Getting to know your neighbor: Creekside Fabrics, Quilts & Yarns supports creativity

Colorful yarn displays and bright bolts of fabric welcome customers to Arcade’s Creekside Fabrics, Quilts & Yarns. Owner Sandy Pirdy opened the shop eight years ago, in 2004, and never looked back.

As a former corporate-level employee, Pirdy said her desire was to open her own business. “Everyone always thought I’d open a doughnut shop because I said I was going to start ‘Sandy’s Doughnuts,’” she joked. “But I did what I knew.”

The store owner began quilting and sewing in 4-H when she was 8 years old, and said that she has continued creating garments and quilts throughout her entire adult life. Her shop was originally a full service fabric and sewing machine center, and a year after its inception, was expanded to offer yarn, per customer request.

“I did my homework,” Pirdy said. “There was a fabric store here in Arcade for years, but it had been closed for a while.” She said she took a gamble, hoping that there was still a need for this type of business, and her efforts have paid off.

Pirdy’s sister, Deb Weidemann, joined the Creekside team, and then Cheryl Vought came on board. She is now in charge of the long-arm quilting department, which was added a year and a half ago. This section of the store is equipped with a large machine that quilters can rent to complete their own homemade projects, with Vought available as a guide.

Endeavors like quilting, a multi-billion dollar industry, are hobbies targeted to a specific demographic. “It has to be fun,” Pirdy said. “It isn’t essential. It’s a desire, a want, a passion. It’s used for gift-giving and fellowshipping. It’s not for everyone, but for who it is, it’s a fun place to be.”

Customers are offered a wide variety of items to purchase, for all of their sewing, quilting and knitting needs. Yarn brands sold at Creekside include Berroco®, Brown Sheep©, Caron©, Red Heart©, Bernat® and many others, ranging from the fine to the everyday. Many different types of fabrics are also available, including premium cottons. “We probably have 98 percent of your sewing needs, and if we don’t have it, we will resource or special order it,” said Pirdy. “Our customer service is our greatest asset. ‘No’ is not our first word. It’s ‘Let’s see.’”

Pirdy also sells Baby Lock sewing machines, quilting machines and embroidery machines. The shop takes in custom alterations, some of which are outsourced to experienced, self-employed individuals in Pirdy’s Project in a Box endeavor.

For the beginners, or for crafters who want to gain a little more experience or pick up a new hobby, quilting, sewing, knitting and crocheting classes are offered on-site and are taught by self-contracted Creekside teachers.

Both set dates as well as private classes are available. Most classes take no more than one - two weeks to complete, but Quilting 101, a quilting class for beginners, runs for four weeks.

In addition, Pirdy hosts free knitting days and evenings, in which knitters can bring their projects and spend time together, getting tips as necessary from on-site knitting experts. Free sewing days are also held, which crafters can bring their work and sewing machines to. Quilting artists, the “superstars” in the quilting field, according to Pirdy, are occasionally brought in to host in-store information days.

“There’s a lot here,” Pirdy said. She also hosts programs like quilt guilds, which support charities, socializing and education. In addition, Creekside is part of two annual “shop hops” that draw in visitors from all over Western New York. These types of events are typically held in a three - four-day stretch and are participated in by many shops all over the area. Each shop advertises the hop and many give away gifts, offer demos and hand out refreshments. Participants are given passports that they can have stamped at each stop along the way; at the end of the hop, names are drawn and prizes are awarded.

Creekside is also a host home for Cozy Quilt Ministry, which is a large network of individuals who make quilts for chemotherapy patients. “Cancer touches everybody,” Pirdy said. Quilters work together once a month to provide warm, personal gifts to those who need them the most.

In addition to her already full plate, Pirdy makes sure that she gives back to her community, staying involved in the 4-H endeavor that got her started crafting in the first place. Every year, she is a guest at a 4-H clothing review event, in which one girl receives a sewing machine from Creekside. “I never say no to the opportunity to travel and talk about my shop,” she said.

The shop owner is the director of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce and is also a member of the Arcade Chamber of Commerce. “Everyone knows me,” she said. “I am local and involved. I’m a social networker; I really want to see my community flourish.”

Pirdy, who knits, sews and quilts, said she encourages customers to not get overwhelmed, but to break down their projects and look at the world a little differently. “We love what we do,” she said, “and we want you to love what you do.”

Creekside Fabrics, Quilts & Yarns is located at 237 Main St. in Arcade and can be reached by calling 585-492-4226. Visit www.creeksidefabrics.com. Store hours are Monday - Friday from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon - 3 p.m.