Material Girl
Three years ago, Deborah Garner followed doctor's orders to cut down on sun exposure after years of growing up on a farm in Arkansas and years of playing tennis.
So she became drawn to quilting. "I love fabric and jigsaw puzzles and quilting is putting together jigsaw puzzles with fabric."
As her passion for quilts and fabrics grew, her husband called her "Material Girl" and friends urged her to follow through with her desire to open her own quilting and fabric business.
In October 2002, Garner was lunching with friends when one of them insisted it was time to quit talking about opening her own business and just do it. She accompanied Garner to get her sales tax number and occupational license. By Feb. 1, "Material Girl" was open for business in a leased building just off of Shreveport's busy Line Avenue retail district.
Several factors made Garner's business come together quickly - most notably, the availability of a building that was being vacated by the relocation of an interior fabrics store. In the process, Garner met three times with LSUS Small Business Development Center Director Peggy Connor, to work on a business plan and discuss startup issues.
"She asked me an awful lot of questions that made me be more introspective like how are you going to advertise, what forms of payment are you going to take, what is your competition, how much in inventory do you need to meet your sales goals," Garner said.
Connor said it is unusual for a store to open so quickly, "but Deborah is one very determined entrepreneur with a vision and a plan she had already been working on."
Garner isn't alone in her passion for quilting. The Red River Quilters, an organization of quilting enthusiasts in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, is flourishing with more than 250 members, and there are similar groups in places such as Longview and Texarkana - all target customers for Material Girl.
"The quilting industry is not so much a retail industry but an entertainment industry where you teach them and credit a friendly atmosphere where they want to come," Garner said. "People don't sew out of necessity but it's more of an art, a love of fabrics."
Garner was able to secure a $140,000 bank line of credit to get her business started. A lot of hands helped the store open in February. Volunteers helped paint and decorate the interior a bright yellow with antiques and sunflower window coverings. Her 12-year-old's birthday party included painting murals on the store's outside wall.
Garner has a fashion merchandising degree and is a former assistant buyer for Dillard's. She opened her store with five part-time employees, each with different strengths that benefit the business - for example, one is a retired bookkeeper, another is knowledgeable on computerized sewing machines, others are experienced teachers.
Among the store features:
*Quilting fabric. Garner opened with more than 600 bolts of fabric and will increase by 50 percent during the first few months. She is developing a competitive edge by concentrating on brands not found in other local stores, including importing fabrics from Australia, France and Great Britain. Most of the fabric also can be used in sewing garments, another way Garner can expand her business. Quilting patterns and books also are sold.
*Viking Sewing Machines. Material Girl is the exclusive dealer in the area of these Swedish-made machines and will offer classes and support for people using the machines.
*Classes. Material Girl is offering quilting and sewing classes and camps for adults and children and numerous special events, including lunch hour demos and Mystery Monday, where attendees get fabric and a set of instructions for a quilt - not knowing what the final project will look like.
*Convenience. Material Girl has pre-cut fabric squares for people pressed for time and will do in-house quilting for people not inclined to do-it-yourself.
*Consignment. As a way to expand inventory and inexpensively decorate the store, Garner has taken some items such as artwork, photographs, floor cloths and fabric purses on consignment.
According to Garner's projections, Material Girl should be profitable by the end of the second year, and beyond that, she has big dreams.
"Five years from now, I'd like to build my own building with a retreat center and a bunkhouse facility where quilting groups of 15 or 16 women can come."
