Genesee Sun

Quilting and Taxes, Unique Combination in Mount Morris

MOUNT MORRIS — Bright-colored quilts and shelves stuffed with bolts of fabric cover the walls of Main Street’s Liberty Tax Service.

The unusual décor comes from the building’s other inhabitant—the Journey Too quilt shop, which opened this year and is spearheaded by owner Cindy Welch and shop manager Wendy Kibler. The shop is a sister shop to Welch’s other quilt shop.

“My husband and I bought a building down in Nunda, the former soda bar, and we put it back on its feet. We started out with an antiques shop, Welch’s Wicks & Wears, and then changed over to fabric,” said Welch, a former Orleans County 4H leader and resident of Dalton. “I’d run the shop all day, then come home at night and make quilts. My daughter said, ‘You know, Mom, you really need to do something with quilting fabric.'”

Her daughter’s suggestion prompted Welch to turn her antiques store into the Journey Quilt Co. in 2002. In 2007, her daughter rented the Mount Morris space as a full-service tax office, which is currently open every Wednesday. The now retired Welch decided to utilize the office’s summer down-time by merging it with another quilt shop, combining her love of quilting with her desire to help people.

In addition to helping people with financial matters, Welch and Kibler, a resident of Leicester, use their quilts to brighten the lives of those in need.

“Since we started, Journey Quilts has made every child that gets picked up by the ambulance squad a quilt,” Welch said. “We’re hoping to do that as well in Mount Morris.”

The two women plan to donate a quilt to be raffled off at Nunda’s Woodlyn Hills golf tournament for breast cancer awareness later this month.

Welch and Kibler said Journey Too has seen a slight increase in customers since Brooklyn real estate developer Greg O’Connell began renovating the village’s buildings.

Many of these customers take part in quilting and sewing classes where they learn different quilt designs and techniques.

For Welch and Kibler, running the shop is a great way to keep busy by doing what they’re passionate about.

“I’m former 4H leader, I taught sewing in 4H, and I did all my own sewing for myself,” Welch said. “Sewing is my forte. I truly love working with people. I love the fabric. It’s great business for someone retired.”