NEW LONDON –– At the corner of Central Avenue and Main Street, the Flying Goose Quilt Shop has been –– literally and figuratively –– a cornerstone boutique for more than a decade that has helped make New London a destination shopping location.
With more than 2,500 bolts of fabric in vibrant and seasonal colors, examples of quilt patterns with names such as “around the corner” and “firecracker,” and equipment that ranges from small “wonder clips” to the substantial Handi Quilter long arm machine, the Flying Goose is a one-stop quilt shop that brings seven or eight tour buses full of quilters to the small town each year.
But after 11 years of living her dream, owner Cherie Heitke is retiring and closing the shop.
The close-out sale of merchandise began last week and will continue until it’s gone.
“There are many bargains to be found,” she said.
Heitke said she expects to close the doors in about a month but hopes to find a buyer for the building and the business, including its name and extensive online registry of clients that was cultivated through her use of social media, her blog and website.
Because quilting is an important part of rural life, and the Flying Goose Quilt Shop has been a vital part of New London’s retail economy, Heitke hopes the business will continue here.
The store closing means her eight part-time employees will be out of work.
Heitke purchased the Flying Goose in 2003 and moved it to its current location six months later. Since then, the business has more than quadrupled in size.
“It had always been my dream to own and operate a quilt shop,” said Heitke, 64, who had a degree in clothing, textiles and business but hadn’t become a business owner until after her two sons were grown.
“It was a perfect match for me,” she said.
In addition to being surrounded by beautiful fabric and interesting quilt patterns, Heitke said she has enjoyed her customers and will miss them the most.
“It’s been kind of an emotional week,” said Heitke during a recent interview at her store. “Some people have been tearful.”
Over the years the business has included not just selling fabric and notions, but giving advice and holding workshops for quilters.
People would come to the store “just to be inspired,” Heitke said.
“Quilters are like family,” she said. “They love to do things together and work on projects and talk.”
Another common characteristic is that quilters are “very giving people,” she said. Most quilters make their works of art to be given away.
“It’s a nurturing feeling,” Heitke said.
As an avid quilter, Heitke said she intends to keep sewing and may spend more time designing original quilt patterns.
But her main priority now, she said, will be spending more time in the Washington, D.C., area where her three young grandchildren –– with a fourth on the way –– live.
And on those cross-country treks, Heitke said, she will now have time to check out all the quilt shops along the way.
