Plentiful variety

Starting a new business during a period of economic recession can prove to be too demanding for some, but Linda Hewitt was up to the challenge.

“As far as starting a business, you’ve got to find the right banker you might say,” Hewitt said. “You’ve just got to find something there’s a need for.”

Hewitt opened Plentiful Harvest Fabrics and Gifts, 300 E. Montgomery St., Ste. 4. Sandra Kilkenny is also on staff.

The store carries an assortment of sewing notions and fabrics such as cottons, flannel and fleece. There are also different embroidered shirts, soy candles made by Hewitt and outfits for little dogs.

The name Plentiful Harvest came from the soy in the soy candles.

Novelty items

Hewitt said one of their top-selling items is yarn. Many of the yarn types include Fun Fur, a novelty “eyelash” yarn, embroidery thread and Pomp-a-Doodle, a yarn that looks like pom-poms when crocheted together.

Hewitt said one of the reasons for opening the store was the unavailability of fabric products in the area.

“I live in Afton,” Hewitt said. “A lot of it, too, was because Wal-Mart was taking fabrics out and things like that. There needed to be more available and affordable stuff because I had to go to Winterset myself.”

Hewitt acknowledged her store is already finding success.

“I’ve got people coming in and buying and repeat customers already,” she said. “I’ve been ordering some things for people because I know I have a small area, and I don’t carry everything that everyone uses.”

Even though the physical size of the store may be small, Hewitt already has future aspirations for her business.

“I do have plans, that if this goes, well to go to a bigger location and offer more,” she said. “With the economy and things like that I wanted to start out kind of small and see how it goes.”

Plentiful Harvest is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.