On Highway 122 in Mason City, a large Willowbrook Mall sign prominently displays the statement “Quilt shop moved to St. Ansgar.” Saintly Stitches, a fabric and quilt shop that was located in Willowbrook Mall, has closed its doors there. The store owner, Holly Schimmelpfennig, says City officials never approached her with a financial package to stay open in Mason City.| On Highway 122 in Mason City, a large Willowbrook Mall sign prominently displays the statement “Quilt shop moved to St. Ansgar.” Saintly Stitches, a fabric and quilt shop that was located in Willowbrook Mall, has closed its doors there.
“Our last day there was August 13th,” said store owner Holly Schimmelpfennig. The store was there two and a half years, she said.
Saintly Stitches sold fabric, thread, kits, and other quilt-related items and products at the Mason City store, some of which were custom made and designed by Schimmelpfennig, her staff or others.
Asked why the store was closed, Schimmelpfennig said “The overhead was too much and there just wasn’t enough traffic,” which Schimmelpfennig says was not Willowbrook’s fault. She blamed it on “gambling, lottery tickets, people spending their money on things like that. The economy was a killer. People don’t have the kind of cash they used to have.”
Saintly Stitches, which employed three part-time employees in Mason City, has now fully relocated to the original store, located in St. Ansgar at 308 W. 4th Street. That store has been around nearly five years.
Asked if City officials approached her with any kind of inncentive package to stay in Mason City, Schimmelpfennig said “No. I never heard from anyone.”
NorthIowaToday.com also talked with Kent Hall, who “oversees” Willowbrook Mall. Hall, who is from Hanlontown and now lives in Clear Lake, says he has over 15 years experience working with Willowbrook Mall and business in general in Mason City and the surrounding area.
“Mason City is doing a good job, in my experience,” Hall said, when asked what he thought of the City’s role of keeping businesses in Mason City.
We told Hall that a story was being written on Saintly Stitches leaving Mason City and how another local retail business was given an incentive package to stay in town.
“That business is expanding, not retracting,” Hall said, immediately referring himself to Harley Davidson and the financial package the City of Mason City and the North Iowa Corridor (EDC) put together to keep Harley in Mason City. “That’s a good use of City funds,” he went on to say.
It was not known whether City officials ever checked the financial records of Harley Davidson to determine whether the business is on sound financial footing prior to the recent deal being struck. An e-mail to City officials Monday morning was not immediately returned.
When asked if it is typical for City officials to approach a business with an offer of financial help that is either moving out of town or closing altogether, Hall said “not in my experience” during his time working at Willowbrook Mall.
“Not everyone wants help,” Hall said. “If they do, they ought to go to the Chamber of Commerce, Pappajohn Center, other places that serve the needs of small businesses,” Hall said.
Driving by Willowbrook Mall four hours after this story was written, the sign at Willbowbrook Mall was changed. Removed was the notice about the quilt shop closing. In its place was an ad for dresses on sale at Saxony.
As for Saintly Stitches, Schimmelpfennig says she is “assessing” her store’s situation and says the move to just one store has been a “big help” in bringing costs and overhead in-line.|
