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Image courtesy of the City of Hamilton
Located in the northwestern part of the state, Hamilton, Missouri (pop. 1,800) earned its place within $4.2 billion quilting market through the work of Jenny Doan and her company, the Missouri Star Quilt Company.
It all started when Doan moved to Missouri from California following the 2008 recession and decided to take her first quilting class. Her love for quilting eventually morphed into one of the world’s most popular YouTube channels for quilters with 860,000 subscribers, a book entitled How to Stitch an American Dream, and the birth of her company.
Then Doan and other company leaders had an idea that changed the trajectory of their small town. In an interview on the My First Million podcast, Al Doan, Jenny’s son, said that the growth of their online business required them to pursue more space. Rather than purchase a warehouse, the Doan family saw an opportunity to separate themselves from competitors by building Missouri Star Quilt Company as “the” destination for quilters. With the goal of having the most quilt shops of any town in the world, the company began purchasing buildings in Hamilton’s downtown area. They now own 15 buildings, including stores, restaurants, and a “sleep and sew”.
Image courtesy of the City of Hamilton
According to Hamilton’s Alderman Cole Crawford, “The quilting industry has generated significant amounts of outside traffic and has helped revitalize the entire downtown area, which includes many buildings that are over 100 years old.”
Crawford also points out that the quilting industry has helped create numerous jobs within the Hamilton region, which—given the city’s relatively small size—accounts for a significant portion of the total workforce.
Currently, events at the Missouri Star Quilt Company drive nearly 10,000 quilters and other tourists to Hamilton every month. This has helped keep Hamilton afloat during a time when many Midwestern cities of similar size are experiencing job and population loss and other notable challenges. Furthermore, as Crawford explained, the company’s presence has led to new business growth within the downtown area.
Crawford noted that a key takeaway for cities of similar size is having the willingness to partner with the private sector. “Nurturing healthy, ongoing relationships between the two sectors (public and private) can help small communities everywhere thrive.”
Ultimately, Hamilton’s commitment to and support of the quilting industry presents a blueprint that can be utilized by other small towns across the country. Finding a niche, small-but-important industry and enabling the growth of that industry through partnerships has been critical to their economic growth. “Not every small community in America has this sort of opportunity… We’re very glad to be home to the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and we are happy to see the impact that it has here in Hamilton,” said Crawford.
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