Local Quilt Shop Saved as Owner Buys Business, Preserves Jobs

Mary Larsen, a 34 year employee of Anderson Fabrics, stepped in this fall to keep the Anderson Fabrics Quilt Shop operating in downtown Blackduck, leasing the store while a purchase is finalized. The shop remained open after the New York based company that acquired the business in 2021 announced it was shutting down operations earlier this year, a decision that left more than 100 employees out of work in April. Larsen, who moved to the outlet store in 2012, has led a small staff of three and now employs three part time workers as she transitions to owner operator.

The sale of the main plant to a cannabis cultivation company, which has said it could create up to 150 new jobs, signals a rapid economic shift in the local industrial mix. The new positions could exceed the April job losses in number, but the industries are different and will likely demand new skills and training. For Blackduck that means potential gains in employment and taxable activity, but also the need to manage workforce retraining and to ensure downtown businesses remain connected to new local spending patterns.

Larsen kept the store running through months of uncertainty, saying "It was kind of an annoying summer for us," and "We thought we were closing in April along with everybody else," She described operating the outlet on a month to month basis while waiting for clarity, and admitted she took orders longer than the company asked because "I knew that I could get them done. I'm kind of a rebel that way." Her husband Gary bought her a home quilting machine so she could continue serving customers. She called the emotional moment of securing the shop "overwhelming," adding "It feels good. It means a lot to me to keep this store going, not just for me but for this community."

The quilt shop represents more than retail sales. Larsen said the store is a destination that draws customers from Iowa and from Canada, and that it ships products nationwide. The shop offers quilting and clothing classes, sells knitting and crocheting supplies, hosts a sewing club every second Tuesday at 6 p.m., and holds a Facebook Live event at 4 p.m. that same day. It also serves as a collection point for the Blackduck Food Shelf and the local toy drive. Those community services underline how small businesses help anchor downtown life even as the local industrial base evolves.

For Blackduck policymakers and residents the immediate questions are how to support worker transitions associated with the plant sale and how to sustain downtown retail traffic. Larsen’s purchase preserves a local institution founded in 1980 by Ron Anderson, maintains jobs and community programs, and illustrates how local entrepreneurship can soften the impact of larger economic shifts.