Walking into Fiddlesticks is like entering a kaleidoscope. With the store’s dazzling display of thoughtfully organized fabric, sample quilts and supplies, owner Cheran Bee has realized her heart’s desire to share a love of quilting with both experienced and novice quilters by offering classes, encouragement and know-how. The most rewarding part of her work, Bee says, is “encouraging people and seeing them succeed in learning a new technique or finishing a project. It’s amazing to see someone go from being unsure of their skills or apprehensive about a project to being proud of what they have accomplished.”
Name: Cheran Bee.
Residence Neighborhood: Hazel Dell.
Business name: Fiddlesticks Quilt Shop, 2701 N.E. 114th Ave. Suite 1, Vancouver. 360-718-7103; www.fiddlesticksquiltshop.com/; www.facebook.com/FiddlesticksQuiltShop
Age: 47.
Educational/professional background: I graduated from Fort Vancouver High School. I moved to Hawaii after graduation and lived there for eight years, and spent a few years in Seattle and Salt Lake City before moving home to Vancouver in 1999. While in Hawaii, I met my best friend, who taught me how to quilt. That was about 25 years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since! Before starting the shop in 2011, I worked in the dental field for 15 years.
How you got started in your business: An ownership change in the dental practice where I had worked for 11 years presented me with the impetus to try something I’d wanted to do for many years. It was the worst economy of my and my husband’s lifetime, but he believed in me and we jumped in with both feet. We opened in December 2011 and will celebrate our fourth year in business this December. We were honored to be selected as a national Top 10 shop by Better Homes and Garden’s American Patchwork and Quilting magazine’s Quilt Sampler Spring 2015 issue.
Personal/business philosophy: Be nice. My mother instilled in us, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I endeavor to be nice, be honest, be kind, and to make Fiddlesticks Quilt Shop a place where customers feel welcomed and at home.
Most rewarding part of job: Encouraging people and seeing them succeed in learning a new technique or finishing a project. It’s amazing to see someone go from being unsure of their skills or apprehensive about a project to being proud of what they have accomplished.
Most challenging part of job: Identifying and keeping ahead of industry trends, and managing the growth of the business.
One thing readers might find surprising about your work: How much effort actually goes into making a quilt. There’s a lot of math, skill and creativity involved.
What is one thing you’d like people to know about your work: How rewarding it is to help people bring their vision and creative ideas to reality, either by helping them choose fabrics, or the perfect longarm quilting pattern to bring their quilt to life.
Best feature of my Clark County community: Family. One word that consistently reverberates through the shop is “family.” People here are close-knit, with their relatives and the people in their lives who are their chosen family.
Another trait among the local quilting community would be generosity. Quilters gather together to make quilts for veterans, children in need, disaster victims, various charities and friends and family who are having both celebrations and crisis in their lives. The amount of selfless giving is inspiring.
What would make your community a better place: I would love to see art and music programs back in the regular school curriculum. They were a huge part of my junior and high school experiences, and I have really fond memories of the teachers who touched my life through those programs.
Your favorite travel destination and type: I like car trips to the beach, and so do my dogs! The Oregon and Washington coasts are wonderful, but so is Hawaii! I feel blessed to live in an area with so much natural beauty.
Favorite restaurant/pub/coffee shop/store: La Bottega, in downtown Vancouver, for a nice dinner. Cold Stone for a frozen treat. We also love Benny’s Pizza!
Hobbies: I am really lucky that I have gotten to transform a 25-plus-year hobby into a great business. I really enjoy sewing and quilting on my days off, and am beginning to spend time designing my own quilt patterns. I also continue a lifelong love of reading.
Most enjoyable book/play/movie/arts event in past 12 months: I recently read “The Hunger Games” series and really enjoyed them. I like to wait until all the books are out so I can binge.
Something you’d like to do this year/within five years: Travel. Any time my husband and I can get away, just for a day, is great, but someday I’d like to visit the Smithsonian and I’d like to take the Trans-Canadian Railway across Canada.
One word to describe yourself: Creative.
Person you’d most like to meet: I would have loved to meet Walt Disney. I think he would have been an amazing person to talk to.
WORKING IN CLARK COUNTY
Working in Clark County, a brief profile of interesting Clark County business owners or a worker in the public, private or nonprofit sector. Send ideas to Kay Richardson: kay.richardson@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
