There were no small businesses in the Oxford area where local sewists could buy supplies and attend classes before April 2024.
To temporarily fill this void, Margie Hamilton started an online business after returning to Oxford from an extended stay in Alaska to look after her grandchildren.
Shortly after, Hamilton allowed people to come to her home to purchase supplies before finally opening Oxford Quilts in its current brick-and-mortar location at 1306 North Lamar Blvd.
“When I came back, there was no quilt store,” Hamilton said. “There was no place to go unless I went to Memphis or Tupelo.”
Hamilton believes that having a physical store for sewing supplies is important because it allows sewers to see and feel the materials they are purchasing.
“You can order things, but you never get what you think you’re going to get,” Hamilton said. “It’s always better to feel the fabric and look at it because the shades are so different on the internet even though they try their best to display the colors.”
Hamilton opened her store not only to sell supplies but also to provide a place where people interested in sewing could gather and find community.
“I can have people come in. They can look around, they can intermingle with each other and they can bounce off patterns and ideas,” Hamilton said. “It’s really nice to sit here and listen to some of it.”
Although the name only mentions quilting, Oxford Quilts has a wide variety of supplies, patterns and resources for all types of sewing.
One of the biggest resources that Hamilton’s business prioritizes is frequent and flexible classes for sewers of all levels.
“What I do is, I rotate the sewing and the beginner quilting, so if you miss one, don’t worry, we’ll have another one,” Hamilton said. “I also do private lessons for someone who gets intimidated with other people around and just wants to do it on their own.”
Hamilton emphasized that sewing and quilt making is for everyone, including men.
“Some of our famous quilters are men. Some of the first longarmers were men. Being a tailor, a lot of men did that,” Hamilton said. “So it’s not gender specific to do sewing and quilting.”
Hamilton highlighted a resurgence of quilting among younger generations and encouraged anyone interested to take the leap and learn the craft.
“Anyone can learn to quilt. I can teach you to where when you leave here you know how to quilt in one day,” Hamilton said. “I won’t teach you everything, but I can teach you enough to where you can start quilting.”
Hamilton said that she has received a lot of support from the community, which pushes her to continue what she is doing.
“People in town are very supportive, and they have been saying ‘I am so glad you’re here,’ and that makes me feel good,” Hamilton said.
