The moment customers walk through the doors of Homespun Harbor
Ltd., a kaleidoscope of colors is waiting to greet them.
”
The whole store is influenced by the years we lived in
Hawaii,
”
said Ghleanna Reeves, who, along with her husband Dennis, owns
Homespun Harbor.
”
Ten years ago, we opened up a small shop in Hawaii. I was a
folk-art painter and my friend and co-owner of the shop back then
was a doll maker. We chose the name Homespun Harbor because we were
located near Pearl Harbor. Little by little the fabric took on a
life of it’s own.
The moment customers walk through the doors of Homespun Harbor Ltd., a kaleidoscope of colors is waiting to greet them.
“The whole store is influenced by the years we lived in Hawaii,” said Ghleanna Reeves, who, along with her husband Dennis, owns Homespun Harbor. “Ten years ago, we opened up a small shop in Hawaii. I was a folk-art painter and my friend and co-owner of the shop back then was a doll maker. We chose the name Homespun Harbor because we were located near Pearl Harbor. Little by little the fabric took on a life of it’s own.
“About five years ago, my former partner left the business. Dennis retired about the same time. Our customers kept telling us they needed a quilt shop so that’s what we became.”
When the couple’s daughter and grandchildren moved back to the mainland, the Reeves followed. And through the advice of a friend who lived in Hollister, the Reeves came on a Monday and bought a house two days later.
After finding a location to open their quilt business, they spent several weeks designing the interior. Included in the design are custom-built shelves boasting hundreds of different bolts of fabrics.
“I prefer the brighter colors,” Dennis said. “We pick them out together. A sales representative will come in and show us hundreds of different fabrics. We’ll choose 50 or so.”
A variety of fabric themes run throughout the store. There are batiks, which, according to the Reeves, are popular in Hawaii, as are the tropical and surfing patterned materials and Asian themed fabrics.
Holiday fabrics include Christmas and Halloween. Customers with baby quilts in mind will find plenty of friendly fabrics. Reproduction fabric with themes from the 1930s and ’40s have also proven to be very popular.
Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the sporting fabrics available.
“We also carry fat quarters,” Ghleanna said. “Quilters can’t live without them. They buy them by the buckets.
“We have an extensive library for quilters. People will stand here for hours, looking for just the right book to buy. There are also individual patterns in case people don’t want to buy the whole book. Another section we have is filled with gadgets for quilters and many that cross over into sewing.”
Along the inside walls of Homespun Harbor hang several quilts. Many of these are near-and-dear to the Reeves. They include two quilts Dennis made for his grandsons and a quilt Ghleanna sewed for her mother.
“I made the oldest grandson the quilt with fish and the youngest grandson the quilt with stars,” Dennis said. “The primary reason I got into quilting was that I was going to be partners in a quilting shop, so I wanted to understand the process. That was my first drive. The math used in quilting was another factor. I want to design my own quilt someday. I like the designing part of quilting.”
Whether quilters choose to machine or hand-quilt their projects, each one takes dedication and time.
“When you look at a quilt you’ve made, you remember what you were doing and why, as well as who you were making that quilt for,” Ghleanna said.
Those who quilt will tell you that a good quilt shop is a treasure worth sharing.
“Quilters will go great distances to visit a quilt shop,” Ghleanna said. “When we opened the first day at 9 a.m. I was nervous. By noon I felt comfortable because of our customers enthusiasm.”
Homespun Harbor Ltd. is located at 1709-L Airline Highway. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call 630-9438.
