Mercantile on Main featured in magazine
Honor: Mercantile On Main, which is owned by Denise Guthrie, was selected from thousands of other quilt shops to be included in “Quilt Sampler.” Beacon photo by Josie Sellers
COSHOCTON – Mercantile on Main will soon be sharing the spotlight with 10 other quilt shops from across the United States.
The Main Street business was selected to be featured in the Spring 2014 issue of “Quilt Sampler”magazine, which is published by Better Homes and Gardens.
“A customer called and requested that they send me an application,” said Denise Guthrie, who owns the business. “They were very, very specific about what I had to do. There were pages after pages of instructions. I had to design a portfolio and tell a story about myself.”
Her entry also included comments from ladies who take classes at the quilt shop and photos that she had professionally done.
“When they called and told me I got it in, they said it was the photos that did it,” Guthrie said.
She, however, almost didn’t answer that important phone call.
“It was Labor Day weekend and it was Friday at 4:30 p.m.,” Guthrie said. “It was a funny telephone number and I really thought about not answering it, but when I did I was blown away.”
“Quilt Sampler” is published just twice a year and features quilt shops across North America and even has an overseas following. A panel of quilt experts select the shops that are featured and also pick one from past editions of the magazine to revisit. Mercantile on Main was one of close to 3,000 quilt shops that was eligible to apply for the honor.
“The magazine has sort of a cult following,” Guthrie said. “If you buy one you always buy one. I have a lot of them myself.”
According to a press release about Guthrie’s honor, early, out-of-print issues of “Quilt Sampler” are collector’s items and quilters have been known to try and visit all the shops in each issue.
“I’ve already gotten calls from different people and had a lady drive up from Cincinnati,” she said.
The list of shops to be featured in the magazine was revealed in a recent issue of “American Patchwork & Quilting,” but the magazine itself will not hit newsstands until Tuesday, May 6.
“I can sell them though as soon as they hit my door,” Guthrie said. “I can’t wait.”
The magazine will feature a multi-page profile of her shop and details on an original 91 x 103 quilt she designed.
“You can buy the kit to make it from me, but you have to buy the magazine to get the instructions,” Guthrie said. “The 10 other stores did this too, and none of the projects look alike.”
Mercantile on Main opened on Main Street in 2011, but Guthrie has been quilting since the 1980s.
“I enjoy the process of quilting and having lots of details,” she said. “If you look at my project in the magazine, one block has 49 pieces. For me it’s not how fast you can put it together, but enjoying the process of creating it.”
Guthrie also enjoys teaching others to quilt.
“I like helping people conquer their fears, solve problems or showing them another way of doing something,” she said. “With quilting there is more than one way to get results. I also always learn something from my students.”
Guthrie’s students, customers and the general public are encouraged to come help her celebrate the store being featured in “Quilt Sampler” during special events planned for Thursday through Saturday, May 1-3. The magazine and quilt kits will be available for purchase and customers will have the opportunity to win free fabric and sign up for door prizes. The magazine sells for $6.99 and the kits for her special quilt are $180.
Mercantile on Main is located at 603 Main St. and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
“I love what I do and interacting with people and helping them,” Guthrie said.
She also enjoys being able to showcase the work of fellow quilters.
“I love the high ceilings in here because it helps me display quilts,” Guthrie said. “It’s like an ever evolving quilt show. I’m very happy to be able to display the work of others and several of my customers had their quilts pictured in the magazine. It takes more than a shop owner to make a quilt shop.”
josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: Business
