Miller's Dry Goods and Quilts: A ‘Charming’ shopping destination
By Jennifer R. Demuth and Dave Mast
Nestled in beautiful Charm, Ohio, at 4500 State Route 557, is a shopping destination knownas Miller’s Dry Goods. But don’t let that unassuming name fool you, as the business actually consists of two neighboring shops that are bursting with quilts, fabrics and home décor items in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Furthermore, most of the products are handmade by local craftspeople, allowing the buyer to purchase something truly unique to take home from Ohio’s Amish Country.
Business manager Katie Barkman, daughter of the late Amanda Miller who founded Miller’sDry Goods in 1965, explained, “Most of what we have is local-made stuff. People come herebecause we have more unique, handmade items.”
Shoppers can find most of those items at the Miller’s Dry Goods Quilt Barn, a store featuringquilts in all shapes, colors, patterns and sizes. Customers can also purchase crib quilts, wall hangings,table runners, rag rugs, toaster covers, kitchen towels, throw pillows, rocking chair covers, puzzles,post cards, calendars with Amish Country photographs by Doyle Yoder, home décor items andmore. And for those looking to make a quilt of their own, the Quilt Barn has plenty of supplies forboth beginning and advanced quilt makers. With precision-cut quilt blocks, stencils for quilt marking,yarn, embroidery floss, quilting books and patterns, the store can furnish everything needed to createyour own quilted masterpiece.
But don’t leave the Miller’s Dry Goods property without a visit to their other store, the FabricShop. According to Barkman, the store has more than 8,000 bolts of fabric. “We have 100 percentcotton fabric for quilts, fabric reproductions from the 1800s and just about any pattern or style youcan imagine.” Truly a crafter’s heaven, the Fabric Shop has home decorator fabrics, textures, fleece,corduroy, denim, oilcloth, quilt linings, batting and patterns for making fabric purses and handbags.
Every year, in late September (Sept. 21-22), Miller’s Dry Goods participates in “Quilt PinkDays,” a fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research. Customers are encouraged to participateby bringing a 12.5 inch quilt block with at least some pink in it to the store. The blocks are madeinto a big quilt and auctioned off on the Internet through Quilt Pink to raise money.
On the second Friday and Saturday of October each year (Oct. 12-13), Miller’s Dry Goodsparticipates in the annual “Charm Days” event and hosts a sale where customers can receive 20 percentoff all products at both shops. Additionally, at the beginning of each November (Oct. 31-Nov. 3),customers can enjoy the Amish Country Shop Hop where 12 different Charm shops (includingMiller’s Dry Goods) provide a free quilt pattern and a $5 quilt block kit for the pattern. At the end ofthe event, customers could easily acquire 12 different free quilt patterns.
Considering that Miller’s Dry Goods got its beginning when Barkman’s mom purchased theinventory from Barb Miller’s small fabric shop and loaded it up on a horse-drawn wagon to transportit to the Miller homestead, the store has truly come a long way. The store originally operated out ofthe family’s kitchen. Barkman recalled, “I remember it being in the house where I live now and havelived my whole life. I remember building on and adding on several times. This has been a big part ofmy family’s life. I can’t believe it has been over 40 years.”
“I am amazed at the prices we were charging in those days,” noted Barkman. “$70 for a quilt in1973. Now they are nearly ten times that, and the exact same amount of work and care in stitchingthem together back then goes into our quilts today.”
Over the years, the store produced more and more quilts, all with the same high-quality stitchingand beautiful colors and patterns and all for very affordable prices. The business grew and soonthe Miller home was not big enough to house the growing inventory so the business expanded intothe Charm Harness Shop next door, where the Fabric Shop is currently located.
Later, the demand for the store’s products necessitated a move into Barkman’s grandparent’shome and later into what is currently the Quilt Barn, a barn that was built in 1918 and cleaned and refurbished beginning in 1994. Miller’s Dry Goods is an integral part of the Charm community andbeyond, with shoppers coming from not only all over Holmes County but also from all over the nation to buy unique fabrics and quilts. “It has really been a blessing from God to be able to raise my familyhere and work with my family so closely,” shared Barkman.
Miller’s Dry Goods Quilt Barn and Fabric Shop are open Monday-Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5p.m., and accept cash, Visa and MasterCard.
