GREENWOOD — It’s safe to say Back Door Quilts is tightly woven into the fabric of Greenwood. For more than 50 years, the quilt shop has helped people across the Midwest with a wide range of sewing projects. Like many small businesses, it began at home.
“I lived in a neighborhood and we had a group of women that wanted me to teach them how to do stuff,” Linda Hale said. “But my husband didn't like everybody coming to the house, so we opened a shop, and that's 51 years ago.”
Hale co-owns the store alongside Teri Dougherty, who began working at the shop 42 years ago.
“I was selling smocked bonnets when my daughter was a baby, and they asked me to teach a class on smocking,” Dougherty said. “Then I started teaching other things, and I was the only one with a computer, so then I started doing the class schedule.”
Dougherty eventually bought into the shop and through the years, the duo has steadily increased its class offerings.
“We have a beginning quilt making class [for] 7 weeks, and then it's followed up with an intermediate [class] if people choose to do that,” Dougherty said. “We have a lot of purse classes, shoes. sometimes we have project classes that are just one project like a pillowcase or a baby quilt. So there's a lot of variety.”
Students can also save 10% on supplies purchased at the shop. Both Hale and Dougherty say quilting is a great way to stay sharp.
“It's good for [your] brain especially as we get older,” Dougherty said. It's good to have to learn something new and make your brain work in a different way. And it's therapy, cheaper than therapy!”
Click here to learn more about Back Door Quilts.
