HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1999-02-17, Page 7tossroads
Br'Arnett-Advocate
Pars
07 WS—
g a lifelong dream
Bartlett stands with a Hughston
classes Bartlett offers.
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
bear, one of the items students can make in the
EXETER — For the new owner of
Quilts and Calicos, owning a business
represented a dream come true.
Linda Bartlett officially took over the
Main Street store on Jan. 18 and moved
it across the street on Feb. 1, where it is
located in the old Smyth's Shoes store.
"Buying the business was "a lifelong
People are
Talking head - John Archibald listens
to a caller to his radio talk show on
CKNX AM 920. Archibald's show runs
weekdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and every
Friday is open for callers to air their
views on topics of their own choosing.
By Margaret Stapleton
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES ADVOCATR
WINGHAM - John`'Archibald hangs up.
his headset and leans back in the control
room chair, another Free -For -M pk
behind him.
For the past hour, Archibald hes been.
dream .. . too good to turn .down,"
Bartlett said.
While she had never owned a business
and never worked in fabrics and quilting,
Bartlett said when she heard Quilts and
Calicos was available she couldn't get the
idea out of her mind and the decision to
buy was an easy one.
Bartlett first discovered Quilts and
Calicos when it was opened by original
owner Lori Dalrymple four and a half
•
g
years ago. As a special events co-ordina-
tor for the London= Health Sciences
Centre, Bartlett was, in
the Exeter area looking
for items to use for
fund-raising. She was a
frequentcustomer at
Quilts and Calicos until
she decided to buy the
business.
Although she has only
been at the new location for a couple of
weeks, Bartlett ishappy with how the
business has gone. She said she didn't
know what to expect "but I'm just thrilled
... it's been a very positive. experience."
In terms of changes to the business,
Bartlett said she wants to keep the "same
warm country feeling" • that has always
been offered at Quilts and Calicos, but
she said she'll probably be carrying a
wider selection of items.
In addition to selling fabrics, books and
patterns, Bartlett is offering classes for
beginner and advanced students. Prices
for classes vary depending on the size of
the project the student works on.
Bartlett also has a. Little Quilts Club,
which meets monthly, and a Christmas
Club, in which participants make
Christmas crafts.
Bartlett describes the business' location
as unique. An old building, it needed
extensive renovations before Bartlett
could move the business there. The walls
had to be sandblasted, the floors needed
refinishing, the roof needed fixed and the
bathroom had to be completely redone.
Eventually, Bartlett said she hopes to fix
the upstairs and open it up to her cus-
• tomers. Right now, the upstairs still holds
old pairs of shoes from its Smyth's Shoes
days.
While she only moved her business
across the street from the old location,
Bartlett said she advertised extensively to
get the word out to the public. She also
held a. grand opening last weekend. As a
result of her promotions Bartlett said she
has had some new customers who had
never visited the business at its previous
location.
Bartlett describes owning her own
Page 7
business as "challenging, but it's energiz-
ing and it's exciting."
While she has one part-
time worker, most of the
work is done by Bartlett
herself. She says the work
isn't hard, although
because she hasn't been
in the business long, "the
learning curve is signifi-
cant." She also spent a
couple of weeks in January working with
Dalrymple before she took over the busi-
ness.
"Her background has just been invalu-
able to me," Bartlett says of the knowl-
edge she gained working with
Dalrymple.
And although she still lives in London,
Bartlett says Exeter residents have made
her feel welcome and she plans to move
to Exeter soon along with her husband
Glenn.
"Buying the business was
"a lifelong dream .. too
good to turn down,"
LINDA BARTLE'IT
QUILTS & CALICOS
New owner of Quilts and Calicos Linda
Bartlett with a quilt made by the Huron
Perth Quilting Guild. Bartlett, who
moved the business to 392 Main St. on
Feb.1, says she's thrilled about the expe-
rience.
about...talk radio
holding forth with callers to his new
radio talk show on CKNX AM -920. Topics
have ranged from self -licking stamps to
millennium quarters. Archibald. wanted
to talk about the current woes of the
international Olympic committee, but lis-
teners aren't taking the bait and on
Fridays, they call the shots.
Ever since the show started on Jan. 4, it
has been creating "a buzz" in the com-
munity. CKNX has always considered
itself part of the community, and a radio
talk show is just another forum for dis-
cussion, says Archibald.
"People have things they want to get off
their chests," he explains. "I tell the lis-
teners this is their show, not mine." As a
constant reminder of the importance of
his audience and their opinions, a sign
hangs over his control panel. The mes-
sage is clear; it says "Listen, listen, lis-
ten..."
Over the• past month. Archibald's show
has tackled such topics as the pork crisis,
municipal restructuring and the Y2K
Problem. On sk are political correctness,
Groundhog
t Day, the working poor and
b►.
Although his sow does net begs until
9 &m., Archibald arrives at wort most
mornings at 6:30 where he pours over
the daily newspapers. He often drops by
the local coffee shop to talk to people and'
geta feel for the issues that are impor-
tant.
He admits he's not as nervous as he
was when he fust started the talk show,
but notes it's never far from his mind.
"You think about it all the time," he says.
He has a lot at stake with the talk show
and wants very much for it to succeed.
"I want this show to be informative and
entertaining. I want people to go away
thinking about what's been said."
Archibald has come full circle from his
boyhood days spent near Tara.
"I'm still a Bruce County boy and 1
always will be."
There was a time when he was ready
to deny his heritage' and head for, the
bright lights. As a teen, "' ; l fisted wanted
to get out," -. out of Bruce k..ounty, out of
Ontario in fact. Archibald earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Guelphbefore head-
ing to Concordia University in Montreal
for pat -graduate work.
While in Montreal, he stagged a job
with ABC Sports out ot New York City.
This may sound glamorous, but to
Archibald it meant long hours and hard
work in the competitive world of netwnork
sports.
He moved back to Ontario when he got
a job with a radio station in Brampton.
For a. time, he even had a syndicated
show. before leaving radio to turn his
hand to video production in the mid-
1980s.
By 1986, he was 'fed up' with Toronto.
He saw an advertisement in The Toronto
Star for a video producer at Champion
Road. Machinery in Goderich. He got the
job and worked there until 1995 when he
started a. video -production and commu-
nicattons•,business.
Late Last. year, he noticed an advertise-
ment in a local newspaper for a talk
radio host on AM 920. On a whim, he
applied for the job and the rest is history.
'`I've travelled extensively and I find the
people here are genuine and have belief
systems." Archibald feels his Bruce
County background has helped him
become accepted and welcomed by his
radio audience.
"I. like the people," he says of his audi-
ence.
Judging by the talk. on the streets and
in the coffee shops, they like him too.