OTTUMWA — The WNBA's Indiana Fever is especially hot after selecting University of Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark as the No. 1 overall pick of the draft April 15. However, The Sewing House and Main Street Vacuum in Ottumwa felt the heat ahead of last Monday’s announcement.
"We ran out," said Tim Dobson, who co-owns The Sewing House with his wife, Linda. "The store is on its third order [of Caitlin Clark fabric] in only two weeks.”
Dobson said that the Indiana Fever's selection of Clark wasn’t a surprise, as rumors started months before coming to fruition when Clark declared for the draft.
"When a fabric rep called me and said he had some Caitlin Clark fabric, I immediately knew I needed that fabric," Dobson said, adding that he and Linda kept up with Clark's college career.
"Linda played college basketball and she is a sports enthusiast," Dobson said. "She was impressed with Clark. She was amazed at her skills and how she carries herself."
Although the store on Main Street in downtown Ottumwa regularly stocks NCAA fabric, featuring both The University of Iowa and Iowa State University, Dobson said that he had never seen any that highlighted an individual.
Store associate Kris Kelderman said, "Clark put Iowa on the map."
"People didn't know anything about Iowa," Kelderman said. "People thought, 'That's where they grow potatoes.'"
Dobson agreed, explaining that people from other states are now searching for fabric sporting Clark, the WNBA’s No.1 overall draft pick.
"The All-Iowa Shop Hop has a Facebook page, and I noticed that someone from Texas messaged the group to see if anyone had any Caitlin Cark fabric," Dobson said, adding that he didn't know for sure but assumed that most stores on the site had already sold out of the fabric.
"There were shops that were way more aggressive than I was," he said. "One of the stores purchased 15 bolts of Caitlin Clark fabric. I didn't do that, but I wish I had ordered more."
The Dobsons started The Sewing House in 2007 in their garage. Later, they moved to a small location inside the Quincy Place Mall. From there, the couple moved their business to Davis Street to what they called a "little gingerbread house."
The Dobsons purchased a storefront on Main Street when the shop outgrew its Davis Street location.
"The location is wonderful. A friend of the store, a quilter who was also a member of The Ottumwa Chamber of Commerce, told me that Brown's Shoe Fit was selling the location. I bought it two weeks later," Dobson said. "Moving here was very beneficial. When we moved here, there was little retail downtown. I knew that quilters would hunt you down, even if your fabric shop is a chicken coop in a cornfield – they will find you. I knew they would see me.
"Half of our customers drive to The Sewing House from out of town. I'm sure that while they are here, they eat at restaurants and shop at other stores. We get traffic from Kirksville, Missouri, Albia, Fairfield, Bloomfield, Oskaloosa, and from 100 miles around Ottumwa," Dobson said. "When I got into the business, I had no idea that perfectly sensible women would get in a car with friends, drive 100 miles to buy fabric, and stop at nice restaurants along the way, but they do.”
During The Sewing House's years in business, Dobson said that he's seen sewing fads come and go.
"Sometimes a particular fabric collection will grab the quilting community, and people will call from miles around to get it. But I've never had anything sell out this fast," he said.
Now, the store is waiting for its most recent order, slated to arrive in around a week. However, Dobson admitted that much of that order "has already been spoken for."
Asked how long he thought the Caitlin Clark fabric frenzy might last, Dobson said he didn't know. Still, he encouraged interested customers to contact the store to see what might be available.
"We have the most wonderful customers," Dobson said. "I especially remember one lady with a very spicy personality who came in a wheelchair. She impressed me so much that I wrote a poem about her. I smile every time I think about her."
The Sewing House is gearing up to participate in the All-Iowa Shop Hop this summer, along with 69 other fabric shops from around the state.
For more information, contact The Sewing House and Main Street Vacuum at 641-682-4995.
