The Yardgoods Center: Materials World
by Michelle Troutman

"I was brought up in this business -- you sleep, drink, and order it," says Joyce Vlodek Atkins, who started working at the Yardgoods Center at age five. She was paid 25 cents an hour to dust the thread drawers. Marital and business partners, Atkins' parents Bea and Ed Vlodek (pronounced "Vlo-dek") opened the Yardgoods Center on December 8, 1949. It was then across from where The Last Unicorn is now, and later moved to Main Street, where the parking lot is across from the Waterville House of Pizza. By the time that block of buildings was torn down, in 1969, it had moved to the current location. In 1996, before Ed died the next year, the family expanded the space by buying the building next to it, formerly a dry cleaner's, and later a pub.

"My Dad used to say, 'It's the little woman who comes in and spends 25 cents on a spool of thread that keeps your doors open,'" says Atkins.

Atkins describes her father as someone who never missed a day of work. "When Dad died, people would come in, and say, 'The day I was getting married, and my zipper broke, your Dad came in at five in the morning.'" He was the "personality" who knew everyone's name, known for his community involvement in the Lions Club and in Maine Merchants and as Santa for the city. "He was the guy who always took the whole neighborhood trick or treating."

Bea Vlodek, who did sales and bookkeeping, now 89, still helps out in the store (and goes to exercise) three days a week. "I take care of my family, I do the soup kitchen in Oakland on Thursdays, I go places with my Mom; those are the things that are important," says Atkins.

Atkins co-owns the store with her brother, Ken Vlodek. Ken had originally wanted to become a dentist, but stayed in the family business. Like his father, Ken remains active in the community, in the Rotary Club and in Maine Merchants.

Joyce graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in social work. There she met her husband, Scott Atkins, who runs Atkins Preferred Printing, and they married in 1979. Joyce later taught learning disabilities in the Waterville school district. While going to grad school and working at Waterville High School, she had her oldest daughter, Amy, in 1982, who now teaches fourth grade at Benton Elementary. Atkins returned to the family business after Amy was born. Two years later, Joyce had her son, Kevin, 26, and five years later, her youngest, Julie, 21, currently a senior at Providence College. Kevin sells promotional products with his father.

The Yardgoods Center offers a variety of crafting classes. "Stamper Superior" Sue Esty teaches stamping at 1pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00am, $10.00 per class. Roberta Corey, Bette Sturtevant, and Sharon Klipp teach knitting at $6.00 per session. Yardgoods also offers quilting classes, in which students also learn how to make aprons, purses, and wall hangings. Bob Nichols teaches needle felting, which involves using a metal needle to poke and prod wool roving into different shapes. "It's less money and more rewarding than regular therapy sessions," says Atkins, of the classes.

In the fall, on the second and fourth Sunday afternoons, Roberta Corey also heads a group which knits for such causes as the Home for Little Wanderers, for cancer patients, for the homeless, and for Newborns in Need. Corey teaches knitting Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. "She's probably the best knitter around," says Atkins.

Many knitting patterns are available for free. The yarns they sell are made of natural and synthetic fibers; among them, silk and wool, corn, soy, crushed crab shells and shrimp, bamboo, acrylic and nylon, and all cotton; many also contain healing oils, such as aloe vera and jojoba. The computer-generated designs of yarn have multiple colors on one skein -- the colors change as the knitter knits.

Yardgoods also sells felted knitted items, such as hats and mittens, which have shrunk and become fuzzy after a trip inside the washing machine. "It's not so much the heat of the water, but the agitation," Atkins says.

As for fabric, they have over 8,000 bolts of quilting material, hundreds of bolts of slipcover and upholstery fabrics, as well as a separate bridal section. They have everything the sewing enthusiast can imagine.

Downstairs are supplies for jewelry, candy, basket, and doll making, caning, more fabrics (tablecloths, pillow cases), and other crafts: crewel yarn, floss, latch hook kits, and ribbons. "If you don't see it, we'll gladly order it," Atkins says.

Peggy Wentworth and Lynne Willard have recently joined the other gifted Yardgoods staff. An expert in counted cross-stitch, Donna LaChance works in the sewing department. "Crackerjack" knitter and clerk Bette Sturtevant also teaches Wednesday knitting. The rest of the clerks have worked at the Yardgoods Center for a number of years. Roberta has been there 21 years. Sue (pictured right), who teaches stamping, has spent 15 years there. Judy Cole has worked there eight years. "Everybody's extremely talented, which is interesting; they can all do it. I just look smart," Atkins says. "We just make her look good," retorts Judy.

The Yardgoods Center at 60 West Concourse is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 5:00pm: (207)872-2118 and (207) 872-5403. Atkins is in the store "like glue" Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. www.yardgoodscenter.com

Visit the Meet Me Downtown home page to read our other business profiles.