Cornerstone of redevelopment

A $500,000 rural development grant helped the Town of Ayden and Quilt Lizzy owner Susan Harris renovate an old building on South Lee Street to house a new sewing and craf store and meeting center.

A detour during a hurricane brought Susan Harris to Ayden several years ago. It wasn’t long afer that she began working to open the fourth Quilt Lizzy in a dilapidated downtown storefront.

Quilt Lizzy, which opened in July, already is helping bring people back downtown, town leaders said

By Kayla Green

A chance detour caused by fooding from a hurricane is helping Ayden revitalize its downtown.

Susan Harris, the founder and owner of Quilt Lizzy, was driving from the coast to her home in Warrenton, where she opened her frst sewing and crafing store.

Flooding closed the road she was on and she needed an alternate route. A phone app redirected her up N.C. 43 through Vanceboro and had her take a lef on N.C. 102, bringing her right into Ayden.

When she came into town and saw the old houses she thought, “Wow, this is pretty, and gosh this kind of reminds me of Warrenton because Warrenton has a lot of historic homes.

“And as I got right into downtown … I saw all these empty buildings.”

Te lifelong North Carolina resident had been looking to expand east, and she wanted an old building to renovate and invigorate a downtown. “I’m very passionate about seeing downtowns come back to life … you wait until you see downtown Ayden in 20 years,” she said.

Harris called the town manager of Warrenton and inquired about Ayden. Soon afer, she made contact with Steve Harrell, then Ayden’s town manager.

Working with town ofcials, she identifed a dilapidated storefront at 4260 S. Lee St.

but knew the cost of restoring it would be tremendous. She worked in tandem with town ofcials and secured $500,000 in CDBG revitalization funding from the Rural Development Ofce.

Te Mid-East Commission assisted with the administration of the grant. Afer two years of renovations, delayed by the pandemic and construction challenges, the store opened on July 27 of this year.

“Tere are four Quilt Lizzy stores in eastern North Carolina,” Harris said. “Te biggest and the fnest one is this one thanks to the town of Ayden.”

She said she loves everything about the new store. “Te functionality of it, the lighting, the location — I love the location — I love the people of Ayden. Tey seem very happy that I’m here. I’ve been very welcomed, and I feel very safe here.”

With stores in Warrenton, Wake Forest and Jacksonville, Quilt Lizzy ofers a long list of sewing and crafing products including fabric, thread and patterns. Harris said that three-quarters of her business is sewing machine sales, training, service and repair. It also ofers classes throughout the year, and their calendar can be accessed online.

Quilt Lizzy carries four brands of sewing machines including Handi Quilter, Janome, Brother, and Baby Lock. Harris is in the top 10 percent of the Brother dealers in the nation.

Harris has sewn since she was 12 years old, and she fnds joy in seeing others enjoy this hobby. She frmly believes that people are meant to have personal interaction with others and are designed to use their hands.

“Seeing people learn, seeing them gain confdence. Te reward of sharing … I advocate for the confdent beginner. It’s very important to me to encourage people, and to make them feel welcome,” Harris said. “I generally care that people feel served.”

Harris travels between the stores to ensure everything is operating smoothly and hires expert staf to run day-to-day operations.

“I have great managers. I have wonderful staf,” she said. Harris is currently looking to hire a sewing machine repair tech, who she will train, and she needs another full time staf member in the store.

Harris and the town are converting the upstairs of Quilt Lizzy into the Ayden Renaissance Center, where people can host events. Te store has been busy since it opened.

“She took a building that was close to being demolished … and made it into a productive building,” Ayden Mayor Steve Tripp said.

Te unique nature of the business also has brought many people to Ayden who would not otherwise visit, he said. “As a result it gave an opportunity for other businesses to experience growth.”

Tripp stated that Harris and Quilt Lizzy are key components in infuencing others to improve the look of downtown Ayden. “She restored a great building and has brought business to our downtown area.”

New Town Manager Matt Livingston said the renovations and success of the store show others that downtown Ayden is a viable location to have a business.

“Downtown Ayden is the heartbeat of Ayden, and it’s very healthy. It’s getting healthier, and it’s doing better all the time, and I think that’s what it means when you see people coming in and revitalizing. Tey have faith and believe that it’s a spot — they see other businesses working out — so, they’re willing to invest as well,” Livingston said.

He thinks Quilt Lizzy is going to become the cornerstone of downtown. “I think it’s creating more of a hub of activity in our downtown, and it’s spurring other businesses … to reinvest into the downtown.”

Harris hopes to see downtown Ayden continue to grow.

“I’d like to see us have more places to eat. I’d love to see us have a spa … We need a hardware store. I think this would be a great location for an engineering frm or an architectural frm … I think there’s a lot of potential for this place. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

Visit Quilt Lizzy in Ayden at 4260 S. Lee St. and visit them online and on Facebook. You can also call 252-746-1590 with any questions.