Seed to sprout
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT
Natalie was born with the love of crafting. Recently, with the support of her wonderful family, she started a craft thrift store called Making Space Thrift. A beautiful little store in Springville UT where you can bring all of your old crafting supplies to give them a new life. Natalie is passionate about healing our communities and supporting sustainability in any kind of making.
Branding
Website
Question 1
Tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from?
I grew up in Orem but now live with my little family in Mapleton. I have five kids and an awesome husband named Dave, and a cute dog named Teddy. Teddy is a miniature poodle and is the emotional support dog of the world.
Tell us a little bit about you. Where are you from?
I grew up in Orem but now live with my little family in Mapleton. I have five kids and an awesome husband named Dave, and a cute dog named Teddy. Teddy is a miniature poodle and is the emotional support dog of the world.
Question 2
Why do you do what you do?
What motivates you?
Where did your passion come from?
For one, my mom was always making clothes for us. Special Sunday dresses and outfits for school, things like that. She wasn't afraid to include me and teach me how to use the sewing machine. I remember we would use her scraps to make Barbie clothes. She gave me permission to learn and to try. I had access to foundational skills. Then my dad remodeled our entire house from the inside out growing up and at one point he added a thousand square feet. He is someone who can look at something and see the possibilities. He can take all of the nothing around him and make it into that possibility. I get that scrappy imaginative, creative, problem-solving, brain from my dad and a love of crafting and making from my mom.
When I first started having kids and we were making money stretch, I worked for a local Costume Company and did some mass production sewing for them. Then I started sewing for my kids and I made a stash of cloth diapers out of thrift store T-shirts and sweaters. I completely cloth-diapered my two youngest for like $10. I also have ADHD and so I love to learn the thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. I went through all of these different creative journeys. I thought ok if I'm making cloth diapers for my kids, I might as well make a thousand of them. Then I had an Etsy shop and it was really successful. I did that until I was bored of it but then I have all this extra wool stuff. So I started making aprons and I had tons of extra upholstery fabric and home décor fabric. That’s when I started making little girls' dresses. At every juncture, there was so much leftover taking up space. When you have that much it can be really stressful. I literally would hand it to my husband and shut my eyes and say I don't care where it goes it just needs to find a new home or we will be eaten out of house and home by fabric scraps.
So when I started to see stores like the one I have now (fabric thrift stores and reuse stores) on TikTok and I thought “yes! That's what we need!.” You need a place where when you're not using the stuff anymore, you can take it there, and people who can see it for what it is and who think the way that you do (in that creative way) can go and find that stuff and make something else. At first, we just joked I should be the one to build that store because I am already the person people take their leftover fabric to when they move. My whole life, I've told people to shop in my sewing room first before they go to the fabric store because I probably have it. We kept joking about it and the jokes got more serious and then we started looking at buildings.
When I first started having kids and we were making money stretch, I worked for a local Costume Company and did some mass production sewing for them. Then I started sewing for my kids and I made a stash of cloth diapers out of thrift store T-shirts and sweaters. I completely cloth-diapered my two youngest for like $10. I also have ADHD and so I love to learn the thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. I went through all of these different creative journeys. I thought ok if I'm making cloth diapers for my kids, I might as well make a thousand of them. Then I had an Etsy shop and it was really successful. I did that until I was bored of it but then I have all this extra wool stuff. So I started making aprons and I had tons of extra upholstery fabric and home décor fabric. That’s when I started making little girls' dresses. At every juncture, there was so much leftover taking up space. When you have that much it can be really stressful. I literally would hand it to my husband and shut my eyes and say I don't care where it goes it just needs to find a new home or we will be eaten out of house and home by fabric scraps.
So when I started to see stores like the one I have now (fabric thrift stores and reuse stores) on TikTok and I thought “yes! That's what we need!.” You need a place where when you're not using the stuff anymore, you can take it there, and people who can see it for what it is and who think the way that you do (in that creative way) can go and find that stuff and make something else. At first, we just joked I should be the one to build that store because I am already the person people take their leftover fabric to when they move. My whole life, I've told people to shop in my sewing room first before they go to the fabric store because I probably have it. We kept joking about it and the jokes got more serious and then we started looking at buildings.
Why do you do what you do?
What motivates you?
Where did your passion come from?
For one, my mom was always making clothes for us. Special Sunday dresses and outfits for school, things like that. She wasn't afraid to include me and teach me how to use the sewing machine. I remember we would use her scraps to make Barbie clothes. She gave me permission to learn and to try. I had access to foundational skills. Then my dad remodeled our entire house from the inside out growing up and at one point he added a thousand square feet. He is someone who can look at something and see the possibilities. He can take all of the nothing around him and make it into that possibility. I get that scrappy imaginative, creative, problem-solving, brain from my dad and a love of crafting and making from my mom.
When I first started having kids and we were making money stretch, I worked for a local Costume Company and did some mass production sewing for them. Then I started sewing for my kids and I made a stash of cloth diapers out of thrift store T-shirts and sweaters. I completely cloth-diapered my two youngest for like $10. I also have ADHD and so I love to learn the thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. I went through all of these different creative journeys. I thought ok if I'm making cloth diapers for my kids, I might as well make a thousand of them. Then I had an Etsy shop and it was really successful. I did that until I was bored of it but then I have all this extra wool stuff. So I started making aprons and I had tons of extra upholstery fabric and home décor fabric. That’s when I started making little girls' dresses. At every juncture, there was so much leftover taking up space. When you have that much it can be really stressful. I literally would hand it to my husband and shut my eyes and say I don't care where it goes it just needs to find a new home or we will be eaten out of house and home by fabric scraps.
So when I started to see stores like the one I have now (fabric thrift stores and reuse stores) on TikTok and I thought “yes! That's what we need!.” You need a place where when you're not using the stuff anymore, you can take it there, and people who can see it for what it is and who think the way that you do (in that creative way) can go and find that stuff and make something else. At first, we just joked I should be the one to build that store because I am already the person people take their leftover fabric to when they move. My whole life, I've told people to shop in my sewing room first before they go to the fabric store because I probably have it. We kept joking about it and the jokes got more serious and then we started looking at buildings.
When I first started having kids and we were making money stretch, I worked for a local Costume Company and did some mass production sewing for them. Then I started sewing for my kids and I made a stash of cloth diapers out of thrift store T-shirts and sweaters. I completely cloth-diapered my two youngest for like $10. I also have ADHD and so I love to learn the thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. I went through all of these different creative journeys. I thought ok if I'm making cloth diapers for my kids, I might as well make a thousand of them. Then I had an Etsy shop and it was really successful. I did that until I was bored of it but then I have all this extra wool stuff. So I started making aprons and I had tons of extra upholstery fabric and home décor fabric. That’s when I started making little girls' dresses. At every juncture, there was so much leftover taking up space. When you have that much it can be really stressful. I literally would hand it to my husband and shut my eyes and say I don't care where it goes it just needs to find a new home or we will be eaten out of house and home by fabric scraps.
So when I started to see stores like the one I have now (fabric thrift stores and reuse stores) on TikTok and I thought “yes! That's what we need!.” You need a place where when you're not using the stuff anymore, you can take it there, and people who can see it for what it is and who think the way that you do (in that creative way) can go and find that stuff and make something else. At first, we just joked I should be the one to build that store because I am already the person people take their leftover fabric to when they move. My whole life, I've told people to shop in my sewing room first before they go to the fabric store because I probably have it. We kept joking about it and the jokes got more serious and then we started looking at buildings.
Question 4
What did you build in Soul Seed Academy?
When I first met with Sarah and Jeanne, they said “Hey I know you're working on something. This is what we are. How can we help you?” I think started to cry. I just kept saying thank you. We had just been making this up as we went along and I think that's a big reason why we got stuck in some of that red tape. We just didn't know what to expect and we had a really hard time getting answers from the other professionals.
It helped us realize we had resources available to help with the website, to help with branding, etc. We were doing everything by ourselves and it was too much. I'm still very aware that I'm not using Soul Seed to the extent that I could be. The whole process has been an exercise in letting go and delegating. It’s helped me piece out what are the actual things that only I can do and what are the things that someone else can definitely do. Often it feels like I am the only one who can do anything because it is my business, my project and that is just not true.
Soul Seed has also been wonderful because I have been surrounded by other folks who also have questions and who also are saying “what the heck.?”. The community of Soul Seed has been really powerful for me.
It helped us realize we had resources available to help with the website, to help with branding, etc. We were doing everything by ourselves and it was too much. I'm still very aware that I'm not using Soul Seed to the extent that I could be. The whole process has been an exercise in letting go and delegating. It’s helped me piece out what are the actual things that only I can do and what are the things that someone else can definitely do. Often it feels like I am the only one who can do anything because it is my business, my project and that is just not true.
Soul Seed has also been wonderful because I have been surrounded by other folks who also have questions and who also are saying “what the heck.?”. The community of Soul Seed has been really powerful for me.
What did you build in Soul Seed Academy?
When I first met with Sarah and Jeanne, they said “Hey I know you're working on something. This is what we are. How can we help you?” I think started to cry. I just kept saying thank you. We had just been making this up as we went along and I think that's a big reason why we got stuck in some of that red tape. We just didn't know what to expect and we had a really hard time getting answers from the other professionals.
It helped us realize we had resources available to help with the website, to help with branding, etc. We were doing everything by ourselves and it was too much. I'm still very aware that I'm not using Soul Seed to the extent that I could be. The whole process has been an exercise in letting go and delegating. It’s helped me piece out what are the actual things that only I can do and what are the things that someone else can definitely do. Often it feels like I am the only one who can do anything because it is my business, my project and that is just not true.
Soul Seed has also been wonderful because I have been surrounded by other folks who also have questions and who also are saying “what the heck.?”. The community of Soul Seed has been really powerful for me.
It helped us realize we had resources available to help with the website, to help with branding, etc. We were doing everything by ourselves and it was too much. I'm still very aware that I'm not using Soul Seed to the extent that I could be. The whole process has been an exercise in letting go and delegating. It’s helped me piece out what are the actual things that only I can do and what are the things that someone else can definitely do. Often it feels like I am the only one who can do anything because it is my business, my project and that is just not true.
Soul Seed has also been wonderful because I have been surrounded by other folks who also have questions and who also are saying “what the heck.?”. The community of Soul Seed has been really powerful for me.
Question 5
Tell us about your business.
How does it work?
We're open Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM at our physical location on Springvale Main. We take donations of anything fiber arts, sewing, paper, crafting, scrapbooking, jewelry-making, and anything else craft related such as books or patterns. You can drop those by anytime at the physical location, no need for an appointment. You can find us on social media we are on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at Making Space Thrift. You can message me on any of those platforms or call our store number which is 801.704.9745 and then you can just talk right to my face. When you come into the store you'll either see me, Natalie, my mom, Carol, or you'll see my employee, Macie. Sometimes you’ll see my husband Dave at the store as well.
Tell us about your business.
How does it work?
We're open Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM at our physical location on Springvale Main. We take donations of anything fiber arts, sewing, paper, crafting, scrapbooking, jewelry-making, and anything else craft related such as books or patterns. You can drop those by anytime at the physical location, no need for an appointment. You can find us on social media we are on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at Making Space Thrift. You can message me on any of those platforms or call our store number which is 801.704.9745 and then you can just talk right to my face. When you come into the store you'll either see me, Natalie, my mom, Carol, or you'll see my employee, Macie. Sometimes you’ll see my husband Dave at the store as well.
Question 6
What has been the hardest part of your journey so far?
The waiting. I like to do things as soon as I think of them. I like to move fast and get it done. I like to start now. There have been a lot of times when we had to wait for paperwork from the city or licenses or building contractors, etc. To be so close and ready to open but have to wait for all the red tape to work itself out, was torturous for me. Plus there wasn't anything I could do to make it go faster.
What has been the hardest part of your journey so far?
The waiting. I like to do things as soon as I think of them. I like to move fast and get it done. I like to start now. There have been a lot of times when we had to wait for paperwork from the city or licenses or building contractors, etc. To be so close and ready to open but have to wait for all the red tape to work itself out, was torturous for me. Plus there wasn't anything I could do to make it go faster.
Question 7
What does healing the world look like to you?
One of the most gratifying things has been seeing the bridge between the generations that exist here in the store. We have teenagers learning how to sew or working on sewing projects for class. We also have little kids. There was a little girl who came in and got a knitting loom and she was about 10. She was so excited she said, “this is my favorite store I have ever seen!!” We have young moms who are looking for a project to keep themselves busy. We have women who have been in some of these industries for years that come in and tell their stories. We have women who come with donations and tell stories about the items they bring. It's just really cool to be the way station for all of those comings and goings.
There is this desire to create. There's a desire for sustainability. Almost everyone who comes in tells me that what we are doing is so great because so much stuff gets thrown away. They are so excited that they have another option.
We've got to heal our villages before we can heal the world. We have to heal our communities. We have to revive the village mentality of we are all raising each other, helping each other, and lifting each other up. This store is a place where that happens because we are we're creating this network of people across all generations. We really set out to create more of what we want to see in our own community with this store and people are really responding to it! It's what a lot of people want to see.
There is this desire to create. There's a desire for sustainability. Almost everyone who comes in tells me that what we are doing is so great because so much stuff gets thrown away. They are so excited that they have another option.
We've got to heal our villages before we can heal the world. We have to heal our communities. We have to revive the village mentality of we are all raising each other, helping each other, and lifting each other up. This store is a place where that happens because we are we're creating this network of people across all generations. We really set out to create more of what we want to see in our own community with this store and people are really responding to it! It's what a lot of people want to see.
What does healing the world look like to you?
One of the most gratifying things has been seeing the bridge between the generations that exist here in the store. We have teenagers learning how to sew or working on sewing projects for class. We also have little kids. There was a little girl who came in and got a knitting loom and she was about 10. She was so excited she said, “this is my favorite store I have ever seen!!” We have young moms who are looking for a project to keep themselves busy. We have women who have been in some of these industries for years that come in and tell their stories. We have women who come with donations and tell stories about the items they bring. It's just really cool to be the way station for all of those comings and goings.
There is this desire to create. There's a desire for sustainability. Almost everyone who comes in tells me that what we are doing is so great because so much stuff gets thrown away. They are so excited that they have another option.
We've got to heal our villages before we can heal the world. We have to heal our communities. We have to revive the village mentality of we are all raising each other, helping each other, and lifting each other up. This store is a place where that happens because we are we're creating this network of people across all generations. We really set out to create more of what we want to see in our own community with this store and people are really responding to it! It's what a lot of people want to see.
There is this desire to create. There's a desire for sustainability. Almost everyone who comes in tells me that what we are doing is so great because so much stuff gets thrown away. They are so excited that they have another option.
We've got to heal our villages before we can heal the world. We have to heal our communities. We have to revive the village mentality of we are all raising each other, helping each other, and lifting each other up. This store is a place where that happens because we are we're creating this network of people across all generations. We really set out to create more of what we want to see in our own community with this store and people are really responding to it! It's what a lot of people want to see.
Question 8
Any last-minute thoughts?
We are very fun here so come hang out! We are super kid-friendly. We have a painting table and a toy kitchen so kids can comfortably hang out while you shop. I am personally invested in every donation that comes in. There's always a story behind it. At Making Space Thrift we give the old-fashioned mom-and-pop treatment when you come in. You are immediately my friend and I’m invested in what you are doing.
Earlier there was a lady who came in who was making her first rag quilt and she said “I am so lost! What do I need? This is what the instructions say but what does that mean?” So then another lady who was in the store who was an experienced seamstress and I looked at her pattern and started pulling stuff out. She let us know that she needed to do it for cheap so we ran over to the scrap bin and started rummaging through it for her. It was more work but it was cheaper. Together, this seamstress and I were able to find this woman everything she needed for the price she wanted. I told her “I dare you to find that kind of service at Joanne’s” and the seamstress yelled, “You won’t!”
There was also the sweetest lady who saw me on TV when I was interviewed by Studio 5. She called us from West Jordan and said “I saw you on Studio 5 and I want to make those cute snowflakes but I can't find the lace that I need for a good price.”
I said, “Well you're kind of far away but I can mail them to you if you'd like.” She said, “No if you really got it, I'll come down.” A few days later, she came in and she was probably in her late 80s. We pulled out all the lace and I showed her step-by-step how to do it while she took notes in her little notebook. We cut all the different kinds of lace and she decided what she wanted. When we got to the counter and I told her the price, she just about tipped over because it was so cheap compared to what she had been quoted everywhere else. She said, “Oh my goodness this is making me excited for Christmas. I wasn’t before. My husband died two days after Christmas last year.”
She told me that she used to love to cross-stitch. She cross-stitched until she needed bifocals and then when she needed trifocals. She was finally at the point where she couldn’t do it anymore because her eyesight was so bad. She missed it and when I showed her how to make those snowflakes she thought “I can do this! I can get this done before Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I could but I can!” She held my hand and thanked me and I just thought “That is what it is.” That is what it is! It’s about caring about people and sharing stories. I never would have thought that the silly little crafts that I come up with could help someone in that way. I love that I have a place where these kinds of things can happen.
Earlier there was a lady who came in who was making her first rag quilt and she said “I am so lost! What do I need? This is what the instructions say but what does that mean?” So then another lady who was in the store who was an experienced seamstress and I looked at her pattern and started pulling stuff out. She let us know that she needed to do it for cheap so we ran over to the scrap bin and started rummaging through it for her. It was more work but it was cheaper. Together, this seamstress and I were able to find this woman everything she needed for the price she wanted. I told her “I dare you to find that kind of service at Joanne’s” and the seamstress yelled, “You won’t!”
There was also the sweetest lady who saw me on TV when I was interviewed by Studio 5. She called us from West Jordan and said “I saw you on Studio 5 and I want to make those cute snowflakes but I can't find the lace that I need for a good price.”
I said, “Well you're kind of far away but I can mail them to you if you'd like.” She said, “No if you really got it, I'll come down.” A few days later, she came in and she was probably in her late 80s. We pulled out all the lace and I showed her step-by-step how to do it while she took notes in her little notebook. We cut all the different kinds of lace and she decided what she wanted. When we got to the counter and I told her the price, she just about tipped over because it was so cheap compared to what she had been quoted everywhere else. She said, “Oh my goodness this is making me excited for Christmas. I wasn’t before. My husband died two days after Christmas last year.”
She told me that she used to love to cross-stitch. She cross-stitched until she needed bifocals and then when she needed trifocals. She was finally at the point where she couldn’t do it anymore because her eyesight was so bad. She missed it and when I showed her how to make those snowflakes she thought “I can do this! I can get this done before Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I could but I can!” She held my hand and thanked me and I just thought “That is what it is.” That is what it is! It’s about caring about people and sharing stories. I never would have thought that the silly little crafts that I come up with could help someone in that way. I love that I have a place where these kinds of things can happen.
Any last-minute thoughts?
We are very fun here so come hang out! We are super kid-friendly. We have a painting table and a toy kitchen so kids can comfortably hang out while you shop. I am personally invested in every donation that comes in. There's always a story behind it. At Making Space Thrift we give the old-fashioned mom-and-pop treatment when you come in. You are immediately my friend and I’m invested in what you are doing.
Earlier there was a lady who came in who was making her first rag quilt and she said “I am so lost! What do I need? This is what the instructions say but what does that mean?” So then another lady who was in the store who was an experienced seamstress and I looked at her pattern and started pulling stuff out. She let us know that she needed to do it for cheap so we ran over to the scrap bin and started rummaging through it for her. It was more work but it was cheaper. Together, this seamstress and I were able to find this woman everything she needed for the price she wanted. I told her “I dare you to find that kind of service at Joanne’s” and the seamstress yelled, “You won’t!”
There was also the sweetest lady who saw me on TV when I was interviewed by Studio 5. She called us from West Jordan and said “I saw you on Studio 5 and I want to make those cute snowflakes but I can't find the lace that I need for a good price.”
I said, “Well you're kind of far away but I can mail them to you if you'd like.” She said, “No if you really got it, I'll come down.” A few days later, she came in and she was probably in her late 80s. We pulled out all the lace and I showed her step-by-step how to do it while she took notes in her little notebook. We cut all the different kinds of lace and she decided what she wanted. When we got to the counter and I told her the price, she just about tipped over because it was so cheap compared to what she had been quoted everywhere else. She said, “Oh my goodness this is making me excited for Christmas. I wasn’t before. My husband died two days after Christmas last year.”
She told me that she used to love to cross-stitch. She cross-stitched until she needed bifocals and then when she needed trifocals. She was finally at the point where she couldn’t do it anymore because her eyesight was so bad. She missed it and when I showed her how to make those snowflakes she thought “I can do this! I can get this done before Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I could but I can!” She held my hand and thanked me and I just thought “That is what it is.” That is what it is! It’s about caring about people and sharing stories. I never would have thought that the silly little crafts that I come up with could help someone in that way. I love that I have a place where these kinds of things can happen.
Earlier there was a lady who came in who was making her first rag quilt and she said “I am so lost! What do I need? This is what the instructions say but what does that mean?” So then another lady who was in the store who was an experienced seamstress and I looked at her pattern and started pulling stuff out. She let us know that she needed to do it for cheap so we ran over to the scrap bin and started rummaging through it for her. It was more work but it was cheaper. Together, this seamstress and I were able to find this woman everything she needed for the price she wanted. I told her “I dare you to find that kind of service at Joanne’s” and the seamstress yelled, “You won’t!”
There was also the sweetest lady who saw me on TV when I was interviewed by Studio 5. She called us from West Jordan and said “I saw you on Studio 5 and I want to make those cute snowflakes but I can't find the lace that I need for a good price.”
I said, “Well you're kind of far away but I can mail them to you if you'd like.” She said, “No if you really got it, I'll come down.” A few days later, she came in and she was probably in her late 80s. We pulled out all the lace and I showed her step-by-step how to do it while she took notes in her little notebook. We cut all the different kinds of lace and she decided what she wanted. When we got to the counter and I told her the price, she just about tipped over because it was so cheap compared to what she had been quoted everywhere else. She said, “Oh my goodness this is making me excited for Christmas. I wasn’t before. My husband died two days after Christmas last year.”
She told me that she used to love to cross-stitch. She cross-stitched until she needed bifocals and then when she needed trifocals. She was finally at the point where she couldn’t do it anymore because her eyesight was so bad. She missed it and when I showed her how to make those snowflakes she thought “I can do this! I can get this done before Thanksgiving. I didn’t think I could but I can!” She held my hand and thanked me and I just thought “That is what it is.” That is what it is! It’s about caring about people and sharing stories. I never would have thought that the silly little crafts that I come up with could help someone in that way. I love that I have a place where these kinds of things can happen.
