Marie Kessler of Kessler?s Kreations and Jan Frantz of Jan?s Floral Designs both opened for business at the former Hills?boro Furniture Store, 112 S. Main St.
Some have already coined the new stores as Hillsboro?s mini-mall, Kessler said, because two stores, and possibly a third one, could be occupying the space that once housed the furniture store.
Kessler said her goal in moving from a 1,200-square-foot space at 114 S. Main to a 6,000-square-foot location is to increase the consignor base, add more of her top-of-the-line 45-inch fabrics, offer classes and rent space for groups.
Moving and expanding
Kessler said when Diane Claassen, owner of Quilts and QuiltRacks, 130 N. Main St., announced approaching retirement, it provided an opportunity for her to take over the fabric inventory. But she needed more space. In her new location, Kessler plans to sell finished quilts, custom-made quilts and offer machine quilting.
About 10 consignors are planning to have space at Kessler?s new store so far.
A list of those consignors include:
? ?Betty?s Country Crafts? by Betty Colburn of Canton featuring aprons, potholders and a variety of small craft items.
? ?Bling Me? by LaVonne Bartel of Wichita featuring handmade jewelry items.
? Kenya Mack, which is handmade, handpainted items from Kenya, Africa.
? Joy Vogel of Marion will bring little ballerina dress-up outfits for girls with her ?Princess Tutus.?
? Erica Jost, will offer younger fashions at ?Cuddle Bug Rags.?
? Joyce Kessler of Lehigh will have ?Soft and Kozies.?
? Sheila Nuss of Hillsboro will feature machine-embroidered items with ?Sheila?s Stitches.?
? Eileen Rader will feature ?Cross Your Heart Treasures.?
? Arlene Schale of Schale and Co., will carry ornaments, home decor and other gift ideas.
? Carol Unruh of Winter Park, Colo., will offer handpainted ironing boards and other items through her ?C.U. In the Shade? consignments.
Also fitting in with her consignors, Kessler will do hand-quilting for other people or if someone has a quilt they want to do, they can come in and tie or hand quilt it themselves.
Store hours will be change in September, but for now the store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon?days, Wednesdays and Fridays; from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
She also has one new employee, Julee Colburn.
Jan?s Floral Shop
Jan Frantz opened her new flower shop Monday, sharing a portion of Kessler?s Kreations.
According to Frantz, the new flower shop will have plants, live and silk flowers, tuxedo rental, complete bridal selections and flowers for all occasions to include funerals, weddings and seasonal events.
?I am very excited about opening?having a flower shop is the fun part,? she said.
Frantz said she owned her own shop in 2004 and closed it to work at the post office in Hesston.
After an injury, though, she returned to the business, working with Brenda McGuinness at Brenda?s Bloomers until it closed.
When the opportunity presented itself this year to open a flower shop of her own again, she contemplated whether it was the right decision for her.
?Everyone I talked to said they thought it was a good idea and they were happy to hear I was doing this,? she said.
Frantz said she doesn?t plan on having many gift items in the store, but will be adding handmade ones in the near future.
In addition, her mother, Jane Buccholz, crochets names, baby booties and other handmade pieces. ?My mother broke her neck in a car accident about 34 years ago,? she said, ?and this will keep her busy.?
In addition to flowers for all occasions, Frantz will offer seasonal arrangements in live and silk.
She and husband Leonard have four children: Nolan, 33; Austin, 31; Laci, 26 and Ethan, 19.
The flower store, located at 108 S. Main is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Throughout the week, both Kessler?s Kreations and Jan?s Floral Designs will be offering refreshments and showing everyone what types of products they offer.
