ABOVE: Old Alley Quilt Shop, located at 115 N. Main Street in Sherburn, is projected to close in August of this year, after more than 20 years in business.

SHERBURN — After more than 20 years in business, Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, the only quilt shop and one of the only craft shops in Martin County, is projected to close in mid-August of this year.

“It’s not something I want to do,” Store Owner Valerie Smith said. “It’s just something I have to do with where I am in my life.”

The small business found its home in the heart of Sherburn and opened in October 2004. For years, the store has offered 3,900 unique fabric bolts, patterns, notions, accessories, longarm services, materials, quilting and sewing tools and a large library of offerings to get the wheel turning on anyone’s sewing or quilting project.

Smith, who has had and still holds a passion for quilting, assumed ownership of the store in December 2019.

She said the Old Alley Quilt Shop is closing due to personal reasons and while she expressed that she deeply loves the store, the team and the work, she no longer possesses the ability to keep it running and has had to make the difficult decision to close its doors later this summer.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “I love the shop, I love what I do and the people there. The people I work with are fantastic and the customers are great, but I just can’t do it anymore.”

As the Old Alley Quilt Shop remains open for its final months, Smith has reflected on the previous seven strong years.

“For me, the most rewarding part is just getting to meet new people and the community, the quilter community that is created by having a store, your customers and your employees all become one big community. It’s a fabulous community. You could almost think of it as a church; it’s unbelievable how much community you get out of a hobby. Because there are quilt guilds, quilt retreats, classes and it’s just a huge community of common interests,” Smith said.

ABOVE: The interior of Old Alley Quilt Shop is stocked with colorful fabrics and supplies for area crafters.

In addition, Smith acknowledged the store’s significance to the community and beyond, especially to sewists, quilters and crafters.

“I have been reached out to by a lot of people who are really going to hate to see it go. I was in eastern Wisconsin at a quilt shop, and I overheard someone talking about my store in that shop, and I’m like, ‘You know where that is? I own that place.’ It stretches far and wide. Being here on the interstate, I get lots of people, just driving through, they could be from Washington, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, New York…That’s always nice to know, just getting to meet people from all over the country,” Smith shared. “I enjoyed being part of that, the movement, the camaraderie, that part of the community.”

Smith hopes that despite the approaching closure of Old Alley Quilt Shop, the local quilting and sewing community remains strong in the area. She plans to continue quilting herself as well.

“There are quilt shops outside of our county, so hopefully people patronize those and continue their hobbies,” Smith said.

She wants the community to know how much the Old Alley Quilt Shop appreciates it.

“I’m super thankful for all the patronage over the years. The friendships that have been created, and the support from the community, the support from my employees, they’re fantastic. I’d like to thank everybody for all their support,” Smith said.

The Old Alley Quilt Shop is for sale, and if the building and business are purchased, a quilt shop may remain in the area. But as the store prepares to close in August, customers are encouraged to keep a lookout for going-away sales or stop in the store to say goodbye.

Currently, the store, located at 115 N. Main Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on the first Sundays of the month, otherwise closed on Sundays. For additional information about Old Alley Quilt Shop before closure, visit the Facebook page, “Old Alley Quilt Shop”, visit oldalleyquiltshop.com, or contact the store at (507) 764-4088.