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8 I The Lovell Chronicle I July 9, 2020
Fifty-year Lovell fari store to ose
BY DAVID PECK
A longtime Lovell busi—
ness is closing its doors this
week after 53 years of op—
eration in the Rose City.
Mayes Fabric, 3 busi-
ness that drew customers
to town and provided ma—
terial for seamstresses for
more than five decades, has
fallen victim to the times,
unable to compete against
Internet shopping and a de-
cline in the love of sewing,
owner/operator Geraldine
Allred and husband Ed said
in an interview Monday.
Ma es Fabric was
opene in 1967 by Denver
and Hannah Mayes and De—
loy and Nellie May Mayes, a
family in which two Mayes
brothers married two Hag—
gen sisters.
The shop was original—
ly part of the Mayes Broth-
ers Auto Body/D&D Auto-
motive complex. There had
even been a grocery store
at the location.
Needing more room,
Mayes Fabric moved to its
current location, 435 Ore—
on, in the fall of 1972, the
amily converting a historic
dance hall and skating rink
building that is now more
than 100 years old.
The building had been
vacant for some time, and
Ed Allred joked, “It was
a skating rink as long as
they dared.”
Not only did the move
give operator Nellie May
Mayes more room, it also
allowed the store to get
away from the fumes of the
auto body shop, Geraldine
Allred recalled. The fam-
ily remodeled the inside
and added a 25—foot brick
addition to the west of the
wood frame building.
Nellie May was soon
joined by her nieces Car-
rol Mayes Allred and Mona
Mayes Wilkerson in the op—
eration of the shop. Also
helping over the years
were her daughters Juani—
ta Hawley, Pauline Waters
and Geraldine , Hender-
shot, now Allred. Wilkerson
died in 2003, Carrol Allred
in 2012, and after the loss
of her cousin Carrol, long—
time local teacher Geral—
dine took over the store
with sister Juanita in 2013,
then retired from educa—
tion in 2018, having mar-
ried Ed Allred, both having
lost their spouses, Kev—
in Hendershot and Carrol
Allred.
Ed and Geraldine not-
ed that Carrol and Mona
taught many 4-H members
how to sew over the years
and assisted in many com:
munity plays with costume
making and design, includ-
ing Joseph’s “coat of many
colors” for the community
production of “J0seph and
the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat.”
For five decades Mayes
Fabric drew customers
from across ,.the country
and even overseas, espe—
cially the Big Horn Basin
and western Wyoming.
“We had a custom—
er today from Riverton,”
Geraldine said. “But it has
changed over the last 10
or 15 years. Young people
“Better'than Billings. pricing everyday!” . ,
LW911548-2269 Cody sat/r5990 Worland 347-6548
DAVID PECK
Juanita Hawley (right) helps customers at Mayes Fabric on Monday afternoon.
There was still a great selection of fabric for sale early in the week.
don’t sew, and if they do,
it’s for crafts and quilt—
ing. We’ve also seen a de-
cline in sales due to online
shopping.”
Mayes Fabric has al-
ways been known for its
large inventory of quality
fabric, as well as customer
service, Ed said.
“People come in be-
cause they like who works
here,” he said, adding with a
smile, “A lot of peo le come
in and instead 0 talking
to a bartender they talk to
the ladies.”
“Carrol was a profes-
sional quilt maker,” Geral-
dine added. “A lot of quilt
work was done here. She
gave most of them away.
She also made Christmas
stockings, stuffed animals
and toys. She made quilts
for her extended family for
special occasions a lot of
baby quilts and quilts for
baptisms and high school
graduations.”
The family was frugal
with the store’s displays,
Ed said, noting that many
of the current tables came
from the former CR Antho—
ny store.
“Any profit was turned
back Into inventory,” he
said, t ough he noted that
the store also paid for fam—
ily members to attend col-
lege. Both Carrol and Ger—
aldine went to BYU, for
instance, Geraldine in edu—
cation and Carrol in cloth—
ing and textiles.
“We want people to
know that we appreciate
their support,” Geraldine
said. “COVID did not cause
this. It’s declining sales. I
decided it was time.
“When Mona was alive
she and Carrol alternated
work days and babysat each
others ‘kids. Pretty much
all of us raised'our children
here. There are grandchil-
dren in here now.’
A three-week closing
sale ends Saturday, with
a quilt drawing on Friday.
Juanita Hawley will con-
tinue to work with the long
arm quilting machine in
the building, and any re—
maining fabric will be do-
nated, Geraldine said, es—
timating about half of the
store inventory had been
sold during the sale as of
Monday.
“I can see a dent,” Ed
added.
, ., .k V _ U , DAVID PECK
Juanita Hawley (left) and Ed and Geraldine Allred pose in Mayes Fabric with
examples of some of the quilt work
sewn by talented members of the Mayes Fabric crew.
3’ l
DAVID PECK
Whitney Hendershot displa s the “coat of many
colors” sewn by Mona Wil erson with Carrol
Allred’s help for the community production
DAVID PECK
Sariah Hendershot works with the long arm quilting machine at
of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Mayes Fabric on Monday. Juanita
Hawley hopes to keep creating
Dreamcoat” staged in 1998. quilts with the machine even after the store
closes on Saturday.
In the end, the shop that on top of the cost of get product cheaper,” she
The future of the build—
said. “And when it comes to
(ordering) inventory, we are
last on the totem pole.”
could not compete with the
Internet and chain stores,
Geraldine said, ~ noting
material the shipping cost
is “outrageous.”
“The chain stores can
ing is uncertain, they said,
noting that Neil Mayes ac-
tually owns the building.
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