This isn't your grandmother's fabric quilting shop.
Some of the bolts that catch one's eye include delightful graphic designs of cotton that feature owls, feathers, and bold stripes and solids. There is also glow in the dark fabric sporting adorable unicorns and fairies. And Star Wars.
Shannon Morris, the owner of Skunk Hollow Fabrics Co., said she seized the day about a half-year ago when she spontaneously purchased the inventory from Cedar and Needle Fabrics, a quilt fabric shop operating out of Billie's Flower House that was for sale. Then she quit a part-time job at a local big box store, gently "kicked" her husband out of his home office, and set up shop.
"I was driving to the city if I needed anything for my own quilting projects — there was nothing in the Sea to Sky," she lamented. "Everyone who lives here has to go to the city. I thought ‘I can do this.'"
"I want to be a little quilt shop. When I finally get into a bricks and mortar place here in town, if rent prices ever go down, I'm looking at a quaint little quilt shop that's big enough to have a long arm in it. Eventually."
For the time being, Morris is operating from her home in Valleycliffe — known decades ago as Skunk Hollow and name that took its inspiration from the comic strip Li'l Abner and all the skunk cabbage that grew in the area, said Morris.
Right now, 80 per cent of Skunk Hollow's business is online, primarily within Canada. Morris made her first U.S. sale this month.
Last month, Skunk Hollow was part of a weekend pop-up at Bungalow 968, and Morris introduced the community to what she has in stock. For it, she put together adorable bundles of "fat quarters" (five to eight cuts of cotton, each roughly a quarter of a metre square) that are fashionably curated for new quilters — selected by Morris to compliment one another.
Morris is bringing in new fabric orders every month, including the glow in the dark fairies and unicorns her seven-year-old daughter helped her select.
"I'm always excited to pick out new fabrics, and I will have new things coming in on a regular basis," said Morris, who also carries some notions, thread, and essentials for avid quilters.
In the future, Morris plans to offer workshops, quilting lessons, beginner sewing classes, and classes for kids.
Follow Skunk Hollow Fabric Co. on social media for details on upcoming pop-ups and classes. You can book an appointment to visit Morris's shop in person or order online from skunkhollowfabrics.ca.
