Lifelong passion now a dream shop come true
AS AN only child, Kathryn Bowman and her mother did a lot of creative things together, which instilled a lifelong love of craft into the small business owner.
But as a mother- of- seven, the fact born- and- bred Townsvillian Kathryn managed to find time to hone her skill is nothing short of a miracle.
“Life is very busy at our house,” Kathryn said.
“My husband owns his own mechanic too.”
Kathryn runs Country Crafts at Gulliver and she says it’s her “dream come true type of store”.
“It’s a little piece of crafters heaven, is how some of my customers refer to it,” she said.
“Many of them ask to sleep over so they can dream and plan their projects.”
Kathryn went to St Margaret Mary’s for high school and studied teaching at James Cook University.
She was a special needs teacher before she embarked into the world of craft.
“When I met my husband he was away doing shift work a lot at night and I tended to do a lot of craft then,” she said.
“I did a lot of handcraft, embroidery, crochet and knitting … all sorts of things and it just progressed from there. With the shop I don’t get as much time to be creative any more though.”
Country Crafts started as a home- based business and when it outgrew that, Kathryn moved it into a shipping container, which she converted into a shop. The business then outgrew that and she moved into a shop a year ago.
“This beautiful old shop became available and the timing seemed right for our family,” she said. “My husband and children said ‘ if you don't do this now Mum you will always be left wondering.”
The store has a range of patchwork fabric, craft and sewing supplies, notions, buttons and patterns.
“We also offer sew social mornings where our ladies bring along whatever project they are working on and just need a little help with, classes in all types of patchwork skills, Christmas creations and handbags and wallets, and some weekend workshops.”
Kathryn also fundraises for The Cure Starts Now by organising the Christmas in July and Christmas Country Fair markets and her family is heavily involved in scouting.
“I am passionate about handcraft and the sharing of knowledge,” Kathryn said.
“I believe in supporting other like- minded stores and small businesses in our town and I am often ringing other local shops for our customers and recommending people to buy and support local before buying from the internet.”