Best Friends Fabric & More open for business
Dec. 8—ASHLAND — From patterns to fabric to sewing tools, Best Friends Fabric and More has everything you may need to begin your quilting journey.
Best Friends Fabric & More had an Ashland Alliance ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning for the grand reopening of a sewing and quilting shop located at 2007 Carter Avenue in Ashland. Store owners Tara and Michael Koppenhaver come from a family of quilters and said it's a dream come true.
"Quilting has been a part of our lives for many years, beginning with our grandmothers and parents," Tara said. "One of the first quilts I ever received was from my Mamaw Nettie when I was a baby.
"I did want to own a shop of some sort. I hate to say I hadn't really thought about a fabric shop until the past two years, maybe," she added. "The previous owner, Penny, was retiring and it just came about."
Tara said the business offers Quilting 101 classes to teach the basics of sewing and quilting in hopes of inspiring young adults to get involved.
"I want to get the younger generation involved," she said. "Once you learn sewing and quilting, you can make anything. We also have specific classes — we've had a quilted stocking class, we've had specific ruler use classes to make quilt blocks and we had a zipper-bag class."
"It's not just about fabric; you can use these techniques with painting," she added.
Michael Koppenhaver, from Pennsylvania, said he is excited to be in the Ashland community and described the surrounding area as a "unique" place to be in.
"It's not about the money, that provision will happen," he said. "It's about the community and the people. I have grown up in Pennsylvania as well as Virginia Beach, Virginia. The sense of community here in Ashland is unique."
He added, "We are very blessed beyond measure and honored to be part of the Ashland small business community."
Tara said the business has a plethora of things to offer besides quilting.
"The shop isn't just about quilting, there's handcrafted items, for instance there is ornaments, purses," she said. "We don't necessarily do clothes, but anything you can sew, you can learn how to do in the shop. ... It's like a one-stop shop for everything you need.
"We are looking forward to helping educate people that want to learn how to quilt. It's not difficult to do. If you can drive a golf cart, you can drive a sewing machine; when you have your foot on the pedal, it goes, and when you take it off, it stops."
Tara said if visitors are strolling through town, she welcomes and invites anyone who wants to take part in an old-fashioned sewing circle.
"There is already pre-made, handmade gift items, it could offer a social circle for someone, man or female. We have daily sessions of sit and sew where they bring in their own machine and projects. It's just like the old fashioned sewing circle.
(606) 326-2657 — ajohnson@dailyindependent.com
