(Above: Pam Denesyk with some award winning quilts. Photo by Barry Gray.)
Brightly coloured bolts of fabric adorn the shelves in the loft that is the bricks and mortar location of Mad About Patchwork.
A look around the loft, located on Huntley just south Fallowfield Road, further reveals a studio for classes and workshops as well as samples of project ideas – everything from an upholstered patchwork bench to quilts to new-sew Halloween bunting.
The person behind it all is Mad About Patchwork founder and owner Pam Denesyk.
Six years ago, Denesyk was frustrated trying to find the modern, fresh fabric she was wanted for her quilting and sewing projects. She could find it online, but shipping form the USA was cost prohibitive.
Denesyk explained that she thought to herself, “Why not a Canadian online store?”
And so she started one.
Working form the basement of her Stittsville home, the online Mad About Patchwork store was born. There was a huge learning curve. “It is not necessarily easy,” said Denesyk. “I don’t count my hours!”
“Since then,” said Denesyk, “it’s been six years of really building from the ground up.”
All that work has paid off. In June of 2014 Mad About Patchwork officially went from being a strictly online business to opening a brick and mortar store. The decision to open a store was over the process of about a year and it was inspired by her customers.
“Increasingly,” said Denesyk, “people kept wanting to come to my house and shop in the basement.”
At first the store was only open three days a week. As Denesyk explains, “We kept a little under the radar.” Demand was there and the hours for the store increased.
The location is a little off the beaten path but that doesn’t bother Denesyk or her customers.
“Quilters know where you are and they will travel to find you,” said Denesyk.
Customer Chelsea Bastien echoed those sentiments, “It’s not far – absolutely worth the drive!”
The secret to her success?
“I choose fabric that I love – and people seem to enjoy it!” said Denesyk. She keeps an eye on trends and stocks designers that are well known and that she likes.
She likes to cater to the market with a modern, fresh look and tries to keep inventory moving.
And that’s not all. Bastien talked about her experiences at the store, “The fabric is modern with a lot of variety. Staff are fantastic. I’m a beginner and they offer lots of help. It’s easy to get a little bit out of control there!”
Denesyk welcomes new and experienced sewers a like. The store doesn’t just cater to quilters but anyone who want wants tot dew or even make new sew fabric projects. Business continues to grow and Denesyk is happy with it, “It’s still fun and I enjoy it.”
To explore the fabrics or classes available, visit the store online at madaboutpatchwork.com or on location at 2477 Huntley Rd. Until October 31 they’re hosting a Modern Solids Trunk Show, showcasing seven modern quilts created by renowned quilt bloggers.
