Leap of faith leads store owner to new spot after 61 years

By Jeff Morrow for Senior Times

Ginny Hildreth hasn’t been afraid to make a risky leap in her life when she feels the time is right.

The owner of Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric recently took what she calls the third big leap in her life: moving the store’s location of 61 years to a new address.

The good news is the move was not that far.

Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric moved from 119 First Ave., in Kennewick to 22 W. Kennewick Ave. It’s one block north and two blocks east into what at various times was Lantor’s Men’s and Ladies’ Wear, the Purple Parasol, and the Washington State Department of Revenue office.

The bad news? There was a lot of product to move. That’s what happens when you take ownership of a longtime business.

Throw in the addition of a fabric store she bought a few years back, located in its own building next door, and there was a lot to move.

“Our lease in the current building ran out March 1. And the lease in the quilting store runs out April 1.”

Hildreth has a loyal customer base who offered to help her move the product from the old store to the new.

For Hildreth, this business’ journey has been life changing.

Changing occupations

By Hildreth’s estimation, she’s the third owner of Discount Vac &

Sew.

The original owners were Ron and Marcia Kruger, who opened the store in 1961.

“Then a woman named Bobby Jay purchased it from the Krugers around 1992,” she said.

Hildreth had been running a statelicensed day care in the Tri-Cities for 14 years. In 2012, she helped Jay by teaching long-armed quilting for the next three years.

After three years, Jay convinced Hildreth to shut her day care down. With increasing state regulations that caused her headaches, she did it – but not without some trepidation.

“That was the first biggest leap of my life,” Hildreth said.

The next leap came almost eight years ago.

Jay had decided to either sell the business to someone or shut it down. She convinced Hildreth to buy it.

“That was the second biggest leap of my life,” she said.

Together with her husband Stuart, she became the store’s owner seven and a half years ago.

“I found I was much happier here, after years of raising other people’s kids and day cares were being regulated out of business by the state,” she said.

More space

The old Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric store was packed with an incredible array of products, ranging from Riccar and SEBO vacuum

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