Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Ayers.
Hi Theresa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I opened my quilt shop 13 years ago in rural Greenback. I had recently lost my mom and was considering how she had felt in her final years. She didn’t feel like she was needed in life anymore as her kids were grown and grandkids. Her thoughts made me feel like I wanted to create a community of like-minded people who could share their love of sewing and making things by hand. My dream was to have a small shop, but adding my daughter and son to the staff grew our business. They had the technical knowledge to create a shop that keeps up with trends, shares via social media and reaches customers past our community and other parts of the country. When covid happens, we were prepared to sell online but not prepared to handle the increased orders. We had to move to a larger space and experience the growing pains that come with fast pace growth. We’ve been in that space for almost two years and are still tweaking our retail hours as we struggle to find help, manage our families and try our best to serve our community.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not having complete retail knowledge has proven to be challenging; managing staff and inventory levels are still challenging, especially as we’ve all dealt with shipping delays.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a quilt maker. Sharing my love of this vintage craft is what I do best. I have been a garment and bridal couture maker, but honing in on my quilting craft has given me hours of peace and enjoyment.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Being able to share what I love, watch customers grow as makers, and share in their lives makes me feel we’ve made a difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mountaincreekquilters.com
- Instagram: Mtcreekquilters
- Facebook: Mt. Creek Quilt Shop
Image Credits
Sabrina Dowdy
