbitt started the business more than 15 years ago “When we opened our business it didn’t take us long to realize we weren’t going to survive on our town of 300 people ” says Soliday “We knew we would have to draw from Spokane but there were tons of great quilt shops there already ” Soliday and Nesbitt got creative to promote the business and to get customers to make the drive to Nesbitt’s farmstead The sisters started writing books on quilting Not only did the books bring in income but with names like “A Little Bit Crazy” and “Around the Bend” they helped spread the word about the business Using Nesbitt’s drafting skills from her former career as a civil engineer they began making quilting patterns of their own and selling them At the end of their first year in business they celebrated by holding a customer appreciation day The buggy barn featured a display of 20 quilts the two had made Over the past 15 years the event has morphed into the annual Outdoor Quilt Show & Folk Art Sale Held each year on the last weekend of August this past year’s show featured more than 200 quilts covering every available surface including the barn “Gradually the show became more and more about customer quilts so that now it’s all customer quilts There is no judging or prizes just sharing the craft ” says Soliday “The craft sale is filled with locally-made items We also hold classes though they have grown too large to hold on the farm ” In recent years the sisters added parts of a second barn for classrooms as well as shipping and handling space Other things have grown as well The sisters now have 20 books with their own designs patterns and their own line of fabric A shop on the farm is filled with quilts bundles of fabric scraps for making quilts other books on quilting kits and other related craft materials The sisters also maintain a website with all those things and more for sale A few years ago Buggy Barn Quilts was named the top quilting shop by American Quilting Magazine Soliday says it’s still the only top shop located on a gravel road She recalls when they first opened and men would drive their wives over from Spokane on cold dark winter afternoons “They would ask ‘How do you ever expect to get any business out here’?’’ she recounts “We wanted to say ‘You’re here aren’t you?’ But we didn’t ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup The Buggy Barn 28848 Tramm Rd N Reardan Wash 99029 ph 509 796-2188; toll free 877 339-0281; www buggybarnquilts com
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