Looking for something to do as a family after they left the corporate world 9 years ago, Sue and Mike Miller decided to set out and open a quilt shop in Northern Michigan. Why a quilt shop? “Because there wasn’t one in our small town of Charlevoix. All four of our daughters quilted and they taught their mom to quilt too. It was something we could do as a family,” explained Mike.
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Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
They named their store Hearts to Holly to advertise that they carry items for all seasons – from Valentines (Hearts) to Christmas (Holly). Sue and Mike are the shop owners and their daughter Val Krueger, is the chief designer of their patterns which they have been offering since 2009.
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Val with one of her patterns. Photo by Brian Roberts Photography.[/caption]
All of their Heart to Holly patterns are exclusive to their brand and incorporate using fat quarters. A Holly Bunch is their trade name for their fat quarter bundles. Each Holly Bunch is a pack of 12 fat quarters specially coordinated by Sue to be used with their Hearts to Holly patterns. Val shared that quilters love the unique Holly Bunches because they are simply packaged, are weekend friendly, and are family oriented. “We’ve watched moms use our product to teach their daughters and grandmothers teach their granddaughters.”
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Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
Going to quilt shows allows the Miller family, a military family (Coast Guard and Air Force), to get together. After appearing in Quilt Sampler Magazine in 2011, Hearts to Holly attended their first national quilt show in 2012. While Val, (who also longarm quilts and lives in Las Vegas) has attended Road to California every year since 2005, Road 2016 was the first time for Hearts to Holly to have a vendor booth.
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Photo by Brian Roberts Photography[/caption]
“We were thrilled to be invited (to Road) because we have heard so many positive comments about the show,” said Val. The goal for Hearts To Holly has always been to provide a place “where quilters and “wanna be” quilters can visit often, feel welcome and always be greeted with a smile.” That philosophy held true during Road because as Val noted, “Our guests kept coming back again and again to our booth.”
While Hearts to Holly is currently housed in a brick and mortar store, they will be expanding soon to include an online store on their website. Keep checking back to their site to be one of the first to place an order online.
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Tags: Charlevoix Michigan, Family Business, Hearts to Holy, Holly Bunch, Quilt Sampler Magazine, Quilt Store, Quilts for all Seasons
