The Prescott Chamber of Commerce usually holds their monthly "Coffee and Chat" at Ptacek's IGA in Prescott.
"It's a time to come and chat with members and have some donuts and coffee,” …
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The Prescott Chamber of Commerce usually holds their monthly "Coffee and Chat" at Ptacek's IGA in Prescott.
"It's a time to come and chat with members and have some donuts and coffee,” said Chamber Coordinator Trisha Huber. "It's very casual and very informal."
Huber and company broke the norm and held the June "Coffee and Chat" at River City Stitch last Tuesday.
"Kim (French, owner) was nice enough to let us have it here today," said Huber. "We also had their ribbon cutting, so we killed two birds with one stone."
River City Stitch screen prints and embroiders apparel and promotional items. Owner Kim French started her business in 2007 in a 750 square-foot building in Prescott. They moved down the street to their current location after a few years into a 2,400 square-foot building. The Prescott Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting was for a brand new 4,700 square-foot addition to the current location. The ceilings are high enough to fit an airplane.
"We just needed more space," said French. "We were on top of each other. We had no place to sort or set things. It would get so hot with the machines and the air conditioner couldn't keep up."
The space also allows for double the machines and half the production time, even though French said the loan amount was a little overwhelming at first.
"It's numbers I never thought I'd be able to attain, but it's empowering at the same time," said French, who opened a second River City Stitch location in River Falls in 2017. "Now it's like, 'Ok, I can do this.’ My daughter said, 'Mom, you did this. All your hard work did this.' I sat back and told her, 'Yeah, you're right. I did do this.’"
French is proud of the fact River City Stitch is female owned with an all-female staff.
"I've had good luck with it (hiring female employees), so I've kind of stuck with it," said French.
French's sister, Kallie Blanchard, manages the River Falls location.
French says business is good and they're making more T-shirts than ever before, especially with the success of Prescott Cardinal athletic teams this past year.
"That's a good problem to have, right?" said French with a giggle.
