The Stitchery needlepoint store in Water Valley, Miss., on Sept. 3 2024. Photo courtesy Zoe Keyes.

The Stitchery, located in Water Valley, opened on Aug. 1 as the first needlepoint store in the state of Mississippi.

Needlepoint is a type of embroidery done on canvas, usually over a paper pattern, which results in an ornate design of the stitcher’s choosing.

Camille Breckenridge, owner of The Stitchery and a Water Valley resident, was inspired to open the shop after she picked up the hobby and realized there was not a store in her area that supplied the products for her new craft.

“I just saw a need and thought I enjoy this, (and) I am an empty nester. I’ve been retired for four years, you know what? I want to open a store so that I can share this with others and provide something for the community,” Breckenridge said.

The Stitchery offers many crafting supplies, from pre-made, hand-painted canvases to a variety of colored threads.

The Stitchery also holds classes where beginners can learn the craft of needlepoint. To take a class, attendees must pay a fee starting at $75 for two hours of instruction. Materials such as scissors, threads and the canvas are included in the fee.

A display of needlepoint projects inside The Stitchery on Sept. 3, 2024. Photo courtesy: Zoe Keyes.

Breckenridge mainly wants to offer a center for Mississippians who love arts and crafts.

“I want people to feel like they can come in and bring whatever they’re working on. It doesn’t have to be needlepoint,” Breckenridge said. “Maybe they’re working on a crochet project. Bring it in. Sit there. You can talk to other people. You can have a quiet space. I have (a) little coffee bar set up … where people could come and meet others and share and learn more about the crafts that they enjoy.”

The Stitchery storefront on Sept. 3, 2024. Photo courtesy: Zoe Keyes.

Breckenridge dreams of expanding the store.

“I would like to really expand the classes that I offer … (and) to provide education on different types of handcrafts because there’s so many different types of needlework that really are kind of becoming extinct,” Breckenridge said. “People aren’t doing needlepoint or crewel or embroidery like the older generations did, and I just think it’s such a beautiful craft, and I would like to increase the classes that offer so that other people could learn these types of hobbies.”

More information about The Stitchery can be found on its website.