Business: Stitchers Garden
Address: 1163 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-946-6216, www.stitchersgardenil.com
Owner: Deb Krizek, 57, of Wheaton
Years in business: Seven
What does your business do? “We are a full-service needlepoint shop. We have thread, painted canvas, lots of experience to help you with your stitching needs, all sorts of stuff,” Krizek said.
How did you get started in needlepoint? “I learned to cross-stitch, which is another form of embroidery, when I was 28. My oldest is 26. When she was a year (old), I started needlepointing. There was a shop in Glen Ellyn that is now closed; I took a needlepoint class there. And then that was it.”
Why did you start this store? “I’ve been in retail my whole life. I always wanted to own my own shop ever since I was out of college. But I had kids. A commitment. … There were two local needlepoint shops in the south and western suburbs. Both closed.”
Any competition? “There are eight needlepoint stores in the Chicago area. The most of any metropolis. … We get people from all over. I have customers in Australia, Canada, Hawaii.”
What appeals to you? “I love it all. I love the threads. It’s totally my passion. Stitching is a way to relax. Kind of calms me if I’ve had a hard day. … You can pretty much do whatever you want. There are no limitations.”
How does it work? “We mostly work with painted canvas. The design is painted on and we stitch over it. … You don’t have to do any embellishment. My 21-year-old daughter needlepoints and she does the simple basic stitching.”
How do customers find you? “TikTok is a huge influence (for) getting new stitchers in right now. We saw a huge uptick after Christmas. It’s crazy.”
Why is that? “There are several TikTokers who posted their needlepoint ornament Christmas trees. People like the tradition of that. We’ve got ornaments all over the store.”
How did the pandemic affect your business? “During COVID, when the world was stuck at home, we had a lot of people pick up needlepoint because they were home and needed something to do. You can follow a video or a chart. Lucky for us, it stuck.
“I was 100% online only from March until May (in 2020). I was the only one here. I sent a daily newsletter out. People would drop their stuff off. People would mail me things, order things online. I’d pull the threads. They’d pick it up or I’d ship it out. … I was here six days a week, eight to 10 hours a day, pulling threads, packaging stuff, sending stuff. … It was a lot. I never want to go there again.”
What do customers say? “It’s my first time here and I love coming in,” Betsy Bennett, 70, of Wheaton, said. “There are so many options. Back in the day, everything was kitted. There were no options to get threads. … I learned how to needlepoint 52 years ago.”
“I just learned two months ago,” said her daughter, Claire Bennett, 33, of Chicago. “I love the creativity. I like doing it when I watch TV.”
Isn’t former professional football player Rosey Grier into needlepointing? “We have his book,” Krizek said. “He is a huge needlepointer.”
Where do canvases come from? “From artists all over the country.”
Where do you find materials? “Same thing. On this wall alone, there are 10 different vendors of threads. … (When) they come out with a new thread or one we didn’t have (we) give it a whirl.”
What challenges do you face? “Pretty much the same as any other small business. You’re working 24/7. … We do so much business on social media. You can’t just rely on word of mouth.”
What do you like about your job? “The people. The craft. … I love my job. I come to work at my own personal Disneyland.”
Is needlepoint related to quilting? “Quilting is sewing. We don’t sew. We embroider. We stitch.”
When are you open? “Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Do your research. Talk to people in the industry. The people who helped me get started were very willing to be honest about the pros and the cons. … You have to be on social media. Instagram. Facebook. Threads. Reddit. That’s how people communicate, shop and live. … I check my social media before I get out of bed.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
