Hidden Gems: Meet Kimberly Place of Beehive Craft Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Place.

Hi Kimberly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I guess sewing and fabric is in my blood. The women on my mom’s side of the family sewed to put food on the table and my father’s sisters made all of their clothes. My aunt even owned a fabric store in Lubbock, TX for a long time. My grandmother helped my mom make all of her formal dresses including her wedding dress. When I was 12, I started sewing in 4H making clothing. My creative juices started flowing and I also made hats out of fabric scraps and paper plates and designed doll clothing and their accessories. Fast forward many years and many other careers later and I’ve returned to my roots. When my son was in second grade, the parents in his class started to figure out that I sewed and asking me to teach their children. Then a local quilt shop asked me to teach some summer camps and I was hooked! Sharing my love for creating and sewing with children has been so magical. They have no reservations about what fabrics look good together and there is no stigma about whether or not a sewing technique is hard because 95% of the time, they haven’t been introduced to it before. I feel like it’s my job to guide new sewists on their creative journey, teach them important techniques and encourage them to continue trying even when it’s hard. These are lessons that can be carried from the sewing room to the real world and I hope that when a student leaves my classroom, they are more empowered to try new and hard things.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Owning and running your own small creative business has definitely had its challenges. I started out as an independent contractor and did that for many years while juggling my family and other jobs. I traveled to quilt shops, preschools, student’s homes, art spaces and more to teach while lugging my machines and supplies with me everywhere. In 2019, I was tired of feeling like a sewing nomad and decided to hang up my teaching hat for a little while. And then I saw this cute little cottage for rent and I thought it was something I could afford, so I took the leap and signed a lease December 2019. My original plan was to have a workshop space where students and teachers could create and learn together. We had the best time warming up Beehive cottage the few months proceeding lockdown for Covid-19. I met so many new amazing students and customers and some of them have now become very good friends. After lockdown, I knew that I needed to do something to keep going, so I shifted my small retail shop to online. If it had not been for the support of my community, I probably wouldn’t have been able to make the shift and stay open. I’m so thankful for them for sharing my little shop with their friends. Now my new challenge is finding more space so I can have amazing workshops and invite all my sewing friends and teachers back to create that creative community again.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Beehive Craft Studio is a modern fabric store that offers sewing and fiber arts craft classes to all ages. The cottage is located in W. Austin in likely the smallest quilt store in Texas, only 400 square feet of fabric goodness. When you walk into my shop, there is a rainbow of color. I specialize in bold, bright fabrics by designers that would be considered non-traditional. You will not find civil war reproduction fabrics in my shop, but you might find some groovy daisy fabric from the Brady Bunch era. I also carry a handful of different substrates to make clothing like Rayon, Lawn, Double Gauze, Chore Coat and Dobby. We’ve had a handful of amazing modern shops come and go in Austin as our little town expands. I’m so pleased when I hear customers tell me they’re happy I’m here and how glad they are to have a collection of modern fabrics at their fingertips again. My shop welcomes everyone. In my own experience with a rainbow of colors on my hair, I’ve found that there are a lot of tentative alternative folks that walk through my doors not knowing what to expect. I hope that every individual who walks through my doors will always feel welcome here. Beehive also offers private and semi-private sewing lessons. Workshops and camps will be available again in the future once I get some magic growing potion for the Beehive cottage.

What matters most to you?
I think the thing that is the most important for me as a small business owner is making sure that my customers and students feel like Beehive is a warm, safe hug. I’m here to sling fabric, teach classes and make a living, but I’m also here to foster new sewists, encourage creativity, and empower people to feel more confident in their creative endeavors and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beehivecraftstudio.com
• Instagram: beehivecraftstudio
• Facebook: Beehive Craft Studio