Some businesses come and go in Cedar Key and you wonder what the owners were thinking when they thought up the business plan. Some open up and you wonder why it took so long for said business to start up. This is what I think when I visited the newest business that opened this past weekend on 2nd Street in Cedar Key. The Salty Needle Quilt Shop held its Grand Opening last weekend at a time when most businesses in Cedar Key are taking time off. The weekend following the Labor Day Holiday is notoriously one of the slowest weekends of the year. With college football in full swing, pro football kicking off this same weekend, most folks are sitting down on a couch in front of the television rather than heading out for a day in Cedar Key. 
Beth Davis working with some bolts of fabric at the Salty Needle
|
Pulling up to the Salty Needle on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, which is located on 2nd Street right beside the Cedar Key Visitors Center, you`d have thought it was a festival weekend the place was so packed full of people. Who knew quilting and the selling of quilting supplies was this popular? Beth Davis, the owner of the Salty Needle and a Cedar Key native was there showing off her stocked shelves of brightly colored fabrics available for the quilting fanatics. The shop also offers a full array of sewing supplies and items related to the quilting profession. 
Locals and Visitors mingling under the covered front porch of the Salty Needle Quilt Shop
|
They were offering freshly baked cookies and punch for those visitors mingling out front, under the shade of the covered porch. There were even a few vendors showing off high end sewing machines that have built in computers that will embroider designs into your fabrics. Luckily I was able to pull my wife away from this display before we had to take out a loan. 
There are lots of other things you can do with the fabrics bought from the Salty Needle
|
Every half hour, they would call out numbers and whoever was standing on one of the numbers taped to the floor would win a door prize, so fun was being had by all who attended and the ages ranged from young children to those rocking in their golden years. In talking with Beth about what her plans are for the quilt shop, she shared some fabulous marketing ideas many shops in Cedar Key and any surrounding town could learn from. She explained that she`s hoping to put together quilting weekend packages where she`ll bring in quilters from all around the area who are looking to learn new quilting skills. While they`re here, she`ll have a few workshops for them to learn new quilting techniques to better their craft. She plans to partner with some of the area hotels to book a package deal on rooms for those attending the quilting workshops. Beth said she`d like to host a Low-Country Boil for the visiting quilters with fresh seafood and hold it at one of the area bars or restaurants. During the daytime while they`re not learning new quilting techniques, they`ll head out on one of the areas tour boats so those attending the weekend workshop will get to experience everything Cedar Key has to offer. This is a marvelous idea and shows that when businesses include neighboring businesses in their marketing, everyone wins. Hopefully Cedar Key businesses will learn from this entrepreneur and her new business will be around for years to come. I would think that if on one of the slowest weekends of the year, you can fill your business with excited patrons and visitors, come season, she will have trouble keeping product on the shelves due to how busy the Salty Needle is going to be. 
Walls lined with brightly colored fabrics at the Salty Needle in Cedar Key
|
Good luck to Beth and her new business and glad to see someone start up a venture that is sure to become a local favorite. | 
