Owner places Chippewa Carding Mill up for sale
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By The Chippewa Herald
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:05 AM CDT
The Chippewa Carding Mill, a business featured in a front page story in Monday’s Herald, is for sale and will need to close by April 26 if a buyer is not found, according to co-owner Marilyn Smith.
The Herald’s story about the unique business that uses an antique machine to reconstitute wool and other fibers for quilts, was first published in Chippewa Valley Business Report magazine in January. Since that publication, some circumstances changed and Smith announced that she would be moving to Milwaukee due to a family concern.
Smith announced the decision Feb. 27 and was not aware of the Herald’s plans to reprint the magazine story.
Smith said the decision to close has nothing to do with the success of the business, which she said is viable.
“I’ve been trying to find someone to take over,” she said. “It’s a good business and we’re looking high and low for someone.”
The antique mill that is the centerpiece of the business is owned by local attorney Dave Raihle Jr., Smith said. She hoped something could be done to keep the machine in operation.
Here is the previous article on the carding mill:
Chippewa Carding Mill leads to crafty ideas
By MARY DALE / Chippewa Valley Business Report
Marilyn Smith and Amanda Veneziano took a leap of faith and a more than substantial risk when they became owners of the Chippewa Carding Mill on Central Street in downtown Chippewa Falls.
“It is the dream of many crafters to turn their passion into a business,” said Veneziano. “The inclusion of the mill brought a new dimension to the dream as well as continuing a historic tradition in Chippewa Falls.
“Knowingly going into a business with equipment so old there is no service available may seem to be a bad business decision,” she openly acknowledges. “But on the other hand, buying a business to support a craft that has weathered the test of time, and currently reigns as a dominant force in fiber arts, is taking a proactive business position based on current market research.”
But the mother-daughter team of Smith and Veneziano are not just in business for themselves. They are also helping others get started.
In an era gone mad for “big” business, it is a breath of fresh air to see a small business extend to would-be entrepreneurs an opportunity to test drive their idea of a business, without a large influx of a commodity most of us lack — cash. But more on that later.
Popular craft
Quilting is big business. Literally thousands of women engage in quilting, some quite possibly addicted to the process. What started out as an ingenious method of keeping warm, by sewing “stuffing” between fabric, has become iconic in the world of fiber art.
Quilting is literally “stuff” that millions of crafty women with millions of disposable dollars support. As they quilt handbags, pillows, throws, spreads, duvets and wall hangings in all sizes, they celebrate their personal creativity.
“If you have any doubt to the popularity of this venture,” said Veneziano, “just look at the monthly craft magazines, TV shows, full color how-to-books, seminars and conventions available in the market.”
All encourage legions of crafters to try their hand at creating quilts that may well become heirlooms for the next generation to cherish and adore. These quilts may range in price anywhere from $30 to $3,000. The coverings can be from any possible combinations of fabric your creative spirit can combine. The inner workings of a quilt are from a myriad of materials. The Carding Mill processes wool and polyester.
And at just this point in the process, the Carding Mill comes into play. The mill itself, housed in the store and leased, processes the wool used to make the batts in the quilts.
“We provide a most unique service to our customers, that of cleaning and processing wool for a quilt,” said Veneziano. “Many of our clients we will never meet, but our mill is very important to them.”
The service they perform is a practice long forgotten by many.
“With less than a dozen mills still performing this task nationwide, folks from all over the U.S. send their wool batts to the Chippewa Carding Mill to be cleaned and re-carded,” said Veneziano. “New virgin wool and polyester batts are available for sale in the retail store. The batts used for quilts and comforters are tied with yarn to hold the three layers together.”
Her enthusiasm for the task is contagious as she explains the process in detail with an invitation for a tour extended to all.
After years of use the batts lose their loft. The process at the mill restores the character of a truly luxurious comforter or heirloom quilt. The batts are washed by hand and air dried. They are then sent through the picking machine. This separates and fluffs the fibers. This is important for the next step, which is the actual milling.
The fibers are picked up almost individually by the mill’s roller system. As they travel through the mill, the fibers are straightened and layered. The end result is a lofty batt ready to warm a body in any weather. The batts are wrapped in brown paper and ready for the customer.
Other products
In addition to the batt, the store offers a wonderful selection of quilting fabrics. Veneziano boasts of hundreds of bolts from which to make a selection for a new quilt or to recover an old quilt.
“The fabric is excellent quality,” she said. “The patterns are authentic and the possibilities are unlimited. If you thread a needle, know what stitch to use, you are on the creative trail to something truly unique and lovely.”
As an accompaniment to the quilting, the next best craft in the opinion of the owners is handcrafted items made of yarn, be it for knitting or crocheting.
Veneziano expresses it well when she says, “Many crafters are interested in other facets of fiber arts. We choose to include yarn in our store because we love to knit and enjoy passing on the art to both old and young alike.”
So when you walk through the door of the Chippewa Carding Mill, you are embarking on a creative adventure shared by many who have a passion for color and fiber.
Niche marketing
It occurred to the owners, who are seasoned crafters, that many women would love an opportunity to try their hand at selling their items.
“Many crafters have 30 plus items, in a bag under the bed, the results of a ‘passion’ for the craft gone wild,” said Veneziano.
She teases and says, “After each friend and relative has received a handmade ‘item,’ there are still plenty left to hide in a bag under the bed. While this accomplishment was satisfying, it frequently left the crafter out of funds for more yarn or fabric.”
So in the true mode of women thinking “out of the box,” Veneziano and Smith decided to extend a helping hand to those who wanted to free themselves of the goodies under the bed, to sell them for cash, get more materials and create once again.
The most efficient answer was to sell space in the shop. The space is for the crafters to run as a micro business, a very popular economic concept in burgeoning Third World countries.
In fact, the Nobel Prize in economics last year went to a man who helped natives set up micro units of business where the start-up loan was less than $200. This bought the village ladies the supplies they needed to make their wares and sell them to the tourists.
Not all businesses need thousands to get a start. In fact, entrepreneurs at the Carding Mill can start for a modest cash investment of $30 a month. With a signed contract for six months, fledgling business owners can test their hands in the marketplace and see whether they wish to in fact become a small business.
For that money they get not only the space, but some help with marketing, ads, public relations and sales training. At the end of the contract, the start-up business owners will be able to decide, based upon facts, whether they should go into business for themselves.
“The communities’ response to our artist’s gift shop has been one of enthusiasm,” said Veneziano. “The prospect of buying a one-of-a-kind hand-made item has inspired customers to buy and spread the word. They feel they are supporting a member of their community.”
The end result is a win-win for all involved.
The Carding Mill gets more traffic in the shop, and vendors get an opportunity to try their hand at a start up business for less than $200.
Though $200 may sound like some serious change for a very small business, the savings to the startup business are significant: business overhead insurance (about $425), sales tax license (about $20), 40-hour week staffing (about $240 before taxes), rent (at least $150 a month), marketing (a newspaper ad is about $23 for a column inch per run), parking (about $15 a month), lunch/coffee (easily $15 a week), office supplies (easily $10 a week), and phone (approximately $30 for one land line per month)
“As you can see, this opportunity is an incredible and irresistible offer to the start-up entrepreneur who thinks they want to go into business for themselves,” said Veneziano.
The community gets to support a local business that is helping others get started. And downtown Chippewa Falls gets bragging rights to another successful venture.
This story first appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of Chippewa Valley Business Report magazine, a publication of Chippewa Valley Newspapers.
Mary Dale is a freelance writer from Eau Claire. Reach Chippewa Valley Business Report at 715-723-5515 or through www.chippewavalleybusinessreport.com.
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