Crafts & More opens

at 16 S. Minnesota

By RACHEL WEDDIG

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The first thing customers see when they walk into Crafts & More, 16 S. Minnesota, is an American flag painted on the back wall and a wide variety of craft items.

Regina Dwyer, owner of Crafts & More, opened her store in early November. It offers numerous craft items, patterns, nativity scenes, floral arrangements, decorative pillows, yarn, Christmas ornaments and more.

Store hours are Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be extended store hours during the holiday season.

Dwyer opened her store to offer wood patterns that can't be found elsewhere in New Ulm. She turned to family and friends when deciding what products to offer.

"I can order most things on an individual basis if needed," Dwyer said. "I work with a good company after spending quite a number of hours trying to find a company with low prices. Just because it's a smaller town, doesn't mean we have to have higher prices."

Having owned an antique and gift store with her mom, Dwyer had some business background. Prior to opening her store, she worked part-time with the city housing department, a job she said wasn't easy to leave.

"It was a really hard decision for me to leave my job," Dwyer said. "It was also a hard decision to open my store when I did, with the economy the way it is right now."

Dwyer plans to offer craft design classes in winter as well as workshops for children before Mother's and Father's Day.

Dwyer seeks customer input and said, "people need to let me know what they're looking for." She said if she doesn't have a product in stock, she probably can order it.

Dwyer said the response from the public has been tremendous.

"I am overwhelmed with the good response from the public," Dwyer said. "It took me about two months to get the store open and now I look back and can't believe I got everything done. But it's fun and I love how things turned out."

Dwyer plans an open house on Dec. 15. She is a member of the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce.