Released Aug. 29, 2007
MCPHERSON, Kan. -- Grandmother´s quilt. It can be a family treasure. It is soft yet strong, decorative yet useful, and it literally brings us warmth and connects us to our legacy. But what if that quilt needs to be repaired? Or what if you want to make a new quilt of your own? Today we meet a store that not only serves quilters´ needs all over the region, it has brought national attention to Kansas.
Sherry Perdreauville is the manager of the Button Hole, a remarkable quilting store in McPherson, Kansas.
Our story begins with Evelyn Birkhead, who came to McPherson with her family in 1978. Evelyn was an avid quilter. She gathered cloth and supplies, and in 1996 opened a small craft and quilt shop of her own in a basement in downtown McPherson. She called it the Button Hole.
The Button Hole´s business grew with time, and so did the facility. In 2000, Evelyn and her husband Keith bought 40,000 square feet of vacant space in the historical downtown and remodeled it into a set of stores, including the Button Hole. Tragically, Evelyn passed away in 2004, but the stores remain in the Birkhead family.
Inside this downtown shopping complex, it is possible to walk from one store to the next. The stores include the Hearth Room, which is a coffee house; Body and Soul, which is a Christian book and lifestyle store; and a health food market. A beautiful upstairs meeting space called The Upper Room is also available for rent, but the anchor store in this complex is the Button Hole.
The Button Hole specializes in quilting supplies, fabrics, notions and gifts. While the main focus is on quilting fabric, the store offers sewing machines, quilting classes, and all types of sewing and quilting supplies. One person described their selection of buttons as "buttons beyond belief."
The store itself is a gem, remodeled by local craftsmen into beautiful decor. White picket fences line the upper walls, the foyer has a bubbling fountain and Italian tile, and a white gazebo in the center of the store serves as a customer service counter.
Today, the Button Hole is one of the largest independently owned quilt stores in the entire nation. It was featured by the editors of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine as one of the top ten quilt shops in the country. Visitors have come to the store from England to Australia and from Alaska to New York. Tour buses even visit. Distant shoppers can order quilting kits online at http://www.thebuttonhole.net.
When Evelyn began this business, she had 200 bolts of fabric, which seems like a lot. Today, the Button Hole has more than 12,000 bolts of fabric. Wow.
The company also has an outlet store in the rural community of Yoder, which has a township population of 738 people. Now, that´s rural.
The Button Hole is involved with special events, such as the Central Kansas quilt shop hop, under which 700 avid quilters visit 10 quilt stores in 2 1/2 days. On a more serious note, one of the young women who works in these stores had a severe health problem and received a liver transplant. In her honor, the Button Hole is having a special quilt show and auction in September 2007. On Sept. 29, several quilts will be sold at auction with the proceeds being donated to the Donate Life America Foundation in honor of this young woman.
The Button Hole employs 13 people with a combined quilting experience of nearly 100 years. Sherry says, "We have a fabulous staff that are avid quilters themselves, so they can pass along tips and give excellent personal service. Someone will say, "I received Grandma´s quilt and I don´t know how to repair or clean it," and we´re always told how helpful our people are."
Grandmother´s quilt. It´s a tangible and comfortable reminder of how we connect to our past. We commend the Birkhead family, Sherry Perdreauville, and all the people of the Button Hole for making a difference with their passion for preserving the heritage of quilting.
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/KSProfile.htm
Contact: Ron Wilson, (785) 532-7690, rwilson@ksu.edu
