Helping others carry on their legacy – one stitch at a time

Rachel Sankey

Staff

January 24, 2024

OAKFIELD — Stitches ‘N Tyme is turning over a new needle.

After 24 years, Donna and Jeff Redman are passing the reins of their quilt shop, located at 203 Main St., over to Amanda Bauer-Frisch.

“Donna and Jeff started this quilt shop after the Oakfield tornado (in 1996)… that destroyed the Village of Oakfield,” Bauer-Frisch said. “In the rubble of that, they built a quilt shop.”

Bauer-Frisch said Donna also ran a successful sewing machine dealership and taught classes.

“She’s made a niche for herself in embroidery,” she said.

Entrepreneurial at heart
Even before taking over Stitches ‘N Tyme, Bauer-Frisch said she had an entrepreneurial spirit — getting her feet wet in small business ownership four years ago.

That, she said, is when she started making wooden piggy banks out of her garage, which eventually transitioned into a business called Small Legacies.

The piggy banks, Bauer-Frisch said, are meant to help teach children foundational financial literacy skills and have three compartments: give, save and spend, with the child’s name engraved on top.

“Our piggy bank business has grown so much more beyond what I ever imagined when we first started,” she said. “Now we have teachers on staff who are teaching financial literacy to the youngest-age students in elementary school to help develop those early foundational skills.”

Amanda Bauer-Frisch also owns Small Legacies, a company that helps children learn foundational financial literacy skills through wooden piggy banks. Submitted Photo

To go along with the piggy banks, Bauer-Frisch said she also published a book, “Jeremiah Learns to Earn,” for parents to read to their children.

In addition, Bauer-Frisch said she also owns Navy Paddles, a woodworking business that makes unique retirement and military awards and gifts.

All three companies: Small Legacies, Stitches ‘N Tyme and Navy Paddles are now under the same umbrella of Enduring Legacy Co.

Before taking over Stitches ‘N Tyme, Bauer-Frisch said she knew the quilt shop well, as “a serial crafter myself.”

“When I learned the business was for sale, it seemed like a perfect fit for what we were doing as a small business,” she said. “Donna had left some big shoes to fill, but I felt like as a team, we could continue our mission and move forward.”

Bauer-Frisch said she officially took over ownership in November 2023.

Making a new stitch
Since taking over, Bauer-Frisch said she and her team have rearranged the store and gave it a “little bit of a refresh,” but said their main focus has been getting acquainted with people in the area.

“(We’ve been) introducing ourselves to the community and showing (that) we want to be a part of the business community in Oakfield, and our larger county,” she said. “That’s been our focus over the last couple of weeks, to let people know we’re here.”

Though Stitches ‘N Tyme has had a lot of “loyal customers for the last two-plus decades,” Bauer-Frisch said she and the team are working to grow the store’s reach.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t know we exist, so (we’re) trying to get on the map,” she said.

One of the ways she plans to do that, she said, is by expanding Stitches ‘N Tyme’s class offerings — with previous owner Donna as the lead teacher.

“Donna is now an employee with our team,” she said. “We’ve hired two more quilting instructors and have expanded our class offerings to cater to multiple areas of interest of crafters. We hope people of all interests and all crafting styles can find something they like in our shop.”

Outside of quilting supplies, Stitches ‘N Tyme sells embroidery designs, fabric, sewing kits, thread and Pfaff sewing machines.

Amanda Bauer-Frisch

Bauer-Frisch said the quilt shop also has its #StrongerTogether program, where it collaborates with Oakfield Middle School students through its Kindness Day program to help raise money for families in need.

She said Stitches ‘N Tyme donates the supplies to create both regular pillows and book pillows that are available for purchase.

Carrying on legacies
As Bauer-Frisch continues to settle into her new position as owner of Stitches ‘N Tyme, she said she hopes to help people carry on their own legacy, no matter what that looks like.

“Whether someone’s doing that themselves through making a quilt they’re gifting to somebody, or with our Navy Paddles brand helping to celebrate and preserve the legacy of our servicemen and women, (we want to be there),” she said. “For Small Legacies, I think any parent would agree that helping their child learn those foundational financial literacy skills is going to hopefully leave a legacy in their family. That’s what we’re focused on, and what we’re going to be shooting for going forward for all the brands.”

Bauer-Frisch said through the Enduring Legacy Co. brand, she can carry on a legacy of her own as well — “something that is close to my heart.”

“I started our business, Small Legacies, in honor of my late husband Adam, who was a sheriff’s deputy for Winnebago County,” she said. “He passed away in 2017 from a genetic heart condition. He was the reason why I made those banks in the first place because financial literacy was something he was passionate about.”

Stitches ‘N Tyme is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

To learn more about the quilt shop and its sister businesses, visit enduringlegacyco.com.