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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.